Solar power for observatory

[JayTee]

I have a quote coming from a company that uses a pull down door that turns into a ramp when opened.

Talk to me about this garage door. It sounds interesting.

[OzEclipse]

I have a quote coming from a company that uses a pull down door that turns into a ramp when opened.

Talk to me about this garage door. It sounds interesting.

John,
Go to this video and fast forward to time marker 36:00 mins and you'll see how it works. ;-)


Joe

[Mike Q]

I have a quote coming from a company that uses a pull down door that turns into a ramp when opened.

Talk to me about this garage door. It sounds interesting.

Its just like the door on a trailer that you would haul a race car around in. Closed it looks like the building. Pull it down and its a ramp. Very cool, just dont know if its 1100 bucks worth of cool.

[JayTee]

Go to this video and fast forward to time marker 36:00 mins

Joe, I haven't watched the Thunderbirds in ages upon ages. That put a huge smile on my face. For some reason, I thought the garage door/ramp had something to do with the roof. I guess I'm kind of fixated on that.

Thanks again for the video and a great explanation.

Cheers,

[JayTee]

Pull it down and its a ramp.

Thank you, Mike. I guess my question now is, why is the building going to be so elevated that you need a ramp? And wouldn't $50 worth of plywood and 2x4's accomplish the same thing?

[Mike Q]

Pull it down and its a ramp.

Thank you, Mike. I guess my question now is, why is the building going to be so elevated that you need a ramp? And wouldn't $50 worth of plywood and 2x4's accomplish the same thing?

Well these sheds all sit on 4x4 runners to start with, so you are automatically starting with 3.5 inches of lift. Add in the floor thickness which can be anyplace between 5/8 inch to 1.5 inches. So we are in the 4 to 6 inch area on just the structure. Then you have to give it some sort of level surface to sit on. Whether you dig out and fill in or use blocks you are raising it up above grade. So you can tack on a couple more inches, so we are now 6 to 8 inches high. Now if you are really skilled you could dig down and give it just enough fill to get the floor to ground level but that will increase the likelihood of rotting the wood prematurely. Which brings us back to six to eight inches to deal with. As to building a ramp cheaper, yep it would definitely be cheaper, and a ramp built well enough to hold a 200 pound scope being backed into place with a 600 pound mower and a 200 pound me on it (1000 pounds) will have to be made of pressure treated ground contact board, and will be 4x4s and 2x6 or 2x8 boards, which will be closer to 200 dollars at a minimum. Plywood, even pressure treated would be a terrible choice for a ramp that will always be exposed to the elements. It would die a terrible death in months.

[Mike Q]

Yesterday i received another quote on a 12x16 building that will be used to store the scopes. I want to know when exactly the price on these things went through the roof. 7 grand seems a bit high but in reality its in line with others i have seen.

[Mike Q]

And the shed for scope storage has been ordered. ETA is the last week of August. Time to break out a chain saw a do some trimming.

[JayTee]

I want to know when exactly the price on these things went through the roof. 7 grand seems a bit high but in reality its in line with others i have seen.

That's right in line with what my custom building cost. So, oh well.

Cheers,

[Mike Q]

I want to know when exactly the price on these things went through the roof. 7 grand seems a bit high but in reality its in line with others i have seen.

That's right in line with what my custom building cost. So, oh well.

Cheers,

I could have built it myself but i have built so many buildings that i just dont want to do another.

[Mike Q]

Well with the new shed for scope storage arriving next week some time i decided i at least need to get a light for it. So i stopped at Menards and they had this solar shop light for 25 bucks. It has an internal battery that charges off the solar panel for use at night. If it last 50,000 hours like it says it will, it will out last me. Now i just need to find a fan with an internal battery and thermostat.

[Graeme1858]

That's a useful lighting system Mike. Would a fan need a battery backup? My observatory has a solar powered fan without a battery, when the Sun shines, the fan comes on. In addition I've got an Arduino controlled mains power fan that comes on when the temperature goes above 25°C, that might work with a solar panel and battery.

