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The dome in the photo to the right is a PD10 with
three wall rings - including a "split door"
dividing the base ring (which MUST stay
connected away from "home" - or while the dome is
moving) door segment and the three wall ring
door segments. This allows for the ability to
open the entire door when at "home" (to enter
the dome unimpeded), and to open the lower three
door section (36") in order to leave the dome
while in operation and not "home".
The series of assembly photos provided below
were taken during the preassembly of another
PD10 of this exact design/configuration. These
photos are not meant to replace the assembly
manual and not every step in shown in full
detail. They will provide a very good overview
and hopefully be of value. |
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The PD10 wall and base rings are made up of
segments which must be bolted together to form
the ring. These segments are; three full ring
sections, two stub sections (on either side of
door) and one door section. The manual describes
building one, ring and then simply states that
you should follow the same method for each of
the additional wall rings. This is one approach,
but if your observatory has multiple wall rings,
many people (including our preassembly Tech)
find it easier to build the stacks of stubs and
door sections first, the build additional rings
one at a time. |
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As you will see throughout this photo sequence,
clamps become a very important part of the tool
kit needed to assemble the dome. Vise grip type
are normally the easiest to work with, but just
about any style will do. You should start the
project with at least 4. In these photos you
will note the use of more than that, but t is
just a function of the approach. For example
this first series of photos show all four stub
sections assembled at the same time when it
would be just as easy to do two at a time. Note
the use of "straight-edge" objects (like lengths
of steel or aluminum scrap) to keep edges flush
and inline. |
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Measurements assure the proper location of holes
needing to be drilled |
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Drilling through fiberglass is quite easy and only
"wood" bits are required. A small cordless drill
will make the process easier and faster |
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The first "stack" of wall stubs is completed. The
same process will be repeated for the other stub
sections ad well as the door sections. |
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The holes for the rotation wheels and the side
rollers are drilled in the base ring portion
(top) of the stub stack. A template is provided
for locating the exact measurement. |
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The template allows small "guide holes" to mark
the exact hole location. The same template is
used for both the side roller and wheel holes,
so make sure it is turned the right direction
before drilling guide holes.
This photo shows the wheel holes being drilled
out using the guide hole. |
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The wheel and side roller holes are finished in
this "stub" section |
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The segments making up the door are bolted
together with two carriage bolts between each. |
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The door has been completed. Aligned, drilled and
bolted together. |
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The door hinge is now installed on the right side
stub stack. Remember that the designation of
right and left is always from a reference point
of standing outside the dome looking in. |
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The hinge is attached by using every other bolt
hole starting with the first hinge and ending
with the last hole (even if the second to last
happens to have a bolt. Securing the hinge in
place the holes can be drilled into the right
stub flange. The hinge is one inch shorter than
the height of the door/stub stacks, so it should
be positioned about 1/2 inch from the top. |
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Once the holes are drilled on the stub side, the
door is positioned against the stub and secured
in place. Again, a flat metal piece can help
assure that the top surfaces of the door and
stub are even. |
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Once the door is secured in place, the bolt holes
for the door section can be drilled. |
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Using the holes drilled in the stub section as
guides, holes are drilled through the flange on
the door side. |
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The hinge can now be bolted to both the right stub
section and the door. Note that in this assembly
a "split" door will be made to allow the base
ring to remain secure while the lower portion of
the dome can swing out. To facilitate this, the
hinge had to be cut on the door side between the
base ring section and the top wall ring section.
A hand "hack saw" works well. |
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The door is now properly attached to the right
stub section. |
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The left side stub is lined up in place to get
ready for the rest of the wall construction. |
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Clamps are a great help in keeping parts/sections
lined up and secured in place |
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The left stub is now clamped into place to the door
edge. ("Left" refers to standing on the other
side ("outside looking in") |
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The bottom wall ring can now be moved into place.
The ring is made up of three identical sections
with overlapping edges |
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The second section has been push into place |
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Once the bottom ring is in place (three wall
sections, left stub, door, right stub), it is
important to make sure that it is both round and
that the circumference falls within the
tolerances (see table in the instruction
manual). |
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An easy approach to roundness is to identify the
center of he dome and measure a radius out. At
our preassembly construction area, a board was
cut to the correct radius length and is attached
to a center bolt so that it can simply swivel a
full 360 degrees. |
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A flexible tape measure is necessary to verify the
circumference. The ring circumference can be
adjusted by moving the section overlap joints.
One of the thousand valuable uses of duct tape
is to secure one end of the tape measure while
bringing it around to the other side.
