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| The Home-Dome structure finally assembled. I named this the Abbott Observatory
simply because I live on Abbott Avenue. This image shows the modified two piece door.
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The shutter has a generous 30" opening and slides back 6" past zenith.
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| The dome tracking equipment. I also installed a red rope light with a dimmer to give even illumination around the
perimeter of the dome. Shown also is the new 'quiet-motors' for the Home-Dome. These are very quiet!
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A close up of the Losmandy MA pier adapter. This is secured to a J-bolt with two different diameter fender washers and split ring washer plus nut.
I had to shim one side using only a .005" shim. This shows the importance in getting the concrete level before it begins to solidify. And I couldn't resist the carpet to dampen the
interior acoustics.
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| The top of the modified door. This still uses the same piano hinge as the main door.
It's important to cut this in the right place in order to reuse the hinge. By keeping this closed, the dome can rotate with the door open.
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Outside view of the top door section.
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| My sign I had made up to display.
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A birds eye...or I should say a scopes eye view of the sky looking through the shutter.
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| Modified section of bottom door. I used dried pressure treated wood as a filler panel. This is secured to the door body
with silicon and 1/4" stainless steel carriage bolts in the front and treated screws in the sides. On the bottom not pictured is a slide bolt
that slides into a steel reinforced frame. This is much stronger than the original door setup. The bar with the cable is for the floor bolt release.
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The modified lower door showing the 3 carriage bolts and handle. The handle is plastic and designed to break off if
there is a forced entry attempt. Also shown are 3/8" holes drilled around the perimeter so no standing water will collect. No matter how level you make the platform,
the plywood may not be totally flat for water runoff. There's also various sensors for the alarm.
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| The imaging platform all set up.
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I couldn't help but put the name of the observatory on the pier
for a little customizing.
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