LASER POINTER HOLDER IDEAS - ETX AND OTHERS Last updated: 31 January 2007

Sent:	Sunday, January 28, 2007 07:29:22
From:	pdshankland@comcast.net (pdshankland@comcast.net)
I was surfing, found:
http://www.weasner.com/etx/techtips/2005/laser.html
 
Interesting it's almost identical to my Howie Glatter green laser holder
concept for a device I made in 2001, with three minor exceptions, that
might be worthwhile to post or note:

1- instead of springs, it's ALOT easier to just use rubber grommets, or
the variety you find in plumbing sections at hardware stores for faucets
etc... these are often called O rings and have round cross sections, and
can be selected for optimal size. They also don't marr the pointer. Two
of these slipped over the lengthwise bar hold the pointer snugly with
alot less manufacturing.

2- I used a pre-existing set of finder rigs, a unit that once held a
6x30 finder I think (from my collection of ATM stuff) - one that has a
common lengthwise "bar" to connect the two rings (and akin to your
design). Of course the rings are bigger than needed, and to deal with
that radius for the screws I go over to the fasteners bin(s) at the same
hardware store and pick up 4 nylon cap nuts of the size to fit on the
ends of the collimation screws (of course the top two screws were
removed altogether from the rings). The nylon caps now extend the screw
reach to place the pointer at the center of the rings' radius, and
again, they protect my expensive pointer from marring. For the ole' 6x30
ring-mount itself I made a Telrad base of aluminum sheet from the
harware store (cut tabs; also drilled BTW with paired holes to mount it
also on my other scopes with unity finders), but THAT is a different
story...

3. on-off switch. Real simple, and allows you to avoid tearing up your
nice pointer, too. I use a "zip strip" nylon strip (also at the hardware
store near the bungee cords), snugged up around the circumfrence of the
pointer - not REAL tight, but so a tiny 'lift' exists under the portion
where the zip catch piece exists (and beneath where you snip off the
exces strip right at the catch device). This way, you can either slip
this new nylon ring lengthwise over the commonly-found momentary
thumb-press switch on the pointer side, or just rotate it to be 'under'
the 'lift' or'gap' of the zip-strip, or not. This is extremely simple
(easier than explaining it), and works amazingly well, it's dirt cheap,
not un-attractive, and non-destructive.

All these ideas were extremely quick, cheap and 'clean' - I hope they
are found to be useful. I attached a pair of annotated (and unmarked)
pictures that might also help.
 
Best wishes,
Paul
Gaithersburg MD/Washington DC
http://home.comcast.net/~pdshankland/ResearchPDS.htm
http://myspace.com/exoplanethunter
 
PS -- another bit of advice for green pointers I ran into -- use Lithium
(mine are AAA) batteries - they are worth it... last a long time and
provide good power-

PPS - Mike - while I don't have an ETX, I do have a Celestron Mak (among
other scopes), and the collimation help for the ETX is extremely useful
- inside the hardware is amazingly similar... I don't doubt they all
come from the same or similar overseas factories! :-)

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