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The HD15 is our 15 foot diameter observatory dome, designed for mounting on
an existing structure.
The base ring is a "solid" design with a splice plate access.
The series of assembly photos provided below
were taken during the preassembly of another
HD15 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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CLICK ON THUMBNAILS FOR FULL SIZE PHOTO
Several sections of the HD15 require initial
preparation, including measuring and drilling
"guide" holes. There is no right order to this prep
work, and in this case the Preassembly Tech started
with the shutter sections. A new "Bolt Hole Drilling
Guide" has been added to each assembly manual and is
broken into "guide" and "final" bolt hole drilling
steps. Most of the prep work can be done indoors
using a workbench if desired.
A good first step is to check the leading edges of
the shutter sections and latch bar slots to make
sure that it is not a "sharp" edge that can catch on
other fiberglass edges. The edges are fled at the
plant, but may need a little additional touchup.
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The prep work on the REAR shutter section is done
in three steps. First the rear Shutter Catchers
are positioned, hole locations marked and
drilled. The rest of the prep work should be
done before the Catchers are actually mounted to
protect the cable "ear" which extends out from
the shutter edge and makes handling the section
more difficult. |
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The REAR shutter section will be bolted into place
bring the together the right and left dome
halves when the dome to mounted on to the DSR.
The "guide" holes can be now drilled (and
countersunk on outside - white - surface).
Later, when the section straddles and is
properly positioned over the rear dome quadrant
flanges, this holes will be used to drill the
"final" mounting holes through the dome flanges |
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The ES15 electric shutter motor assembly location is
measured, and the motor assembly placed on the
shutter rear section in the proper orientation and
location. The hole locations can then be marked, the
motor assembly removed and the hole drilled. Because
of the weight, the motor will not be mounted until
the REAR section has been bolted into place onto the
dome halves. |
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The prep work has now begun on the FRONT Shutter
section. Locations are measured and marked for
the handles, Deadbolt Lock assembly, and
deadbolt lock receivers |
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The FRONT Shutter section will have shutter glide
strips running the entire length, butted against
the shutter side flanges. There are five lengths
of shutter glide strips. First two full lengths
are hooked onto the front edge of the shutter
and extended out towards the rear (stopping just
short of the latch bar slot. Do not remove the
protective paper at this point.
Two things to keep in mind when applying the
glides - the fiberglass surface must be cleaned
with the included "Goof-Off" prior to adhering
the tape, and that this process should be done
at 60 degrees or warmer (you may need to do this
inside). |
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Locate the Shutter Cable Clamp Assemblies (SCCA)
into position and trace the unit onto the
shutter glide strip (which will be "in the way"
for final assembly). Using a razor knife, cut
away the traced profile from the glide strip (on
each side). Drill out the mounting bolt hole
through the shutter fiberglass. The SCCA will
need to mount flush to the FRONT shutter
surface. |
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Making a diagonal cut remove approximately 18" at
the back end. With the shutter surface cleaned
with the "Goof-Off" and the SCCA slot cut out,
the paper tape protection can now be removed and
the glide strip placed down into place. Use a
smooth "tool" and run back and forth with
moderate pressure to make sure that a good
adhesion is made.
Use two of the remaining three glide strips to
hook over the back edge of the FRONT Shutter
section and lay forward - overlapping the pieces
just mounted from the front. Mark overlap at the
diagonal cut, remove the glide strip and cut off
the short adjoining section. Push back onto the
shutter edge then remove the paper protection to
press into place, butting together at the
diagonal cuts. Save the long "left-over" as it
will be used on the TOP Shutter section |
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The SCCA and Deadbolt receiver hardware is now
bolted into place |
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The Deadbolt lock assembly can now be mounted.
Please note that a new mounting bracket exists
for the HD15. The Deadbolt locks and operates
from the outside of the observatory on the PD15
and from the inside on the HD15. In both cases
DO NOT drill holes in the shutter side flanges
to line up with the deadbolt rods. This will be
one (if not THE) final finishing steps in the
observatory construction process |
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The Tech is now working with the TOP shutter section
first in this sequence. The locations of the
j-guide holes have been measured out and he is
now drilling those. The bolts holding the
j-guides are flat-head and the holes must be
counter-sunk on the inside (blue) surface. |
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After measuring the j-guide locations, it is
easiest to just use on the guides themselves as
a template for drilling the holes. They are
positioned so that the looped end hangs over the
shutter flange edge. |
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The holes need to be drilled for the long and
short latch bars prior to mounting onto the TOP
Shutter section. Even though they will be
mounted on the inside (blue) surface, the
easiest approach is to place them in the proper
location on the outside (white) surface and use
as a drilling template for the holes. The
measurement/placement are critical for these
items and special attention given to assuring
that when mounted they will be parallel to the
edge of the shutter section. |
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Again, the measurement/placement are critical for
these items and special attention given to assuring
that when mounted they will be parallel to the edge
of the shutter section. |
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A shutter spacer block is attached at the rear of
the TOP Shutter section, sharing the
holes/location of the rear-most j-guide. These
spacer blocks help keep the TOP Shutter section
centered as it moves back and forth in normal
operation. |
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The remaining j-guides are now bolted into place. |
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The TOP Shutter section is flipped over and the
two latch bars attached. The "knife" edge will
be facing the center of the shutter section for
both. |
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The remaining glide strips are adhered to the
inside surface of the TOP Shutter section. Make
sure that the surface is cleaned first with the
"Goof-Off" and they strips are applied at room
temperature or warmer. The last complete strip
is laid down the center and each hooked end cut
off far enough down to allow a fit between the
two latch bars. The remaining hooked end is cut
off each of the two long "scrap" pieces left
from the FRONT Shutter section then mounted,
centered and against the shutter side flanges. |
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With the shutters finished, work moves on to the
base ring. The manual actually starts with the base
ring but order is not important.
