Baader Laser Collimator

[Geno]

When purchasing my new scope it was collimated with a Baader Laser Collimator. I have read somewhere that some laser collimators require collimating themselves. Does anyone have experience using this collimator and does it need collimating.

[John]

When purchasing my new scope it was collimated with a Baader Laser Collimator. I have read somewhere that some laser collimators require collimating themselves. Does anyone have experience using this collimator and does it need collimating.

I have used one and and the example I had was out of collimation - it is not easy to collimate the Baader Laser's because of their shape - the paperwork with it actually suggests that you return it to the factory !. I've a standard Revelation one now which has also needed collimating but it's symmetrical shape makes that easier to achieve.

[Digz]

Collimating should be fairly easy providing the collimator itself is symmetrical, as John has already mentioned.

The theory is to create a rig that the collimator can be placed into and then rotated. The idea being to watch the laser dot and the path it scribes when being rotated. If it scribes a circle then it needs collimating, if it remains as a dot then its fine.

I think thats the crux of it, I havent done it myself and hope what I have said is correct

HTH

[wayne weedon]

Yep thats all you would need to do. Higher accuracy gained over a greater distance would help too.

[Talitha]

I tested my Meade laser collimator at a distance of 15' while it was in a wooden 'v' support and it was just fine.

[johninderby]

The shape of the Baader does make it awkward to collimate. I used a small bench lathe. With the laser clamped in the lathe and with the beam shining through the headstock onto the wall it was a fairly simple if tedious process to collimate it.

The greatest weakness of the Baader is that the laser diode does dim to the point of making it useless after a couple of years. I've now replaced mine with a Hotech.

John

[Geno]

There are a lot of discussions on here reference collimators and I may now be going towards the Cheshire for ease of use