INTRODUCTION

A laser collimator is, by far, the easiest technique and tool to collimate a telescope. Once understood (and it is easy to understand) it will take no more than a few tweaks of your telescopes collimating screws to have your telescope operating at its maximum. Our collimators are built to high quality standard. All are CNC machined to high tolerances, are constructed of aluminum and anodized gloss black.
A recent change we have made to our collimators is the use of a proprietay laser diode module. These are made specifically for Kendrick and are built to our design specifications. Prior to this, we used commonly available, round bodied laser diode modules.The round bodied laser modules can create problems when it comes to the laser holding it's alignment if bumped, dropped or rigorously shaken in the course of shipping. Our laser diodes are in a square tube, as shown here, giving us 4 large flat surfaces to secure and hold the diode's alignment within the collimator. Our collimators are now much more resilient to bumps.
We make collimators that can be used with Newtonian, Schmidt Cassegrain, Ritchey Chretien, Maksutov Newtonian and Schmidt Newtonian telescopes. Our collimators come in two sizes. 2" and 1.25". All our standard lasers have a 45 degree face so that they extend out from the bottom of all but the longest focusers on Newtonian telescopes. This allows the collimator face to be easily viewed from the bottom of your scope when adjusting the collimation screws. For SCT owners, the 45 degree face on the 2064 and 2065 collimators give you a clear view of the collimator from the supplied adaptor. IMPORTANT NOTE: We have had some customers call us concerned about the elliptical shape of the laser beam. Their concern is that the laser is uncollimated as they are expecting a perfectly circular shape. The laser diodes commonly used for amateur astronomy emit a small elliptical beam. They are not round. We have looked for perfectly round laser diodes and they are not to be found. As well, The elliptical shape is magnified and very apparent when the laser beam is "barlowed" (see barlowed laser collimation farther down). It may even appear to be off centre. The good news is that none of these indicate that the collimator is uncollimated. There is a one year warranty for defects in materials and workmanship in our collimators.

CHESHIRE COLLIMATOR   (For Newtonian Telescopes)

Although not a laser collimator, we include the cheshire collimator here as it is a very useful collimation tool. The cheshire excels at some of the subtler aspects of collimation. Aspects of collimation such as centreing and squaring the secondary mirror to the focuser and "closing" the light path are addressed with this tool. Anyone wanting the best collimation they can get should not be without a Cheshire. Cheshire Collimation (PDF)

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STANDARD COLLIMATORS   (For Newtonian Telescopes)

THE #2063 1.25" LASER COLLIMATOR
	The lasers are designed to work in 1.25" focusers and can be used with closed and open tube designs telescopes with 1.25" focusers. Although not fully necessary, those who have closed tubes may consider the #2068-C adapter with this collimator as it will extend the laser face outside of the focuser, making it MUCH easier to see and collimate your telescope. The face of the laser is visible through the cut-out on the side of the adapter. For those with an open tube or truss tube design telescope the #2063 (for 1.25" focusers) will be adequate. Standard and Barlowed Laser Collimation Instructions (pdf)
THE #2062 2" LASER COLLIMATOR
	This laser is designed to work in 2" focusers and can be used with closed and open tube designs telescopes with 1.25" focusers. Although not fully necessary, those who have closed tubes may consider the #2066 adapter with this collimator as it will extend the laser face outside of the focuser, making it MUCH easier to see and collimate your telescope. The face of the laser is visible through the cut-out on the side of the adapter. The 2062 laser and 2066 adapter may also be purchsed as a package, item #2065. For those with an open tube or truss tube design telescope the #2062 (for 2" focusers) will be adequate. Standard and Barlowed Laser Collimation Instructions (pdf)

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BARLOWED COLLIMATOR   (For Newtonian Telescopes)

