MORNING STAR OBSERVATORY
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Lancaster Observatory Dome

I purchased this unassembled 12-1/2' galvalume observatory dome on AstroMart in January of 2012. I was told by the seller that this dome is one of only two made by Lancaster Domes in Lancaster, PA back in the early 1990's, and is apparently the only one surviving. This dome was said to be the prototype for a dome built for one of their customers who was an amateur astronomer. That dome, as the story goes, has since been dismantled.

This prototype dome is a modified silo dome and appears to be closely modeled on an Ash Dome. It came with a set of uncut dome panels so if it was previously assembled as a prototype then the original panels were replaced with new ones when it was sold. I also received a generic Lancaster silo dome manual which explains panel assembly, but contains no information on how the custom base ring, aperture shutters and shutter tracks go together.

I did find an Ash Dome document online with some details on assembly, which helped me decipher the base ring and roller assembly, but unfortunately it's not a full construction manual. This dome has the two-piece rolling shutter as well as a drop-down shutter section.

All The Parts And Pieces

Picture
Dome panels and base ring sections. The panels are galvalume while the base ring and track sections are galvanized.
Picture
Lower aperture fold out door.
Picture
These two sections of the shutter aperture tracks were damaged when I purchased the dome. Hopefully this won't be too hard to correct.
Picture
Dome ring section. There are six sections to the ring. The diameter is marked as 12-1/2', but I have not assembled the sections to confirm this.
Picture
These look like parts of the shutter tracks.
Picture
The larger main shutter section sitting behind the dome panels.

Lower Aperture Door Actuators

Picture
I purchased these actuators for opening/closing the lower aperture door of the dome. They will replace the cable winch that came with the dome. The actuators are 38 inches long closed and extend an additional 30 inches. Hopefully I can make them work.

The actuators are rated at 12VDC @ 1.25A (no load) at 150RPM. That sounds like a lot of RPMs but it's not when you are just turning a lead screw.

Picture

This is a picture of the azimuth motor I plan to use on the dome azimuth drive.

The motor is rated:
- 12VDC @ 3.5A & 12RPM no load
- 10 RPM @ 13A & 400 in-lbs of torque
- 6 RPM @ 25A & 850 in-lbs of torque

There is an electro-mechanical brake on the motor rated at 500 in-lbs. The motor was originally for extending a slide out on a camper. I also purchased a 12VDC 25A DPDT relay to control the motor direction.
For comparison, one of the Exploradome automation packages uses a motor rated at just under 200 in-lbs of torque at 11 RPM to rotate the 8-foot Exploradome, which weighs in at about 225 lbs. I would guesstimate this dome to be in the 500 - 700lb range so I think this motor can do the job.

Drive Motor Power

Picture
To power the azimuth motor I plan to use an old Compaq server ESP115 switching power supply. The 12-volt output of this supply is rated at 30 amps. I also used one of these to power the ExploraDome drive.

Dome Rollers

Picture
The dome rotates on 23 garage door rollers. I went the extra expense and ordered commercial car wash door rollers. They are 3-inch diameter polyethylene, sealed bearing, 4-1/2" stainless steel shaft rollers meant to survive wet environmental conditions. They are much higher quality than residential garage door rollers and should provide many years of trouble-free operation.

Aperture Shutter Rollers

Picture
The shutter rollers are 2-inch nylon, sealed bearing rollers with 6-1/2" zinc-plated stems. Not quite as high quality as the stainless steel dome rollers but still much better than standard residential garage door rollers. These are slightly larger in diameter than the metal wheels now on the shutters and I'm hoping that won't be a problem. But I won't know for certain until assembly time.