Two bolts are used to bolt the wall sections
together at the overlaps. Once the bottom ring
is set, the bottom bolt of the two will be
drilled and bolted to hold the shape of the
bottom ring as the other wall rings are
constructed. All other overlap bolts (up through
all rings) are saved for the end of the overall
wall building process. This allows final
adjustments at the end of wall construction
before bolting all the seams. |
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Once the bottom ring is the proper circumference
and is round, the wall sections for the next
ring are prepared. The holes for attaching the
sections together are measured and drilled like
dome on the first. The holes are only in the
"upper" overlap and will be used as guide holes
for the corresponding "under" section of the
adjacent section once final bolting is started. |
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Make sure that the wall section attachment holes
are the proper distance from the edge. |
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Same for top and bottom. |
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The holes in the bottom
flange of the second ring sections (for
attaching the second ring to the bottom ring)
are measured and drilled. This will be used as
guide holes to drill down and through the top
flange of the bottom wall ring AFTER the second
ring has been put in place, then checked for
roundness, circumference and placement.
This process will be followed exactly for the
third and base (top) rings. |
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The second wall ring is laid out exactly as the
first (bottom) was |
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The wall ring sections are "adjusted" at the point
of overlap |
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A wooden block works to tap the ring in and get as
flush as possible with the bottom ring. |
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Once ring number two is in place (roundness
verified as well as circumference). The holes
for mounting the two rings together are drilled.
The holes make in the bottom flange of the
second ring during the prep stage are used as
guide holes to drill through the top flange of
the bottom ring. The two rings are now bolted
together. |
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Third ring goes up in the same manner |
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As before, the third ring is adjusted for
roundness, circumference and flush lineup with
the second ring. |
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Holes drilled through the "guide" holes made
during ring prep and down through the upper
flange of the second wall ring. Rings are then
bolted together. |
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The dome "Base Ring" will become the top "wall"
ring. The prep for this ring is more extensive.
Not only are the holes drilled in the bottom
flange for ring attachment, but also the holes
for side rollers and rotation wheels.
Measurements are made for the location of the
side rollers. |
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Using the provided template, first a small guide
hole is drilled for the side roller, then the
proper size is drilled out. |
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Using the centerline of the wheel cutout and the
wheel template, the holes for the rotation wheel
bolt are made. Note, these holes are also
counter-sunk so that the "flat head" bolt will
be flush with the ring surface. Counter-sinking
of holes is called for in other locations on the
dome. |
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The wheels are mounted in each of the hole cutouts
in the base ring sections |
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The side rollers are mounted at the measured
locations (between wheels - but not every wheel
"pair"). Make sure that the self tapping bolts
are properly tightened, but that the side
rollers still urn freely. |
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The base ring sections are placed upon the wall
stack, same as in the earlier wall ring steps. |
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The base ring reverse flange is displayed in this
photo |
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The last base ring section is worked into place by
positioning the overlaps and pushing together |
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As the base ring is clamped to the third (and
topmost) wall ring you will want to check that
rings are still flush and with seams lined up
(for cosmetic appearance) |
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A final circumference measurement is taken to
assure that it falls within the tolerances on
the table in the manual. This is the critical
point since he DSR (Dome Support Ring) will be
riding on the wheels at this point |
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It is a good idea to use a level to check the
walls and assure that the rings have maintained
vertical orientation. Since each wall ring was
checked as it was drilled and bolted down, this
should not be an issue. |
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A final check for roundness is now made at the
reverse flange level. Again, this is the
critical point for roundness as the DSR/Dome
will rotate at this point. The overlap seams
were not bolted together as each wall ring layer
was assembled specifically to allow adjustments
if necessary. |
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Using the outside holes drilled during the prep
work on the sections as guides, drill through
the inside flange from the adjoining wall ring
section |
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Bolt the top hole (remember that the very bottom
of the bottom wall ring was bolted during that
level assembly and continue drilling the
attachment holes down the seam. |
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The two bolts (at very top and very bottom) will
hold the seam in place as the rest of the holes
are drilled then bolted (even though the seam is
still clamped together) |
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After the first seam is completed go across the
dome to the opposite seam and complete the
attachment there. The last two seams can be
completed in any order. |
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The inside latch assembly is mounted with the
handle section on the door segment and the
receiver section on the left stub top ring
segment |
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When a split door design wall is constructed, a
small bolt latch is mounted on the second level
of the door sections. This will secure the
"bottom" portion of the door while the inside
latch secures the top. The draw hasp mounted on
the outside also pulls together and secures the
base ring portion of the wall. |
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The walls are now complete and ready for the
assembly and mounting of the dome. |
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The actual dome is mounted to a Dome Support Ring
(DSR) which rotates by riding on the wheels.
