Collimation !! =| . any advice please !

[bluemeanie]

Hey guys,

Whats the score on collimation ?

Ive done lots of googling and come up with answers at both ends of the spectrum as such :

1. just start taking your scope apart and sticking tape onto the mirror and such. (i'm not sticking anything to the mirror). needs a collimation eye piece (My scope didnt come with one)

or

2. purchase collimation equipment. which im kinda left wtf that the scope didnt come with that seemingly important piece of tac.

Ill end up buying collimation tools but wondered if there was a way i could collimate the scope today.

Also, any advice on cleaning the mirrors and eye pieces would be great.

Thanks for all your help.

(windy/cloudy last night - spent 3 hours glaring at the moon =P)

[erick]

What does your manual say about collimation? Doing what it says is a good start.

Cheers
Eric


E

[DavidU]

Hi mate, here are some things for you to get started.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-345-0-0-1-0.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd3mjOr8rc0

[bluemeanie]

Thanks guys for the reply

My scope didnt come with anything at all concerning collimation lol. just assembly instructions thats it. no user manual what so ever.

Those links are proving helpful, cheers.

[barx1963]

Firstly, what type of scope do you have? The collimation requirements for a 114mm or 130mm newt are (based on my experience) alot less than for a 12" or 16" one. If your focuser tube came with a dust cap it may have a hole in it which is used for collimation, simply drill one yourself (making sure it is central) make sure it is big enough taht you can see the primnary in it, proably 1/8" should be OK. If you are worried about dust, put a bit of sellotape over the hole when the scope is not in use.
If you don't want to do that, you can buy a collimation dust cap (Bintel sell them for $2-50 I think). Unless you scope is bigger than 6" thats probably all you are going to need to get started.
The tape on the mirror you refer to is probably a centre spot. That part of the mirror is directly under the secondary so is not used anyway. On my small newt I simply put a black mark with a CD marker pen to mark the centre.
Really all you are looking for is to get the mirrors concentic, the cap is simply used to centre your eye so it all lines up.
As for cleaning, until you know what you are doing here is only one thing to say...DON'T. a little bit of dust has minimal effect on the image and the risk of wrecking a perfectly good mirror is too great.

[erick]

See also:-

http://www.andysshotglass.com/Collimating.html

Recommended!

[bluemeanie]

The scope i'm messing with is a 114mm.

Thanks for the dust cap tip !

[WadeH]

Go to this Skywatcher web site and have a look at the colliation page. It is much the same manual that I use and found the instructions easy to follow with a bit of practise!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/25452829/Skywatcher-Dobsonian-User-Manual

Hope it helps. Will seem a little frustrating at first, but keep with it and before you know it you will be collimating in your sleep.

Another thought, if you are mainly a visual observer (like me) a Cheshire collimation tool is all you need. Its what I use and I've had members of our club coment on how well my scope is collimated, and i'm no expert.

[bluemeanie]

Thanks for all your help, i have successfully collimated the scope.

=):thanx: