Observatory Update: Hardware Selections for the Roof Tracking System

This is a video companion to a blog post on my website where I discuss the hardware I will be using for my Roll-Off-Roof Observatory Project.
This observatory is 16'20' in size and will house 4 telescope piers.
That blog post can be seen here:
cosgrovescosmo...
In this video, I discuss the hardware selection I am making for the roof tracking system, which allows the roof to roll off the building.
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CAVEAT:
This post shares my preliminary design thoughts for a Roll-Off-Roof Observatory.
I make NO REPRESENTATIONS regarding the Fitness or Safety of the designs and design decisions discussed.
Use this information at YOUR OWN RISK!
If you decide to build your own version of this project, you ASSUME ALL LIABILITY for your efforts and their results.
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With that out of the way, here are the chapters for this video:
00:12 Introduction
01:22 The Weight of the Roof
03:46 Track Foundation
04:19 Track Design Philosophy
06:40 V-Wheel and Track
08:45 Flat Wheel and Track
11:57 Track Stops
12:54 Manual Lockdowns
15:17 Passive Interlocks
17:40 Roof Drive
23:35 Roof Clearance Issues
Thanks,
Pat

[@old_photons]

I really enjoy following along with your plans and progress. Thanks for taking the time to share. Not to be critical, but feedback for you, that audio seems to vary a bit in this particular episode.

[@cosgrovescosmos]

Thanks much for the feedback - and you are completely right about the audio on this one. I shot the whole thing only to find audio volume dropouts and blasts! Not sure why as I am using the same setup as always. I tried to reduce the magnitude of the problem in editing but it was still very disappointing. I'll have to resolve this before the next video! Thanks again!

[@Astro_Shed]

Another great update, look forward to the ground breaking….👍🏻

[@cosgrovescosmos]

You and me both! Tree work will probably be done this month, and the groundbreaking will likely be in August.

[@MrDirtyRod]

Great info and video. Very educational for me.

[@cosgrovescosmos]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback!

[@BrentMantooth]

do you have to worry about galvanic corrosion where the aluminum and steel touch? I would assume that has been figured out for gate configurations....

[@cosgrovescosmos]

You raise a good point. I am oblivious to details like this, but I did discuss it with my Mechanical Engineering friend. The track outside the building would not be an issue as the roof spends relatively little time there. In fact - its ability to resist corrosion with it as exposed as it is, is a real benefit. When the roof is closed, the wheels would be in contact with certain sections of the aluminum track for extended periods of time. This could be an issue. I believe if I lubricate this with silicone spray (to prevent dust globbing up), this will help reduce some of that. But it may be that over the long run, I will have to replace a section of the track. With the roof open - that would not be a big deal. Having said that, I am still researching track sources, and if I can find a reasonably priced steel alternative, I might still go that way. The ideal would be stainless steel.

[@cosgrovescosmos]

Interestingly, if you look at hardware sets for gate applications, aluminum V-track with steel wheels is pretty common. Given that they are even more exposed to the elements, I would expect they would have even more of a galvanic corrosion issue!

[@cosgrovescosmos]

I have done some more research on this, and while I have been focusing on the wheels in contact with the rails, I am realizing now that a bigger issue might be steel screws fastening an aluminum track in areas where rain will hit. So I am updating things and will have a new video in a day or so on this. Thanks again for your comment - it caused me to do a deeper dive into an issue that I had not dug into well enough before!

[@BrentMantooth]

@@cosgrovescosmos there are some impressive coated screws, sometimes called deck screws that may help?