Once secured, the DSR (positioned inside the
reverse flange portion of the base ring is
"smaller" than the base ring/wall and thus is at
NO risk of coming off the wall as long as it is
closed and secure.
The DSR ring is made up of three overlapping
segments (similar to the wall ring sections)
with a door "swing-out" attached to one.
The circumference of the DSR is critical (with
respect to the base ring circumference) to allow
free movement in the rotation of the dome. The
differences equate to a gap of approximately 1/4
inch all they way around the base ring. In fact,
it is suggested that 1/4 spacers be taped to the
base ring for the initial positioning. |
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The overlap sections should be taped together with
duct tape to allow small adjustments as the
circumference tolerances are met. Also,
distribute the "gaps" evenly at the three
junctions (do not have two butted tightly
together and a "large" gap at the third.
Once the DSR is positions properly and the
correct dimension, the holes can be drilled at
each over lap and the bolt inserted. |
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The last seam will need to be lifted up to get the
bolt in place. |
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The DSR is not complete and ready for the dome |
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At this point in the construction it is time to do
the prep work on both the shutter sections and
the dome quadrants in order to complete the
final assembly steps. In this assembly the top
shutter is worked on first. The top shutter is
the section with NO slots cut into it. The
location of the wind restraint j-guides is
measured and marked |
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The holes for the wind restraint j-guides are
drilled out (five on each side for a total of
ten on the 10 foot dome) |
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The locations of the front and rear shutter latch
bars are measured and determined. |
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Make sure that both ends are exactly the same
distance from the shutter edge to assure each
latch is parallel with the shutter edges |
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Once the latches are positioned, the mounting
holes are drilled . Note that the latches will
be mounted on the inside of the shutter - it is
just easier working on the outside to locate and
drill the holes. |
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The j-guides are bolted into place on both sides |
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The front and rear latch bars are bolted in place.
Make sure that the nuts are tightened enough to
pull the carriage bolt heads down flush with the
outside surface. Also note that the latch bars
are both positioned so that the "point edges"
are facing the center of the shutter section |
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The "top" shutter has not been prepared for final
installation |
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Next the "front" shutter is prepared. Both the
"rear" shutter panel and the "front" shutter
have latch bar slots cut into them. The "rear"
panel is the narrowest of the three and the "front" shutter
has a wider slot cut-out. |
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It is a good idea to smooth the slot edges with
sand paper to make sure that there are no
"sharp" fiberglass edges and to put a slight
bevel to the top and bottom edges. |
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The hole locations for the front handles are
measured and marked |
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the handle holes are now drilled out |
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The front shutter will ride back and forth on the
dome shutter edge flange and thus "glide strips"
are provided to make this movement smoother.
First, make sure that the shutter surface next
to the edge flanges is cleaned with the
"goof-off" provide to assure good adhesion. The
glide strips come in four pieces, with a hooked
end on one end. This hooked end will push onto
the shutter edge and the strip will then lay
down the inside surface. Strips will start from
both ends and overlap in the middle. Do not
remove the tape cover strips at this point. Make
a diagonal cut through both strips somewhere
within the overlap area to assure that they will
butt tightly at that point. Start at one end by
pealing away the tape cover and press the strip
into place as you work towards the center. |
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The glide strips are shown on place and mounted.
They should be right up against the side flanges
of the front shutter inside on both sides. |
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Mounting the front handle and the deadbolt lock
assembly completes the prep work on the front
shutter |
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The "rear" shutter prep involves measuring,
drilling and countersinking the holes up the side flanges, (which
will be used to mount the rear panel to the dome
halves), and mounting the shutter catchers on
the outside bottom (shown in photo)The top of
the rear panel is where the slot cut-out is
located. |
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The dome itself comes in four quadrants. The left
front and right rear are identical as are the
left rear and right front. The quadrants all
have one flange that turns outward (the shutter
edge flange) and two flanges that turn inward
(one to mount the two quadrants together to form
a dome "half" and one that mounts to the DSR.
The initial prep work on the dome quadrants is
the drilling of the holes in the DSR mounting
flange. |
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There are five bolt holes in each quadrant. The
two "end" holes are measured from the flange
edges with the other 3 evenly spaced between |
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The four quadrants are now ready for assembly and
mounting onto the DSR |
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Bolting the quadrants into dome halves is easiest
done with two people. Otherwise, a 2x4 and clamp
can hold the position as the work is done.
