Quote:
Originally posted by mhodson
Seriously I used an old Synta Cheshire eyepiece that came with my old synta refractor and it's only 2" long.
My newt is an f6 though and was easy to collimate.
Mark
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Mark,
You need to consider the fact that you have been playing with scopes a long time and collimating them becomes 2nd nature, consequently you can do an excellent job with not really the correct tool.
The original poster is obviously new to Newtonian collimation and to a beginner it can appear to be a somewhat daunting task, although its not. Personally I think a beginner is best off trying to use the correct tools to collimate a scope as fast as F5 notwithstanding an experienced person can do an excellent job with poor or no tools. I can collimate my F5 scope with no tools other than my eyes and a bright star but that doesn't mean its the best way for a beginner to go about the task. Notwithstanding the fact that it can be done without tools they certainly make the job easier and quicker. I particularly like the EZ-collimator but when using it, or any laser collimator for that matter, you need to be aware of the limitations of laser collimators and the errors they can mask in regards to secondary and focuser positioning. In terms of quick adjustments to primary and secondary tilt only, they are an excellent aid in collimation. The advantage of the EZ collimator, particularly with solid tubed scopes is you can watch the laser strike back on its own exit hole in the device from the bottom of the scope as you adjust the screws.
BTW I would love to get a look through your scope with that Royce mirror one day if I am up your way, as I am contemplating purchasing a mirror from him or Mark Suchting in the next 18 months or so to build a 12.5"/F6 truss dob (time permitting). I like the idea of the CCS mirror from Royce for center bolt mounting to eliminate diffraction noise off the clips.
CS-John B