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The featured RoboDome is mounted on an extended
deck in Italy. The small footprint and low
profile allows the use of the RoboDome where
installing larger observatories would be
difficult or impossible. Designed to be fully
robotic and operated remotely the RoboDome can
easily house a Meade 10" LX200 and full range of
accessories and CCD imaging equipment.
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This inside shot of the RoboDome shows the space
available for setting up the equipment. The
diameter at the "equatorial plane" is a full 36
inches. Note the area in the back where a laptop
could be installed if desired. The entire upper
dome section can easily be lifted out of place
by simply removing the four clips at the ring
level. This greatly eases the installation of
the telescope and when changing cameras and
other equipment.
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The shutter on the RoboDome is a single piece,
which curves down nearly to the base when
opening to allow the slot to go beyond the
zenith. It is run with a gear/rail mechanism and
takes only about 10 seconds to open and close.
The wide opening (24 inches) allows for a
reasonable "dead-zone" (the space within which
the telescope can continue to track before
slaving makes an adjustment to the dome
position.
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The RoboDome comes completely assembled and with
all electronics installed. The 12vDC power
supply and Digital Dome Works (DDW) automation
hardware are installed at the front of the dome
base. The space at the rear of the dome base can
be used to store small equipment, including a
laptop if the desire is to be able to run a
single communication line (or utilize a wireless
link ) to the warm room/office.
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