Farpoint auto collimator

[Black Knight]

thats the kit i ordered

Aha, yes well the Catseye stuff is reputed to be the best. I'm very tempted ....

[Daniel-K]

ow do you find collimation on the quattro andy?

[Black Knight]

I find it quite tough to get right. Which is why I'm thinking of the Catseye stuff .....

[Daniel-K]

if i had to choose again i would get the cats eye auto collimator just because of the info thats out there and reputation, dont get me wrong the farpoint has done the job but ive got the feeling it lacks that finesse.i have got the collimation now on the quattro verified by a star test before, just waiting on a CC from FLO and my DSLR in the post and im away again

[FLO]

Catseye Hotspots with a Farpoint autocollimator!

[Daniel-K]

humm would it be an issue? do i need an excuse to buy something new and shiny again

[SplintUK]

Excuse my ignorance, but if you have the CLK auto colimator, why do you need the blackcat as well? What do you get from the blackcat that you don't get from the centre hole of the CLK?

I know I'm missing something, but it isn't obvious as to what, and I would like to know if its worth pushing to the triple pack kit instead of the combo, or not.

I've an f5 explorer 200pds for imaging and just picked up a second hand f4.7 skyliner 250px for visual so I'm starting to think it would be a good investment.

I should probably shell out for bob's knobs too. (Hint hint FLO - I hate ordering from the US and dealing with the hassle of couriers or the Royal Mail to sort out import tax etc) :-)

[Daniel-K]

+1 for colli Knobs

[FLO]

humm would it be an issue? do i need an excuse to buy something new and shiny again

No, I am only teasing. Clearly I think you should have spent an extra £10 and bought the original and best but that isn't what this thread is about.

Excuse my ignorance, but if you have the CLK auto colimator, why do you need the blackcat as well? What do you get from the blackcat that you don't get from the centre hole of the CLK?

I know I'm missing something, but it isn't obvious as to what, and I would like to know if its worth pushing to the triple pack kit instead of the combo, or not.

Personally I think auotocollimators should only be sold in sets and we make that clear in our product descriptions. I don't want to hijack Daniel's product review thread but if you start another thread or contact us directly we will be happy to explain the benefits of the Catseye collimation sets.

HTH

Steve

[FLO]

I should probably shell out for bob's knobs too. (Hint hint FLO - I hate ordering from the US and dealing with the hassle of couriers or the Royal Mail to sort out import tax etc) :-)

We were offered the Bob's Knobs dealership. I don't remember why we didn't proceed, I think it was something to do with the landed price being too high. I'll contact him again and see what we can do.

[Daniel-K]

you guys should make your own and have the letter's FLO engraved on the tops and then anodized orange

[Chris]

Speaking as an ex CNC machinist/programmer I would really like to start knocking out useful astro bits and bobs. The price of billets, coolant, tungsten carbide tips etc and oh yes a lathe might be a bit off putting though:D

[Rustysplit]

Quick update on my issues. When I took mine apart, I found that one of the cork pads that are supposed to hold the mirror in position was getting caught between the cap and barrel when screwed down. This was causing a skew in the mirror. Less rotational movement now, but still more than Jason recommends. Poor QC and the lack of insructions and explanations included, are not what you expect from a "precision tool"

[Jason D]

When I took mine apart, I found that one of the cork pads that are supposed to hold the mirror in position

Glad to hear the tool has improved. Do all reflections stay within the FOV when the tool is rotated by 180 degrees? Can you estimate the largest shift amount in millimeters? If you know the diameter of your center spot then you should estimate the largest shift amount.

I am not a manufacturing expert but I do not see how cork pads can be used to square the autocollimator mirror with high precision -- especially when the pads are not held in place!

I wonder if Farpoint validates each autocollimator before shipment. If they do I wonder which validation method they use.

Jason

[Tim]

Andy, For the Quattro with its large secondary the Sight tube that comes with the kit is not useful.

