I still can’t think of a good way to work on the scope when it is on the 8 foot pier, so I bit the bullet and built a raised floor about 3 1/2 feet above the regular floor. It feels funny, and I don’t know how much storage I can actually put in the lower area. It may end up just wasted space.
I have a “trap door” up against the entry door, with a large ladder for getting to the upper area. This gives me good floor space without worrying about stepping into space in the dark.
I also did an initial install of the automation motors for the dome. The rotation seems to be working fine, using a simulator for the telescope. The shutters did not seem to work, but I am missing a couple of cables. Dan sent me the missing pieces, so I can now check it again. I removed the electronics to put in the floor, now getting everything back in.