Page created 11/27/2017
Last update 12/15/2021
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  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Astrophotography
  • The Observatory
    • The New Observatory
    • - About the ExploraDome
    • - About the Lancaster Dome
    • - Building the Lancaster Dome
  • Equipment
    • CCD Cameras >
      • Orion Starshoot Pro
      • QSI 683WS
      • ZWO ASI-178MM
    • Eyepieces
    • Filters
    • Mounts >
      • Orion HDX-110 (EQ-8) >
        • New HDX-110 Setup
        • Orion HDX110 EQ-8
    • Observatory Computers
    • Telescopes >
      • Astro-Tech AT6RC
      • Celestron C-11 XLT
      • Zhumell 152mm Refractor
  • Projects
    • Arduino Focuser
    • C11 XLT Mods
    • Orion SSPRO Camera >
      • Disassembled Views
      • Noise Reduction Mod
      • Temp Controller Mod
    • Ultima 8 Mods
    • Zhumell Refractor Mods
  • Non-Astronomy
    • Amateur Radio >
      • Boat Anchor Radios >
        • BC-348N Receiver
        • Collins 51J4 HF Receiver
        • R-392 HF Receiver
      • DIY >
        • Station Boom Microphone
      • Ameco >
        • Ameco AC-1
        • Ameco OCM
        • Ameco PT-2
        • Ameco R5A
      • Heathkit >
        • Heathkit SB-102 Station
      • Knight-Kit >
        • Knight Kit Span Master II
      • Yaesu FT-817 >
        • Yaesu FT-817ND
        • LDG Z-817 Autotuner
        • Windcamp LiPo Battery
    • Antique Radios >
      • Building A Radio Workbench
      • Radio Dial Neon Clock
      • Radios >
        • 1938 Zenith 6-S-254
        • Echophone EC-1
        • Eltz Radione 2
        • Panasonic RF-5000A
        • Silvertone Model 4465
    • Geiger Counters >
      • AN/PDR-27G Radiac Set
      • Lionel CD V-700 Geiger Counter
      • RCA WF-12A Geiger Counter
    • Test Equipment >
      • DIY Test Equipment >
        • DIY Curve Tracer
        • DIY Signature Tracer
      • Military Test Equipment >
        • BC-221-AF Frequency Meter
        • LM-21 Frequency Meter
        • TS-323/UR Frequency Meter
        • TS-465 C/U Sweep Generator
        • TS-505D/U VTVM
        • TV-3C/U Tube Tester
      • Tube Testers >
        • Alternating Current Sink
        • Drug Store Tester
        • EMC Model 200 Tube Tester
        • Hickok Model 6000A Tube Tester
        • Hickok OZ-1 (550X)
        • Precise Model 111 Tube Tester
        • Precision Model 10-12
        • Supreme Model 385
        • TV-3C/U Tube Tester
      • VTVMs and Multimeters >
        • B&K Model 290 Hi-Low FET Multimeter
        • Hickok 225K VTVM
        • McMurdo Silver VOMAX 900
        • Micronta 22-220 FET Multimeter
        • Simpson 360-2 Digital FET DMM
        • TS-505D/U VTVM
      • Hickok >
        • Hickok 19X RF Generator
        • Hickok 225K VTVM
        • Hickok 288X RF Generator
        • Hickok OZ-1 (550X)
        • Hickok 6000A Tube Tester
      • Simpson >
        • Simpson 360 DMM
        • Simpson 360-2 DMM
        • Simpson 480 Genescope
      • Supreme Instruments >
        • Supreme 385 Automatic
        • Supreme 560 Vedolyzer
        • Supreme 560A Vedolyzer
        • Supreme Model 561 AF/RF Generator
        • Supreme's Model 562 Audolyzer
        • Supreme Model 562 Audolyzer circa 1941
        • Supreme Model 562 Audolyzer circa 1946
        • Supreme Model 563 Audio Generator
        • Supreme Model 576 RF Generator
      • Other Test Equipment >
        • Heathkit IT-28 Capacitor Tester
        • Rider 162 Chanalyst
        • Tektronix 326 O'scope
        • VU-Data Model 941B Oscilloscope
    • ---------------
    • Fossils
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Star Trek >
      • Star Trek Rock Mood Lamp
      • Star Trek Communicator