If you just get the centring kit, the BlackCat, and the twin pupil Auto Collimator that will be enough to sort you out I should think. The little clip on red light that comes in the kit is actually quite useful out of the obsy though

[Black Knight]

Andy, For the Quattro with its large secondary the Sight tube that comes with the kit is not useful.

If you just get the centring kit, the BlackCat, and the twin pupil Auto Collimator that will be enough to sort you out I should think. The little clip on red light that comes in the kit is actually quite useful out of the obsy though

I did wonder about the sight tube, so thanks very much for letting me know. My existing sight tube is a bit hopeless in that regard too

[Daniel-K]

Glad to hear the tool has improved. Do all reflections stay within the FOV when the tool is rotated by 180 degrees? Can you estimate the largest shift amount in millimeters? If you know the diameter of your center spot then you should estimate the largest shift amount.

I am not a manufacturing expert but I do not see how cork pads can be used to square the autocollimator mirror with high precision -- especially when the pads are not held in place!

I wonder if Farpoint validates each autocollimator before shipment. If they do I wonder which validation method they use.

Jason

jason the reflections do shift not in mm but CM i do think these are a poor copy of the cats eye and frankly i will be getting the cats eye kit of xmas is over

[Rustysplit]

Jason, the reflections still move by about 1 1/2 - 2x the diameter of the centre spot, so less than ideal. Like Daniel, I think the Catseye may be coming my way after Xmas sometime.

Thank you so much for all your insight into the workings of these. I can fully understand and appreciate how they are meant to function now. Just a shame the Farpoint is showing itself to be a rather expensive paperweight!!

Over on Dion's forum, there are a few others who have also had very similar issues, so it seems there is a total lack of QC at Farpoint.

[Jason D]

Jason, the reflections still move by about 1 1/2 - 2x the diameter of the centre spot, so less than ideal.

That is a large error. Autocollimators need to meet a higher standard of quality to get that extra accuracy. After all, what is the point of fine tuning collimation to stack all reflections then undo all that work with a simple rotation.

Like Daniel, I think the Catseye may be coming my way after Xmas sometime.

There are lots of happy Catseye owners including me.

Thank you so much for all your insight into the workings of these.

You're welcome

, so it seems there is a total lack of QC at Farpoint.

I am not sure if it is really a QC issue. If most sold Farpoint autocollimators do not pass the rotation test then it is a design issue. After all, I do not see how you can square an autocollimator mirror with high precision using cork pads especially when they are loose.

Another observation I made when watching Dion’s video is the size of the mirror center hole. It seemed too large. When you attempt to stack center spot reflections with a large mirror center hole, two of the four reflections will disappear prematurely. Stacking the remaining two reflections is not enough. Has anyone with a Farpoint autocollimator noticed this?

Jason

[Rustysplit]

You ares quite right Jason. Two reflections do dissappear before they are stacked.

[Rustysplit]

You ares quite right Jason. Two reflections do dissappear before they are stacked.

[Daniel-K]

Another observation I made when watching Dion’s video is the size of the mirror center hole. It seemed too large. When you attempt to stack center spot reflections with a large mirror center hole, two of the four reflections will disappear prematurely. Stacking the remaining two reflections is not enough. Has anyone with a Farpoint autocollimator noticed this?

Jason

that is very true i have noticed this

[Jason D]

You ares quite right Jason. Two reflections do dissappear before they are stacked.

that is very true i have noticed this

Not a good sign!!! It is item (7) on my evaluation list http://stargazerslou...r/#entry1675198

Between the noticeably early disappearance of the two reflections along with the rotational error of 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the center spot, I do not see how this autocollimator can add precision to collimation.

Jason

[Tim]

I'd send it back and ask for a refund if it isn't fit for purpose.

[Rustysplit]

I have contacted the supplier about just that Tim. I have also asked if he can contact Farpoint and talk to them about the issues with their product. I emailed them and had no reply.