Telescope Reviews: Re: New Observatory Project

Dave,
My A/C unit has a thermostat. The problem is it is to small BTU wise, but it works OK as a heater. The ON/OFF switch is there so it turns off when the shutters open (no sense in trying to cool the whole world).

I wouldn't bother trying to program the temp for a given night. Just find and average and set the thermostat to that. You scope will still have to either cool down or warm up but it will only be a few degrees. The key is to program the roof the auto open to allow the equipment to cool down so it's ready to use when its dark.

That brings up another issue, roof control. If you plan on operating remotely in the winter (170 miles away) you obviously need remote roof control. You also need the roof to auto close if rain rolls in, which means you will need a rain detector. That will also tell you if it is safe to open the roof in the first place.

The other issue is power failures, you need to be able to close the roof if there is a power failure. My shutters are setup to auto close in the event of loss of power. Because I have a dome that meant the shutters already required battery power for operation.

The main issue I see in your case since you plan is for a roll off is making sure the scope is auto parked or lowered so the roof clears it if you have a power outage. That is going to require some sort of failover to battery or generator. (I personally think the generator is overkill unless you plan on using your system during a power outage. There are also a whole new set of issues to worry about if you take that approach).

The other issue is the Paramount has no way to auto park itself without computer control. That means you would more than likely have to lower it if the roof doesn't clear. Just some more things to think about.

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-Marcus

The problem with free speech is even the stupid have a voice.

http://jatobservatory.org

12" LX200R on a Paramount ME

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