Quote:
Originally Posted by Liz
Thought I read somewhere, that a very easy way to test you laser collimator (I havent done it) is to just put it in one of the eyepiece holders on your mount. Laser pointing down, give it a turn to see, and hopefully the dot will stay in the same area as you turn it ??
Sounded good, quick and easy to me.
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Liz,
You can test for a badly collimated laser by putting it in the focuser of your telescope. If your laser beam is way off axis, it will inscribe a circle on your primary mirror as it is rotated in the focuser. However, collimating the laser in the focuser is not practical and is inaccurate as there is some slack in the focuser. Also, the distance from focuser to primary mirror is only about 1 to 1.5 metres, so it is hard to accurately collimate the laser.
To accurately collimate the laser, I place it in the V-block, then send the beam of the collimator down a long hallway to a vertical flat mirror which reflects it back near ground level. Being careful the beam doesn't hit you in the eye, I then mark it's path on a piece of paper on the wall next to but behind me (saves running up and down the hall all the time). I turn the collimator about a quarter turn (90 degrees) each time. The distance is more like 20m. Using the collimating screws (you might need an allen or hex key), you can collimate the laser pretty accurately.
Regards, Rob.
Thanks everyone,so glad its raining here in VIC,I'm too scared to get the scope out now! Seriously,appreciate all the help and info here
