[tempestwizz (Brian)]

Aware of all the learned advice saying that a TOA130 can only be successfully collimating by Tak in their factory, I am attempting the impossible.
For a number of reasons is is just not economically or physically feasible to ship the scope from my current location without a strong chance of damage and or loss, plus horrendous fees.

I am seeking input from any TOA130 owners who believe their scope is well collimated, and who may have a laser collimating tool such as a Howie Glatter.

Firstly, I would like confirmation that the contrast of the airy rings is the same either side of focus.
And secondly, with a laser beam centred in the eyepiece holder, that the major internal reflection is seen to be at the centre of the laser. Like for a collimated Newtonian.

I purchased my scope second hand a number of years back, and when it arrived, the front element was rattling around. Hoping that the set screws hadn’t moved, I tightened the larger retaining screws and hoped for the best. It sort of worked. I got sidetracked from resolving the issue with more new toys, and a lot of travel for work, so I didn’t get back to it until now. Unfortunately I’ve also relocated to the wilds of Laos and don’t have access to the same level of shopping and shipping any longer.
If I can’t fix it, I’m no worse off really, if I can, then it is an ideal scope for this part of the world.

I spent some hours with the scope yesterday and am climbing the learning curve of how things work.
I’ve made myself an artificial Star to check the airy Discs and have a Howie Glatter laser collimater that works well.

On first view, I noted that there was a sort of airy disc on the inside of focus that turned to mush on the outside of focus. (Using the word focus loosely here).
With the laser inserted, I noted the reflected laser points from the various lens surfaces were scattered all over the place on the collimater.

I learnt that one set of adjusting screws affected all the reflected dots, and that the other only affected some.

My suspicion is that the inner of the three elements is fixed solid in the tube and cannot be adjusted. The major reflection from it is strait back into the laser and cannot be identified.

The first set of adjusting screws (which are the ones set further into the scope) seem to move the two outer elements together.
The second set move the two outer elements with respect to each other.

I adjusted the second set of screws to place the brighter dot that moved with it over the brighter dot that wasnt moving. With the other set of screws, I moved the two superimposed brighter dots to the centre of the incoming laser beam.

It couldn’t be that easy. And, it wasn’t,

Checking the airy Discs, they were terrible, but there was some form in them.

With a lot of iterations, viewing the airy disc I managed to form a circular airy disc that shows either side of focus.
The airy disc on the outside of focus is still quite faint, but a disc now, and not mush.
I checked with the laser again, but the major dot was no longer in the center. Every attempt at moving it back toward the centre messed up the airy discs.

Hence my questions above.

After a night’s sleep (or maybe during it) I now realise that I have been adjusting basically only the angular orientation of the elements.

By stepping all three set screws either in, or out together, I have the ability to move the inter-element spacing while still maintaining the angular alignment.

So that’s where I’m at now.

Grateful for advice on the questions above, and any other feedback.

Cheers.