Locate the wheel cutouts and use the template to
drill the wheel mounting holes. The four longer
holes (left most in the picture to the right) are
for the ED rotation motor assemblies and should not
be drilled at this point. Mount the main rotation
wheels at this point. |
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The side roller (small white disks) locations are
identified and using the plastic template
provided, drill the mounting holes on the base
ring top surface. The side rollers are mounted
with a "lock nut" which allows the bolt to be
tightened in place while still allowing the side
rollers to freely spin around. |
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This is an inside photo of the main rotation
wheels mounted in place |
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The base ring sections (all are the same) are
formed together to make a complete ring. Notice
that there are overlapping "male" and "female"
ends on each section. Push the sections
completely together and then take a
circumference measurement. Using the table in
the manual adjust each joint to bring the
circumference within the tolerances. Try to
spread the adjust over all joints to have a
uniform appearance. |
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Use clamps to hold each section joint in place as
you make adjustments |
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Once the desired circumference is obtained, holes
can be drilled in the overlap and the sections
bolted together. Guide holes were first measured and
drilled in the outer ("female") section end. These
make the final drilling more accurate and easier to
complete. |
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Once the base ring is of proper circumference, the
DSR sections are placed on the base ring with
the connection flanges over-lapping. Use duct
tape to hold the sections together while taking
the circumference of the DSR. Adjust the
overlaps in or out (pull up tape then press
back) to get circumference to fall within
tolerances (table in manual). Once the DSR is
properly set drill and install screws. |
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The HD15 does not have a door section and utilizes
a "Splice Plate" to provide an access for
possible future repair needs. This is an
optional install piece, but highly recommended.
The Splice Plate is placed on the front of the
DSR (evenly centered on one of the DSR sections)
and used as a hole drill guide to drill the bolt
holes in the DSR. Clamps will hold it in place
and prevent movement while drilling. |
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Once the holes are drilled, use the pencil
markings on the Splice Plate to "transfer"
corresponding markings onto the DSR. These will
be the guides for cutting the DSR. A standard
"hack saw" can be used to make the cuts through
the DSR. You will end up with a removable
section of DSR that will be held into place by
the Splice Plate.
NOTE: The DSR and NOT
the Splice Plate is cut |
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Use the provided hardware to bolt the Splice Plate
into place |
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Through the many steps of preparing the DSR, stop
from time to time to make sure that the joint seams
stay relatively level with each other. Small
adjustments can be made before the final attachment
holes are drilled. |
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The dome portion of the HD15 comes in four
quadrants, which will be formed into two dome
halves prior to attaching to the DSR. Review the
manual and Bolt Hole Drilling Guide for
measurement and drilling of guide and final
holes. The dome quadrants are very large, heavy
and unstable before being bolted into dome
halves. To prevent accidents, we highly
recommend using a bracing system to stabilize
the quadrants while you are working on them. |
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The dome quadrants are attached (make sure that
you have one "front" and one "rear") through the
"Greenwich" flanges. One side is measured and
"pre-drilled" prior to setting them up and
bringing the two together. Use clamps align and
hold the corresponding Greenwich flanges. Check
the outside (white) joint to see that they are
flush and even. Once properly in place, the
guide holes can be used to drill the final holes
in the other flange and the dome halves bolted
together. |
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The "guide" holes for mounting the dome half tote
DSR are now measured and drilled in the dome
Equatorial Flange |
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The mounting of the shutter cable pulleys is
easier when the dome half is sitting on the
floor in an easy access position. |
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The dome halves are set up on the DSR (mark the
front locations for placement. They are not actually
bolted onto the DSR until the REAR Shutter panel and
front spacers are in place to control proper the
shutter opening dimensions. Fiberglass has a great
deal of flex and will tend to want to stretch
"outward" from the DSR at each end. The easiest way
to deal with this flex is to use straps or ropes to
force these into the proper shape. Adjustable cargo
straps (see photo) work very well. |
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The REAR Shutter section is placed over the rear
flanges of the two dome halves and positioned |
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Clamps will hold the REAR Shutter section in place
while drilling final mounting holes |
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Using the "Guide" holes drilled earlier in the
REAR Shutter section, drill the bottom final
holes through the rear flanges of the two dome
halves (both sides. Install and tighten the flat
head bolts, washers and nuts to set the proper
width at the rear. |
