Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
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Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
That turned out to be harder than it looked. Not only is the top of the dome impossible to reach, but the recent cycle of storms started with an ice storm, so the base layer was frozen solid. I managed to chip away enough snow and ice to rotate the dome, with manual assistance. (The rotation motor was trying, but I had to haul the dome around by hand to keep it moving.) That allowed my to reach all azimuths of the dome from the front deck. I paid extra attention to the shutter track, clearing as much of the snow and ice as possible from it.
So the final step was to try the shutter. It has a very powerful geared DC motor, so I was optimistic that it could break the remaining ice free. Nope! The motor is indeed powerful, though: the aircraft-grade stainless steel cable snapped! I guess the ice was stronger.
So, with no way to open the shutter until I can do repairs, the observatory is out of commission for a while.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
There is no way to warm things up to melt the ice and snow?
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
SCOPE : Skywatcher 120X600 ST Achromatic Refractor.
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Current Equipment:
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- Bigzmey Online
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
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- KathyNS
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
You certainly have an impressive setup under that snow. Beautiful, beautiful location!
Jim
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
I hope it clears easily enough so you don't get a coronary!
Cheers,
JT
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Man... That's some icky-tasting stuff!
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- KathyNS
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
While I was out there, I checked for damage at the attachment points for the cable, the pulleys, and the motor. All are fine. Who knew that the weakest link in that system would be aircraft grade stainless steel cable?
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Bob
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- UlteriorModem
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Current Equipment:
Mount: Celestron CGX-L
Scope: 130mm f7 APO
Cam: ASI071mc-pro
- KathyNS
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
It was the cable that broke, right at the winch. I would have expected the clamp that holds the end of the cable would have let go first, but no it was the cable itself. I just got back from buying some replacement cable. The rated strength is 95 lbs, so it's not ultra-strong. Probably just as well that it will fail before the HDPE of the dome structure itself. That would be expensive.UlteriorModem wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 6:36 pm Did the cable break or the swage fittings? Typically they fail at the fittings.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Hope you get back up and running soon.
Current Equipment:
Mount: Celestron CGX-L
Scope: 130mm f7 APO
Cam: ASI071mc-pro
- KathyNS
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
I don't plan to repeat the exercise, but if it does happen again, I hope the cable fails the same direction. It broke at the winch, so the free end whipped towards the base of the shutter, away from my computer desk. If it were to break at the shutter end, the free end would whip towards me. Hopefully, the tension vector would take it high enough to clear my head, but...UlteriorModem wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:56 pm Think of it as sort of a fuse to protect the other pieces
Hope you get back up and running soon.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
- UlteriorModem
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Current Equipment:
Mount: Celestron CGX-L
Scope: 130mm f7 APO
Cam: ASI071mc-pro
- KathyNS
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Too busy! I heard the motor starting to strain, so I was moving the mouse to the emergency stop button when It let go. It all happened too fast for anything else.UlteriorModem wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:15 pm I'll bet you nearly pooped your breeches and jumped a foot when that happened!
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
- UlteriorModem
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Re: Drat, there goes my imaging for a while!
Current Equipment:
Mount: Celestron CGX-L
Scope: 130mm f7 APO
Cam: ASI071mc-pro
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