Dobsinion mirror culmination - how to?

[spud72]

Hi Folks,

A few years back I purchased on a whim a 10" Dob from an online dealer. I did some checking at the time and the scope itself had decent reviews, but I never really used the scope. I do seem to recall at the time coming to the conclusion I needed to culminate the mirror... but I never did. IIRC, I did a test on it (don't recall what it was) and I think the reviews I did find on the scope mentioned that it was necessary out of the box.

I haven't had much luck finding a how-to guide on the net (maybe my search kung-fu is weak) but I was hoping some kind soul here could take pity on me and give me a walk through or point me in the direction.

Thanks!

[Kaptain K]

Hi Folks,

A few years back I purchased on a whim a 10" Dob from an online dealer. I did some checking at the time and the scope itself had decent reviews, but I never really used the scope. I do seem to recall at the time coming to the conclusion I needed to culminate the mirror... but I never did. IIRC, I did a test on it (don't recall what it was) and I think the reviews I did find on the scope mentioned that it was necessary out of the box.

I haven't had much luck finding a how-to guide on the net (maybe my search kung-fu is weak) but I was hoping some kind soul here could take pity on me and give me a walk through or point me in the direction.

Thanks!

You might have better results if you search using the term "collimation".

[spud72]

You might have better results if you search using the term "collimation".
Thanks. :silenced: All sorts of articles are available to me now! :)

Any kind of a consensus on the tools to buy? I'm looking at this critter:
http://www.khanscope.com/accessDetails.cfm?productID=1273

[AstroAce]

If you strike out with your search, let me know. I can send you a good collimation procedure in pdf format.

[redshifter]

What telescope do you have? Someone here might have that exact same scope and be able to help you.

[spud72]

If you strike out with your search, let me know. I can send you a good collimation procedure in pdf format.
That would be fantastic - bernse at yahoo dot com

Thanks. :)

[naios]

This may help with your efforts : http://www.andysshotglass.com/Collimating.html

[dazastar]

A cheshire eyepiece is a handy tool every dob/nwetonian owner should have. Be aware, laser collimators rarely are tuned themselves, you have to first tune them off a perfectly collimated scope first (I adjusted mine off a maksutov).But if you can get one - tuned laser collimators make the job of getting a reasonable tuning for your scope very easy. However, if you want the best - you can't beat a cheshire for accuracy. www.andrewscom.com.au have the cheapest collimation tools I've seen both cheshire and laser.