Observatory Interior: Workstation, Lighting, and Final Touches
With the optics dialed in, I turned to the inside of the 2.7 m dome to make it a quiet, efficient workspace for long nights and remote automation. This update covers the new fold-away workstation, the completed COB-LED red lighting, and a few details that make the space more livable.
Fold-away workstation
The operator’s corner is intentionally minimal: a foldable desk surface with a monitor on an articulated arm, wireless keyboard and mouse, and nothing else that could snag cables or radiate heat. The desk folds out for setup and folds back when I want maximum clearance around the mount. All cable will run drop vertically in guided risers (=work in progress …), so nothing drifts into the mount’s rotation envelope.
Finished red-light system (COB LEDs)
I replaced dotted LED strips with a COB ribbon that draws a smooth, continuous line around the dome’s skirt. The result is an even, shadow-free red wash that preserves dark adaptation yet keeps the floor, tools and labels readable. Brightness is fully dimmable; in “white” the same strip doubles as a warm-white light during maintenance.
Small Details that matter (at least to me :-))
„Thermal discipline:“ Instead of space heaters, a low-power heated seat pad provides comfort in winter – hopefully without kicking up convection near the optical path. For longer maintainance work in cold nights, an adjustable infrared heating panel is also mounted behind the workplace 🙂
Dehumidification
A compact Comfee dehumidifier was installed to guarantee a relative humidity below 70% even during wet periods in order to keep metal and glas parts and electronics dry. The condensate is drained to the outside via a hose line. With GHome-Smart plugs and a small sensor the temperature and humidity in the dome can be controlled and tracked via internet.
Cameras
I added three battery-powered Xiaomi cameras inside the dome, linked to a small indoor receiver. They cover complementary angles: a top-down view of the mount and cabling, a dedicated “Shutter CAM” to confirm slit position, and an “East CAM” aimed at the service wall and workstation. The cameras run quietly, switch to IR at night, and are ideal for a quick sanity check before opening/closing the dome or starting an automated run, without adding heat or extra cabling.
With the exception of the shutter drive motor, which is currently on its way back from England, the rough work is now halfway complete and we are slowly moving on to setting up and coordinating the dome rotation togethter with the mount position (Dome slaving). Basically, you just need to enter some geometric data into N.I.N.A. Essentially, this is the exact position of the intersection of the right ascension and declination axes of the mount, the height of this point, its location in north-south or west-east, and the dome geometry (diameter). The fact that the whole thing is not quite so simple should become apparent in the next few days… more on that in the next post.
