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Lancaster Dome

I purchased this unassembled 12' galvalume metal observatory dome on AstroMart in January of 2012. I was told by the seller that this observatory dome is one of only two made by Lancaster Domes in Lancaster, PA in the early 1990's and is apparently the only one still around. This dome was said to have been a prototype of a dome built for an amateur astronomer who was one of their big customers. That dome, as the story goes, was shipped to Ohio, where it was used until the owner passed away and has since been demolished.

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 panels 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 a document online with some details on assembling an Ash Dome which helped decipher such things as base ring and roller assembly. Unfortunately it's not a full construction manual. One difference from the Ash Domes I've seen in photos is the two-piece rolling shutter (one longer section and one shorter) in addition to the drop down door in the front. I probably won't figure some of this out until I actually start assembling the thing.

I tried emailing Lancaster Domes to see if maybe I could talk to someone who knew how this beast was supposed to go together but they never replied. ​


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 feet, but I have not assembled the sections to confirm this.
Picture
These look like parts for 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 use 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 1/7/2020
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  • Home
    • Contact
  • Astrophotography
  • Observatory
    • New Observatory
    • Lancaster Dome
    • ExploraDome
  • Equipment
    • Accessories >
      • RA Drive Corrector
    • CCD Cameras >
      • Orion Starshoot Pro
    • Mounts >
      • Orion HDX110 (EQ-8)
    • Telescopes >
      • 1956 Questar 3.5
      • Astro-Tech AT6RC
      • Celestron C-11 XLT
      • Zhumell 152mm Refractor
  • Projects
    • C11 XLT Mods
    • Dome Automation
    • Orion SSPRO Camera >
      • Disassembled Views
      • Noise Reduction Mod
      • Temp Controller Mod
    • Ultima 8 Mods
    • Zhumell Refractor Mods
  • Non-Astronomy
    • Amateur Radio >
      • Accessories >
        • Station Boom Microphone
      • Ameco >
        • Ameco AC-1
        • Ameco OCM
        • Ameco PT-2
        • Ameco R5A
      • Vintage Equipment >
        • Knight Kit T-60 Transmitter
        • Heathkit SB-102 Station
      • Yaesu FT-817 >
        • Yaesu FT-817ND
        • LDG Z-817 Autotuner
        • Windcamp LiPo Battery
    • Antique Radios >
      • Building A Radio Workbench
      • Radio Dial Neon Clock
      • Radios >
        • Boat Anchor Radios >
          • BC-348N Receiver
          • Collins 51J4 HF Receiver
          • R-392 HF Receiver
        • Echophone EC-1
        • Eltz Radione 2
        • Knight Kit Span Master II
        • Panasonic RF-5000A
        • Silvertone Model 4465
      • Test Equipment >
        • Hickok >
          • Hickok 19X RF Generator
          • Hickok 225K VTVM
          • Hickok 288X RF Generator
        • Simpson >
          • Simpson Genescope
        • Supreme Instruments >
          • Supreme Model 385 Automatic
          • Supreme Audolyzer
          • Supreme Vedolyzer
        • 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
        • Other Test Equipment >
          • Tektronix 326 O'scope
        • Radio Analyzers >
          • Rider Chanalyst
        • Tube Testers >
          • Alternating Current Sink
          • Drug Store Tester
          • Hickok 550X
          • I-177 Tube Tester
          • MX-949 Adapter
          • Precision Model 10-12
          • Supreme Model 385
          • TV-3C/U Tube Tester
    • New Homestead >
      • 2015 - 17 Getting Started
      • 2018 - Log Home Progress
      • 2019 - Finishing Up
    • Star Trek Communicator