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Install a spacer (carefully measured 2x4 works
well) at the very front lower edge of shutter
opening to "force" the proper |
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Install a second spacer at the top of the shutter
opening just past the zenith. This will also force
the dome halves and the upper portion of the REAR
Shutter section to become flush and in line. |
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Make sure that the REAR Shutter section is pushed
down onto the rear dome flanges as far as it
will go, and then proceed to drill the remaining
"final" holes in the dome flanges by using the
existing "guide" holes in the shutter section. |
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Take care to make sure that the last (top) bolt
hole is drilled with top edge of the REAR
Shutter section flush with the dome flange. You
will need to push down on the shutter edge while
drilling the final hole. Make sure all bolts are
in and tightened. |
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Before drilling and bolting the dome down to the
DSR, go around the outside and check for "fit"
between the outside dome surface and DSR
surface. This is mostly "cosmetic" as the
shutter spacing has been set, but it will make
the overall dome uniform and consistent in
appearance. A rubber mallet or the palm of you
hand can used on the dome surface (inside or
out) to nudge the dome in line with the DSR. |
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The dome can now be bolted down to the DSR. You
will want to work with one side at a time and do
the first and last bolts before the middle ones.
Slowly rotate the dome so that the front-most
Guide hole (pre-drilled in the dome equatorial
flange) lines up with the access hole in the
base ring. Using the guide hole, drill the final
hole down through the DSR. |
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Since Flat-Head bolts are used from the bottom of
the DSR up (washer and nut on the top or the dome
equatorial flange) the holes need to be countersunk
from the bottom (using lower access hole). Insert
and tighten bolt, rotate dome so that the last
rear-most Guide hole is in the access hole and
repeat the process. The rest of the holes can now be
drilled and the dome half completely bolted into
place.
The entire process is repeated for the other dome
half.
Once dome is completely secured to the DSR, the
front spacers can both be removed. |
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The four electric dome drive motor assemblies (ED)
should now be installed and wired. The assembly
manual contains a separate section on ED
installation. |
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The electric shutter drive motor assembly (ES)
should now be installed and wired. The assembly
manual contains a separate section on ES
installation. |
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A second view showing the location of the ES motor
assembly. At this point the FRONT shutter should
be placed on top of the REAR Shutter section,
high enough up that the deadbolt lock assembly
and the SCCA units are passed the upper lip of
the REAR section. The TOP Shutter section is
then simply placed over he FRONT shutter section
and resting in the Shutter Catchers. Make sure
that the TOP Shutter section is oriented
properly ( |
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The sliding contact assemblies allow the power to
transfer up to the ES motor assembly and define
the "Home" position of the dome. The contact
plates are mounted on the reverse flange of the
base ring while the adjustable brackets holding
the contact loops are mounted onto the dome
wall. |
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The ES15 shutter cables are attached while the
shutter is fully open. Both the short and long ends
terminate at the SCCA where they are clamped into
place. A complete description of the paths the
cables are routed through can be found in the manual |
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Another view of the cables coming out one side of
the ES15 motor assembly. Remember to leave the
cable tension clamps in place as the cable is
being strung - then removed before the motor is
operated for the first time. Cables will need
more tension after the split-bolt tension clamps
are removed. Save these clamps as you will need
to reattach in the future if releasing the
cables. Without tension the cable will unwrap
from the windlass shafts inside the motor
assembly. |
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Several cables (red/black power, limit switches,
etc.) run throughout the completed observatory.
Small plastic cable clamps are provided but you
can also use exposed bolts, ties etc to secure
the wires/cables out of the way. |
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The ends of the ES shutter cables must be a foot
or so in length after final adjustments. This
will provide the ability to "grab onto" when
make future adjustments. The cable ends must be
secured out of the way of the shutter pulleys so
a small hole exists in the deadbolt receiver
bracket to feed them through. Also this becomes
a good place to "store" the cable tension
clamps. |
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One of the final assembly steps is the
installation of the wind restraint system. The
wind restraint cable starts with the spring post
mount onto the upper front portion of the dome,
running through the TOP Shutter j-guides and
terminating through the small hole in the
Shutter Catcher "ears". |
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A split-bolt is used to terminate and hold the
cable in place. There should NOT be tension on
the wind restraint cable. When the shutter is
fully closed, there should be about 1/4 inch
slack, which will be almost completely taken up
when the shutter is all the way open. |
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