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Old 03-05-2009, 10:54 AM
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Kevnool (Kev)
Fast Scope & Fast Engine

Kevnool is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Broken Hill N.S.W
Posts: 3,305
Shane ive posted this before.

If you get a laser collimator it is only used to collimate the secondary mirror.

The cheshire will only collimate the primary mirror.

Make sure the mirror lock screws are loose ( for me i have thrown them away they are a pain and affect collimation ).

Make sure you have the primary mirror marked for centre (most newts have an annulus on the mirror).

1st put the laser in the focuser turn on and see where the returned beam is on the laser target then adjust the secondary to see the laser in the centre of the laser target.

Dont worry if the beam is not centred on the primary mirror as this is not an issue yet.

Turn the laser off and take it out then replace it with your cheshire now you will be able to adjust the primary mirror.

When you have adjusted the primary mirror and have the annulus in the centre of the crosshairs your nearlly but not quite there.

Take the cheshire out of the focuser then replace with the laser and repeat step 1 with the laser adjusting the secondary mirror until the beam again is centred.

Take the laser out and replace with the cheshire and adjust the primary mirror again.

You have to keep going back and forth with the laser and the cheshire and every time you keep doing this the adjusting will be getting finer and finer until you cant make any more adjustment.

The process of going back and forth between the laser and the cheshire may take up to 6 changes or more.

By doing it this way you will bring the collimation closer and closer until your scope is perfectly collimated.

Do not put the primary locking screws back in after its collimated or all your effort and time will be wasted as they will act as collimation screws.

This is the way my 16" becomes collimated every time i go observing and I hope this will help you out in the future.

Good luck and Cheers Kev.
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