collimator

[paulbeer]

i have a 10in dob and im assuming i need a collimator so my question is which one, ive searched the net and there are so many out there is it a case of the more you spend the better it is.

cheers

[kniclander]

IMHO a cheshire is good enough for visual; stay away from cheap lasers.

[Mick UK]

Paul ,im sure plenty on here who have purchased the Hotech Laser Collimator(myself included) will tell you how good it is, its so easy to use and once you get used to using it after a few goes, you really can collimate you Telescope in under 5 miniutes!

Collimating my 10" Skywatcher is now one of my favourite moments of the night!

[paulbeer]

wow there pricey i suppose i better get saving, i have a wish list of over £500 already.

thanks all

[Moonshane]

I most commonly use a collimation cap (home made) to check the alignment and then a laser for the secondary and a barlowed laser for the primary. I can collimate in a couple of minutes usually.

cheap lasers in themselves are not an issue (mine's cheap- £30) as long as you get one that you can collimate. this involves putting the laser in a L shaped block (like a bookend - others have used lego bricks) and pointing the laser at a wall maybe 20 feet away. turn the laser and if the dot stays steady, your laser is in good collimation. if it turns a circle on the wall then usually you have to turn the small grub screws to adjust it until it doesn't. then you will find the laser quick and easy to use. you probably need more ccuracy for photography but my method suits me. I do also have a cheap Cheshire style eyepiece and this is also a good investment and works well for most - personally, I find it a pain in the derrier for my 12" dob as you are forever back and forth between the Cheshire and the adjusters unless you have extremely long arms, your 10" tube will be similar. with a Cheshire, you also need a light source to collimate in the dark - which I often do as in the winter I am home from work after it's dark.

hope this helps.

cheers

Shane

[paulbeer]

thanks Shane that does help alot i was looking at getting the Skywatcher Laser Collimator just to get me by as im sure a cheap collimator is better than no collimator at all.

paul

[Moonshane]

that looks good. I cannot see the small grub screws for collimating the collimator (sounds mad I know). they show well in the photo of this one (about a third down from the top) Revelation Deluxe Laser Collimator 1.25"

I got this one have been using it since Christmas - it's really easy to use and was collimated out of the box with no adjustments needed.

[paulbeer]

i think ill order that one instead(cheaper)lol.

thanks again shane

[wulfrunian]

I know they're pricey, but I have to add another vote for the Hotech. Dead easy!

[Hypernova]

I use a home-made collimation cap for aligning the secondary which is 2" adapter cap with a hole in the exact middle made by heating up a knitting needle with a lighter and poking it through.

For the primary I just use a Cheshire sight tube to align the collimation spot with the cross hairs and it is a simple as that, easier now that I collimation knobs on the secondary instead of hex bolts.

[Rusty Strings]

I have a collimation cap for the secondary and a cheshire for the primary, with Astro Baby's collimation guide the job is easy.

[stafford_stargazer]

I ordered a skywatcher one from FLO,mine came,didnt say skywatcher on it anywhere so asked dave and he assured me it was pretty much the same,i was happy and as always FLO were great.

Now then,not a fault of FLO as they cant check everyone they sell,but i had problems getting collimation on my 200p dob,was baffleing me for ages and always got different results.

Eventually i checked the laser collimation and i was quite a bit out.

They are no grub screws to change this,that are on show anyway,buy carefull looking i came to the conclusion that the silicon covered holes where where they collimate it at the factory.

I dug out the silicon and there they were,i adjusted innthe way everyone else seems to do and now its spot on.

Now i can acheive quick accurate collimation in under mins easy.

Actually a nice product and i do NOT hold FLO responsible as they could not of known,and i know they would of swapped it if id asked,but i just wanted to do it myself

Thanks Gary