THE #2069-SB SELF BARLOWED 2" LASER COLLIMATOR
[click to enlarge]	NOW SHIPPING! Our new 2069-SB self barlowed laser collimator is our most advanced and versatile collimator, by far! But more on this after a brief explanation of barlowed laser collimation. Barlowed lasers and the innovative collimation process are based on a concept introduced by Nils Olof Carlin in an article he wrote for Sky & Telescope magazine in January 2003.Since then, they have grown in popularity immensely and for good reason.		[click to enlarge]
The unique thing about barlowed laser collimators is that they achieve the accuracy of Cheshire sight tube collimation with the ease and simplicity of a laser collimator! Standard lasers are subject to minor centering errors on the primary mirror that can be difficult to detect. These minor errors are not much of an issue with longer Focal length telescopes (F5+) but in today's fast scopes (-F5) this error can make a substantial difference in tack sharp collimation. When using a barlowed laser, it is possible to correct for .5+mm centering errors that make all the difference to achieving superb collimation in a fast scope. Now back to the laser!
The 2069-SB has a permanently built in, sliding lens mechanism to allow for instantaneous switching between standard laser collimation and barlowed collimation with the push of a finger. The first of it kind! New to this collimator is the use of coin cell batteries. The built in circuit board, coin cell battery holder and stainless steel thumb screw make for a tidier interior and very easy battery access. With the use of the optional adapters available to the 2069-SB, this collimator can be used in 1.25" focusers, 2" focusers and for collimating a Schmidt Cassegrain or similar telescope. For example, to use this laser in 1.25" focuser, you will need two adapters, the #2069-ADPT and the #2069-125. To use in a 2" focuser you may use it as is, or if you wish to extend the collimator outside of the focuser, you will need the #2069-ADPT and the #2069-2. To use on a SCT or similar telescope, you will only need the 2069-ADPT. WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR OLDER KENDRICK BARLOWED COLLIMATOR? You can. Replace the older 45 degree face and barlowed lens assembly with our new 2069-LENSFACE. This will convert your older 2" #2069 collimator to self barlowed functionality. Standard and Barlowed Laser Collimation Instructions (pdf)

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SCT COLLIMATOR   (For Schmidt Cassegrain Telescopes)

THE #2064 SCT LASER COLLIMATOR
	We have made and sold SCT laser collimators for many years now. Our collimation process was discovered quite by accident. Initially, the process of collimating an SCT with a laser collimator eluded us. We were on the verge of abandoning the product concept when one day, during a round of product testing, Jim Kendrick, the inventor and designer of the product and process, discovered a process that would work. The result is a process that is accurate and once done the first time, is easily repeatable. To read more about the process, or download the instuctions, please see SCT Collimation.
	The read about the process to collimate Schmidt Newtonians, Ritchey Chretiens, Maksutov Cassegrains, Maksutov Newtonians, etc with this collimator, click SCT Collimation Instructions (pdf).
Please be aware that if you do not already own a 2" to 1.25" adapter, you will need one to use with the #2064 collimator. Most telescope owners do own them as they are part of most 2" star diagonals and 2" focusers. If you do not, we sell one, item #2061.

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LASER COLLIMATOR FAQs

• I have two Dobs. One has a 1.25" focuser, the other has a 2" focuser.
  What laser will I need if I want to collimate both scopes?
  

  We recommend either the #2062 1.25" laser with a 2061 2" to 1.25" adapter if you want to do standard collimation. If you want to do barlowed collimation we recommend the #2069-SB with the #2069-ADPT Adapter and the 2066-125 Focuser attachment.

• I already have a #2062 2" laser and I want to use it to collimate my SCT. What do I need?
  

  You will need the #2067 SCT adapter. If your SCT has a focuser attached to the threaded back then we would recommend the #2066 adapter instead.

• I own a #2062 2" laser collimator and I want to do barlowed collimation. What do I need?
  

  You will have to purchase the #2069-SB and if required, the appropriate adapters. The #2062 laser cannot be adapted for barlowed laser collimation.

• When I rotate the collimator in my focuser, the laser dot rotates in small circle on the mirror. Is my laser un-collimated?
  

We occasionally hear of customers testing their collimators's collimation by rotating it in their focuser . We do not recommend this test as it is usually not an accurate one. There are various mechanical issues such as the build quality of the focuser and how square the focuser is to the light path that can make it appear that a collimator is not collimated. If you want to test collimation, we recommend placing the collimator on top of two heavy books that are separated by about 1". Place the barrel of the collimator along this gap in the books, turn it on, and observe the rotation of the dot on the wall at a distance of about 3 meters. The collimation standard that we use is that the laser beam, when rotated in our collimation jig, must stay within a 5mm circle at 5 meters. If movement is discernable outside of these paramters, then your collimator may need collimating.

If you feel the collimator is not collimated, we recommend doing the following:

• DO NOT attempt to adjust the laser yourself! Doing so will void your warranty.
• Contact Kendrick if you feel you have a problem.