Laser collimator advice

[Gummy]

Hi,

a bit new to all this. Got a laser collimstor for my celestron explorer dx130

i put the laser in and I don’t see a point in the target. Is that because it’s dead perfect ? 

see attached pic. I turned laser up bright so it showed . On dimmer setting I see nothing so I’m guessing it’s in the centre 

 

thabks for all help 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Gummy and welcome to SGL. 

Assuming your 'scope/OTA is not a 'Bird-Jones'* type... then that looks OK to me!
If it is... there is a video showing you what to do and also how to collimate your collimator on YouTube.

Sorry I cannot help much more.

 

* 'Bird-Jones' is a type of reflector that has a magnifying element somewhere within the focus/drawtube assembly.

[Pixies]

2 minutes ago, Philip R said:

Hi @Gummy and welcome to SGL. 

Assuming your 'scope/OTA is not a 'Bird-Jones'* type... then that looks OK to me!
If it is... there is a video showing you what to do and also how to collimate your collimator on YouTube.

Sorry I cannot help much more.

 

* 'Bird-Jones' is a type of reflector that has a magnifying element somewhere within the focus/drawtube assembly.

It's NOT a bird-jones! 

https://www.celestron.com/products/starsense-explorer-dx-130az

 

[Gummy]

Yeah I looked at you tube videos and they seem to show the laser dead centre when it’s there . So I was guessing that maybe the type I have is different. Or faulty.

 

its not a bird jones 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Gummy

[Pixies]

Is it adjustable? Try turning the brightness down and do the collimation in a darker environment.

Also - at full brightness, shine it onto a light surface as far as you can go (5-10 m) and see what the beam looks like. (send a pic)

[wookie1965]

Check the laser is collimated as well those cheaper ones often are not collimated. 

[Gummy]

6 metres away onto wall

[Pixies]

10 minutes ago, Gummy said:

6 metres away onto wall

My bad... I meant a close up of the diffraction pattern. As per the following (10 m distance for me).

Just want to confirm that the laser isn't duff.

 

[RT65CB-SWL]

If you make a 'V-block'; (i.e. piece of timber and four long nails at an angle); rest the collimator on that. Then with a sheet of paper on the wall, place marker on it where the 'dot' is, then rotate the collimator a few degrees and check its position. If it is off centre from the first 'dot' the collimator may/will need collimating. If you can go further back, better still.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Philip R

[Pixies]

 

2 minutes ago, Philip R said:

If you make a 'V-block'; (i.e. piece of timber and four long nails at an angle); rest the collimator on that then with a sheet of paper on the wall, place marker on it where the 'dot' is, then rotate the collimator a few degrees and check its position. If it is off centre from the first 'dot' the collimator may/will need collimating. If you can go further back, better still.

As per:

[Gummy]

Ok did laser test and the laser was all over the place - thanks for that tip .

always tough as a beginner when equipment is wrong as you think it’s always yourself.  Thanks alll

[Pixies]

Does the laser have 3 adjuster screws on the side of the body at one end. Like this:

They might be covered up with this black rubbery filler. If you have them, you can collimate the laser collimator! Adjust them very slightly using an allen key - one at a time (like adjusting the primary mirror) until you can rotate the laser and the spot stays in one place.