So, with the new observatory built, time to get on with the automation project anew....
Having done some diffing and research, I came across two other astronomres using a gate opener motor to drive the roof opening. This looked intriguing and straight-forward to do.... Astrobloke is one of them, and Peter Cox the other.
The cost of the motor - was not too expensive, and looked to do exactly what I needed. So off to Amazon it was! It came with the toothed track, remote controls, infra-red sensors and all the fixings to get it installed. Peter and Glen have done a great job on theirs and I'm aiming for a similar finish to mine!
After seeing Peter's observatory, I then settled on the commercial Dragonfly product to operate the observatory, rather than try and construct a switch myself. I'm sure I could do it, but for ease and expedience, I decided to go this route. I actually managed to find one second-hand, which saved a few quid!!
So, as at April 2022, I am in the process of getting the mains power installed to the observatory, and need to:
- Make the bracket to support the motor assembly
- Install the track onto the side of the observatory roof
- Complete the mains installation
- Wire the Dragonfly and associated sensors
I think I have woirked out how the Dragonfly will operate with all the various power supplies and sensors, but need to document the scenarious of opening and closing the roof to make sure I have everything covered. The schematica of the system are:
