Cutting the dome

Making the first cut on such a beautiful dome is nerve wracking. After spending a few days looking over other builders logs, it was time to jump in. This really seemed like the point of no return.

First up was to mark all the panels, so they could be matched up afterwards. I did this for both the inner and outer dome.

I found the ink from the marker was rubbing off, so I tagged all the panels with a piece of masking tape with their respective number. This worked well.

Using a hacksaw with an extended blade, I started with the inner dome. It didn't take long to have all the panels removed.

Moving onto the outer dome, the tabs holding the panels to the dome came off easy. Using some wire wool to smooth off the edges of the panel voids and the nerves were back to normal.

I plan to use Curiousmarc's Marcduino control system initially before moving onto the new Shadow MD control system (more about that later). The Marduino can control 10 panels (6 bottom + 4 pie). I cut the same panels as CuriousMarc i.e. I didn't cut the small front panels beside the front PSI's.

I debated for a while if I would cut the top circle panel. I decided against. I may revisit that decision at a later stage.