Well my collimator finally arrived (long story)... It is the Orion Deluxe Laser Collimator. I had previously collimated by eye using the old photo tube cap method. I thought I was fairly close.
Anyway today I put in the laser collimator and got to work... I checked if it was way out itself (i.e the laser itself was centered in its tube) and as far as I can tell it was fairly close. No obvious or major deflection as I rotated the tube... not much anyway. So with that said I switched it on and did the paper check at the end of the scope so I wouldnt be looking right down the beam reflecting off the glass. I didnt get an obvious beam showing, more a glow... So I quickly peeped down and found why... the beam was just passing on one of the outside edges of the secondary mirror so it was neither on or off the secondary entirely. The beam projected onto the primary was about an inch or so off center. I kinda suspected it would be off.
Anyway a few adjustments of the secondary and I had the beam located at the center point of the mirror. No with the secondary locked in place, its to the back of the scope (10" Dob) and to adjust to get the laser lined up on the angled target on the collimator. It was just showing on an outside edge of the target. A few adjustments here and its centered and locked back down. A quick check again down the tube and the secondary is still projecting on the the center point of pirmary.
After removing laser I looked again through the tube by eye and everything looks better visually too.
So it will be out with the scope tonight if the clouds behave and I'm hoping to get the crispest images yet. I must admit I was getting pretty good and clear images of the moon the other night, but some stars did seem slightly blurred toward the edges of the view, although that could be the crappy plossls I am using too?
Anyway just a report back to say my visual was close, but I will hopefully find tonight that the laser has made it even better...