Identify the left and right quadrants and bring
together at the "Greenwich Flange" |
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Make sure that the outside seam is even and that
the DSR mounting flanges are flat and in line
with each other. Clamp the two quadrants
together. |
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Bottom (DSR flange) is clamped, here using a flat
metal piece to assure that the DSR flanges are
level and in line. Note the holes in the flange
which were drilled in the step above. |
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With the seams in place and clamped together, the
mounting holes are drilled and quadrants bolted
together. |
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While still on the ground, the hole locations for
the wind restraint guide posts are measured and
drilled |
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The wind restraint cable will run from the shutter
catcher on each side, up through the j-guides
mounted on the top shutter, and to a spring
guide post located part way up the front
quadrant (which will be located later after the
shutters are mounted. The guide posts simply
keep the cable from riding up and down the dome
side and making wear marks. They will be evenly
spaced (from the first one locate above the
shutter catcher and approximately 2 inches out
from the shutter side flange. |
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The posts can be mounted while the dome is still
down off the wall. |
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After marking a front edge locator on the DSR
(both sides), the dome halves are now lifted up
and placed on the DSR. This is obviously a two
man job. It is just resting on the DSR and can
be adjusted to the front edge mark and to be
flush on the outside with the DSR ring. Since
this step will be being performed outside, first
test to see what direction the breeze is come
from (and plan another day if very windy). The
dome halves make an excellent sail and become
very hard to work with in the wind! |
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Both dome halves are in place and ready for the
rear shutter panel cover installation |
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The rear shutter panel will slide up and over the
outside of the shutter opening flanges (slot
cutout up). Mounting holes were drilled
(and countersunk since flat head bolts will be
used) in the prep step. |
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The proper position of the rear shutter panel is
determined by a measurement down from the bottom
edge of the dome shutter opening flange. |
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Before bolting the rear shutter panel to the dome
halves, and the dome halves to the DSR, if is
important to assure that the shutter opening
will maintain the correct width through the
process. This can be accomplished by using two
spacers (2x4s from the crate work very well. The
first should be located at the very front of the
shutter opening. The spacers can be made one of
two ways. The first is to cut to the exact
width, place between the shutter edge flanges of
the two dome halves, and secured in place with a
small wood screw from the outside through the
flanges. The second method is to measure the
opening width on a longer 2x4 and then cut two
3/16" slots part way through the board. The
spacer can then be push down over the slot
edges. The front one will need securing with
clamps. |
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The second spacer will be located as close to the
zenith as possible |
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The rear shutter panel is pushed down tightly
against the dome shutter opening flange and
using the holes n the panel as guides, drill the
corresponding holes through the shutter opening
flange |
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The panel is now securely bolted to the dome
halves with flat head bolts. Make sure that the
bolt heads are flush with panel edge. If not,
the countersink is not deep enough and needs
drilling out slightly more. |
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The spacers will remain in place while the dome
halves are mounted onto the DSR |
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Using the access hole in the reverse flange, the
holes can be drilled through the DSR (using the
existing holes drill in the equatorial flange
during the prep work on the dome quadrants as
guides). Make sure that the dome is still
positioned properly (front edge marks and flush
with DSR on the outside). Start with the
first bole and work back |
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The dome will carefully be rotated to bring each
bolt position around to the reverse flange
access hole. The holes through the DSR must be
countersunk and secured with flat head screws
coming from the bottom up. There is a lower
access space for this. Once the dome is securely bolted
onto the DSR, the two spacers are removed to
allow installation of the front and top
shutters. |
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The front shutter is carefully place up on top of
the rear shutter panel so that the front shutter
handle is beyond the top edge of the rear panel
and the shutter rests flat on the rear
panel. The handle will "catch" on the top edge
of the rear panel and keep it from sliding back
down. |
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The top shutter is now simply placed on top of the
front shutter with the bottom resting in the two
shutter catchers. |
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The front shutter is pulled slowly forward. After
a few inches it will engage the front latch bar
on the top shutter and then begin pulling the
top shutter along with. Close the shutter all
the way and verify that the latch bars drop
cleanly into both slots and securely "lock" into
place. |
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The wind restraint cable post is located drilled
and mounted. The location is determined with the
shutter closed and measurement taken down from
the front edge of the top shutter |
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The wind restraint cables are run from the spring
post, through the top shutter j-guides, then
through the small hole in the shutter catcher
"ears". A split bolt is used to secure the cable
in place. Note: when the shutter is fully closed
there should be about 1/4" slack in the cable.
If the cable is pulled tight it will not allow
the front and top shutters to dis-engage when he
shutter is opening.
The dome is now completely built and ready for
years of use! |
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Even more photos and expanded descriptions coming
soon! |
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