1. I haven't got my NexDome yet (anticipation is killing me) but I'm looking at how things are dimensioned relative to each other. I saw a PDF schematic off the website that shows the dome centerline apparently where the center of the GEM OTA is pointing to vertical (the meridian) and dimension offset of the pier of like 12". Yet the Installation and User Manual essentially gives the impression that the pier and dome C/L can be identical (no offset for GEM mounts) and you have to have the Center of Rotation of RA and Dec axis dimensioned off the dome C/L.I have a friend who has ordered a NexDome and he insists the schematic diagram is correct.
2. Another question is I have a GEM mount and determining a north/south line is easy using a laser level since the mount is polar aligned and pointing true due North. How do you determine East/West?
I have a few questions too in narrative form:
1. If the dome center axis in space of the X and Y axis is known and the RA/DEC axis of the GEM mount is positioned there than the N/S E/W offset would be zero, correct? N/S E/W offsets are required in the dome setup of the ASCOM HUB, I believe.
2. Now let's say the Z axis is at the dome wall height (53") and the RA/DEC axis center line up with that, there is no offset?
3. If these are true, then the only other offsets that needs to be determined is the OTA offset from the RA/DEC axis?
I think the NexDome drawing is trying to illustrate placing the centerline of the pier or tripod off the centerline of the dome, so you can place the RA/DEC axis in the dome centerline.
Thanks,
Steven