[Mike Q]

That's a useful lighting system Mike. Would a fan need a battery backup? My observatory has a solar powered fan without a battery, when the Sun shines, the fan comes on. In addition I've got an Arduino controlled mains power fan that comes on when the temperature goes above 25°C, that might work with a solar panel and battery.

I would like it to have the battery backup and a thermostat. Ideally it would turn on and off at 80 degrees or so. I found one that had both those features but do you think i can find it again.... Of course not.

The debate right now is do i even really need an exhaust fan. The roof has a vented ridge so hot air can escape out and there are gable vents on each end. There is a possibility that just putting a small fan in there to move air around will be plenty.

[Mike Q]

Today the shed arrives for telescope storage. I can finally get them out of the garage and into their own space.

[Richard]

Well with the new shed for scope storage arriving next week some time i decided i at least need to get a light for it. So i stopped at Menards and they had this solar shop light for 25 bucks. It has an internal battery that charges off the solar panel for use at night. If it last 50,000 hours like it says it will, it will out last me. Now i just need to find a fan with an internal battery and thermostat.

More like 1 years max if you are lucky , none last that long by far as the battery dies , these units use small Liop04 batteries 3.7v and last for 300-400 cycles so one year as you use one cycle per day , the light diode may last that long but with no battery at night will stop

[Mike Q]

Well with the new shed for scope storage arriving next week some time i decided i at least need to get a light for it. So i stopped at Menards and they had this solar shop light for 25 bucks. It has an internal battery that charges off the solar panel for use at night. If it last 50,000 hours like it says it will, it will out last me. Now i just need to find a fan with an internal battery and thermostat.

More like 1 years max if you are lucky , none last that long by far as the battery dies , these units use small Liop04 batteries 3.7v and last for 300-400 cycles so one year as you use one cycle per day , the light diode may last that long but with no battery at night will stop

You are probably correct. Fortunately while it is solar powered with batteries, i still have yo pull a chain to turn it on and off. So it should last a while

[Mike Q]

So here it is. The telescope storage shed for the open air observatory. Its definitely well built..... BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM. Actually there are three problems. Note.... While it does have a ridge vent you will notice the absence of gable vents for cross ventilation. Thats problem one. Problem two... the model i walked through had hurrican straps inside tieing the walls to the rafters...this one was supposed to have them. Now the biggie.... The door. The door was speced to be six feet wide and seven feet tall. This is done to make sure i have ample room to get the SCT in there with some room to spare. The door is only six feet tall and to get the Meade in I have to take the ST80 off, which i dont want to do. In this world of sucky customer service I am going to give Sheds Direct 4 stars right now. They are all over this issue. The dealer has contacted me, the corperate customer service department has called and the regional sales manager has called me three times to tell me where things are and how they are going to handle the issue. So far they are tossing around everything from retrofitting the opening and putting in a new seven foot door, which i think can be done quite easily, to building me a new building and swapping it out. So while things went off the rails a bit, Sheds Direct is working hard and is going to make it right.

[Mike Q]

And here is the rampage door pulled down. This is a slick idea and has been used on racing trailers for years. Why no one thought of it sooner is beyond me

[Richard]

Well with the new shed for scope storage arriving next week some time i decided i at least need to get a light for it. So i stopped at Menards and they had this solar shop light for 25 bucks. It has an internal battery that charges off the solar panel for use at night. If it last 50,000 hours like it says it will, it will out last me. Now i just need to find a fan with an internal battery and thermostat.

More like 1 years max if you are lucky , none last that long by far as the battery dies , these units use small Liop04 batteries 3.7v and last for 300-400 cycles so one year as you use one cycle per day , the light diode may last that long but with no battery at night will stop

You are probably correct. Fortunately while it is solar powered with batteries, i still have yo pull a chain to turn it on and off. So it should last a while

Yes forgot that you will not use it if its bad weather as it will not charge then for probably a few years

[Graeme1858]

So while things went off the rails a bit, Sheds Direct is working hard and is going to make it right.

It's great to see a supplier putting effort into fixing mistakes.