HoTech 1.25" SCA Crosshair Laser Collimator - NEW ITEM
PLEASE NOTE: This listing is for one 1.25" HoTech SCA Crosshair Laser Collimator only.
• Ideal for collimating Newtonian reflector telescopes. Can be used for SCT collimation, although we do not recommend that. For SCT collimation, consider HoTech's single-dot collimators or the Advanced CT SCT collimator. • Uses innovative Self-Centering Adapter technology for most precise centering and collimation • Made of aero-space grade lightweight aluminum material and CNC machined • 45-deg faceplate with targeting grid allows more convenient alignment from the rear of the telescope • Over 65 hours of operation with included CR123 batteries • Available in 1.25" and 2" models Laser Collimator with Self-Centering Adapter (SCA) - Provides Repeatable Installation No matter how tightly the tolerances machined on the laser collimator or the focuser, a small gap is required to allow installation of the laser collimator. Once the laser collimator is inserted, the required gap becomes a problem. A laser collimator is secured with one or more thumbscrews or unified compression ring. Both methods introduce a very critical issue, namely an off-axis installment that instantly destroys the precision of your collimation instrument along the entire optical axis. HoTech's Self-Centering Adapter cleverly eliminates the slop by linearly compressing the built-in rubber rings. In summary, HoTech's SCA adapter serves three critical functions. Problem Solved with SCA Adapter Technology 2. SCA Eliminates unstable locking from thumbscrew or unified compression ring 3. SCA Accepts the Imperfection of a Drawtube More SCA Laser Collimator Features: Laser Engraved 45-deg Targeting Faceplate The targeting faceplate displays the returning laser spot with a clear visual reference during adjustment. That allows you to align your primary mirror from the rear of the telescope eliminating traveling to the front of your scope repeatedly during collimation. When collimating without the targeting faceplate, you will not be able to adjust the primary mirror in real time referencing the laser dot. In other words, you often get lost on which adjustment screws you used due to traveling back and forth for referencing the direction you have adjusted. This results in considerable time to complete the collimation and defeats the purpose of quick and easy laser collimation. HoTech understands the importance of this, so the faceplate is a standard feature in their laser collimators. All astronomers deserve to have it without paying anything extra! In addition, the faceplate viewers pattern is laser engraved to ensure a long lasting sharp targeting grid for best visual effects. Unlike other collimators, the target is not a sticker that will peel, or paint that can rub off or chip. HoTech understands that you are paying for a precision instrument that is supposed to be well made. Finest Projecting Laser Dot
Keeping the laser dot to the finest point is the key to precision collimation. But when you look closely at the laser dot from brand to brand, most laser dots appear large; not really a fine point as you might have imagined. This means that there is guess work involved when you try to center the dot; not just centering the laser dot to the center of the faceplate, but also centering the center of the dot itself. This does not make any sense when you are trying to take the advantage of the collimated laser beam's characteristic which has a low beam divergence, so that the beam radius does not undergo significant changes within moderate propagation distances. In other words, the laser beam size within the collimation distance (laser collimator to the primary mirror and back to the faceplate) should remain a constant fine point. As you know, most laser collimator brands are not really laser manufacturers. They install an off-the-shelf laser module or pointer and align the laser in a tube without REALLY considering the user’s application, namely the operating distance for a laser beam size. HoTech has been designing and building laser modules and systems for over 10 years for various professional industries. We know exactly how a laser should work. We limit our laser beam to the finest size in the correct operating distance for optimal effect. Our understanding and experiences with the laser design permit you to have an effective and precision collimation. Proprietary Crosshair Laser Collimator Available With HoTech's proprietary laser crosshair, the user can zero-in the laser with ease during the final collimation on the secondary and the primary mirror. The crosshair model still exibits a precision laser center dot, but with a touch of four extended laser lines from the center dot. The extension lines (crosshair) of the laser dot is the most intuitive way to guide the laser pointing for an accurate adjustment. During the secondary mirror collimation, a single dot laser projecting on the approximate center of the pre-loaded donut is difficult to identify if the laser dot is exactly on the center. The crosshair laser can easily help user to adjust the secondary mirror to point the laser on the exact center with the help of the crosshair line. During the final primary mirror collimation, the returning laser dot often hides into the laser exiting hole preventing user to identify if the returning laser is at exact center of the hole. Again, the crosshair will visually guide the user to center the laser dot with ease even when the center laser dot disappears into the exiting hole. It is a very effective and essential feature to the SCA Laser Collimator in obtaining at even higher degree of accuracy with ease. High Accuracy Laser Alignment HoTech has considered all aspect of parameters in their design. Parameters like the alignment mechanism, mechanical and optical structure of the laser itself, and more are taken as part of the laser collimator's design. For instance, some laser collimators actually install an off-the-shelf laser pointer in the casing. It is very cost effective (for the seller), but it inherits numerous problems. In many cases, the laser pointer might not install perfectly centered in the casing due to pointer size variations and the added alignment mechanism. So the laser itself is not positioned on the true alignment point and optical axis. As the result, the laser can never be center-aligned in the enclosure. It is possible to align the laser beam parallel to the optical path but always with an offset along the optical axis. This means the laser beam is off no matter how you center adapt the laser collimator to the focuser. The result of off-centered laser will introduce astigmatism into your telescope. Light Weight Design and All Aluminum Body Machined with High Precision CNC Long Lasting Battery Life Collimation for your SCT By default, the laser will have to be positioned in the optical center of the SCT. The HoTech SCA laser collimator automatically eliminates the focuser slop without using the thumbscrew and center-positions itself on the optical axis. For SCTs, the primary mirror is fixed, but you can collimate by adjusting the secondary mirror to a point parallel to the optical axis. There is an one-time-only preparation that you need to do for SCT laser collimation using this collimator. First, install the SCA laser collimator and premark the laser position on the target grid of the collimator when your telescope is collimated from the factory or from your star collimation. Then when you check for collimation next time, just adapt the SCA laser collimator on the focuser, 2" or 1.25", and see if the laser falls on the premarked laser position. If not, adjust the alignment screws on the secondary mirror to move the returning laser dot to the premarked postion on the target grid. See illustrations below. Diffraction Grating Pattern Lens on the SCA Laser Collimator Additional Information• User Manuals: • SCA Laser Collimator for Newtonian (PDF format)• SCA Laser Collimator for SCT (PDF format) • SCA Laser Collimator for Star Collimation (PDF format) • SCA Laser Collimator Specification (PDF format) • Videos: • Newtonian Style Telescope Laser Collimation Specifications
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Buy the items individually, and check out together for all items. eBay will combine the shipping weights and show you the discounted shipping cost. You must check out for all items together via eBay for this. We cannot combine shipping costs after you check out individually for your purchases. Sales Tax: 9.75% sales tax added if your Ship-To address is in California. Delivery Time: Most orders ship within 1 business day of receiving payment. First Class shipments will take 3-5 days to arrive after we ship it. Priority Mail shipments will take 2-3 days. However, these delivery times are NOT guaranteed by the USPS. Delays of up to 2 weeks can occur in about 5% of the shipments. Tracking/Delivery Confirmation: We will send you a Delivery Confirmation number in the shipment notification email after your order ships. This is not detailed tracking, but it provides some very basic tracking info en route. 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