Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

Which laser ?


Recommended Posts

Hi all another which one to get thread sigh ,well at the min am happy using the ole sight tube and usually swear by it ,but with Xmas round the corner am wanting to move with the times so what do people think of these two which am thinking of at the minute

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/howie-glatter-collimation-tools/howie-glatter-single-beam-2-inch-laser.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/howie-glatter-collimation-tools/howie-glatter-single-beam-2-inch-laser.html

They both I would imagine do the job what stalls me on the hotech is the thought of it traveling through royal mails bouncy system and it need colaminating some thing I do not want to have to,do.

It's for my fast 16" newt traveling from a to b ect so thoughts on both

Pat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just completed a collimation on my older 200mm F/4 Newt - after having it re-mirrored. I used both a laser collimator, and a Cheshire/Sight Tube. I wanted to see how well they agreed with each other. Both products were from Orion(USA), and I was surprised to see they were in full agreement.

The laser makes it easy to align the secondary to the primary, but unless it has a return target of some form, it rather fails to be viable for collimation of the primary itself:

http://www.telescope.com/Orion-LaserMate-Deluxe-II-Telescope-Laser-Collimator/p/102109.uts?keyword=Laser

So while the Glatter is certainly an excellent tool, it looks like it would be problematic for the final collimation after the secondary is set.

Here are 2 more links to clarify what I'm trying to get at:

http://www.telescope.com/assets/product_files/instructions/29465_06-12.pdf

http://s7d5.scene7.com/s7/uvideo.jsp?asset=Orion/How-To-Use-Orion-LaserMate-Deluxe-VID014-1-11i-AVS&config=Orion/Universal_Video1

I'm not trying to steer you towards an Orion product. I'm trying to give you a good idea of how best to do this collimation correctly and de-mystify the way to approach it.

Happy Collimation,

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My next generation Laser all of about £27 uk only ever gets barlowed to check the primary return. Lasers out of collimation, or with  too much slop in their  fitting are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard, if not correctly aligned and can be more trouble than good. Great if you have several tools to cross reference your setup, but some folk swear by them, others at them? and you do say you're happy using your sight tube!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pat, I would recommend these.

If for example here is a nuclear explosion near by, it will knock the laser a few kilometres away. You can pick it up and continue with collimation.

Just saying that they are that sturdy and perfectly aligned.

Pay once and get quality tools  :grin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My next generation Laser all of about £27 uk only ever gets barlowed to check the primary return. Lasers out of collimation, or with  too much slop in their  fitting are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard, if not correctly aligned and can be more trouble than good. Great if you have several tools to cross reference your setup, but some folk swear by them, others at them? and you do say you're happy using your sight tube!

Well this is why I did not want a budget laser ,stripping my truss tube 16" down for,car journeys a laser to,set up,once at the datk site would be easier ,the sight tube is my trusted and tested methods thanks

Pat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pat, I would recommend these.

If for example here is a nuclear explosion near by, it will knock the laser a few kilometres away. You can pick it up and continue with collimation.

Just saying that they are that sturdy and perfectly aligned.

Pay once and get quality tools  :grin:

Yes I agree it's like my snap on tools they never let me down but the my cheaper spanner still do the job but the cheaper scanners bend and brake looks like it's the Bowie kit then

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had one of those awful budget £29 E-bay  1 /14" fit lasers and ended up sending the first one back. The second one I got equally bad junk.

Now I use the 2" Howie Glatter model with very good results. Can collimate my F2.9 Newtonians in a minute or so with good results:

Full APS-C frame 12" F2.9 scope

DSIR9724_stack_noels_1024_zps54fac3a4.jp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On my 12" flextube I use laser for secondary followed by Cheshire for primary. The slightest nudge on the laser is enough to show me why it shouldn't be trusted for aligning the primary. Though having said that, the other night I set up in a hurry for a quick peek and didn't bother collimating at all. Star images showed coma but it made no difference whatsoever to the faint fuzzies I was looking for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On my 12" flextube I use laser for secondary followed by Cheshire for primary. The slightest nudge on the laser is enough to show me why it shouldn't be trusted for aligning the primary. Though having said that, the other night I set up in a hurry for a quick peek and didn't bother collimating at all. Star images showed coma but it made no difference whatsoever to the faint fuzzies I was looking for.

A sight tube is my choice and a star test

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.