LF: Model Engineer & Workshop 2001 Autocollimator project.

[Gennady]

Folks. I am collaborating on autocollimator project - it might be interesting and useful piece of equipment and I am looking for MEW magazines from 2001 where it was covered. Wondering if somebody here has magazines from this year ?

 

[johnnielsen]

I have them in pdf (thru my subscription). What do you need?

 

[kstrauss]

PDFs of that vintage are available here. Let me know the issues that you need. I assume #73, 75 and 76?

 

[Gennady]

Thanks a lot, guys !!! This is exactly what I need.

 

[Johnwa]

@Gennady Even after skimming the MEW articles I still have no clue what this device is good for! Can you provide a “grade 6” explanation?

 

[jorogi]

@Gennady Even after skimming the MEW articles I still have no clue what this device is good for! Can you provide a “grade 6” explanation?

Gena Bazarko has a few vids using an auto colimnator, here's one.

Kieth Rucker has a few vids too on Vintage Machinery on YT.

 

[Gennady]

@Gennady Even after skimming the MEW articles I still have no clue what this device is good for! Can you provide a “grade 6” explanation?

Sure, So this is optical (in many cases) device that projecting a parallel set of beams (not focusing, not converging or dispersing, thus collimated) to the mirror. Mirror reflects beams of lights back. If mirror is absolutely perpendicular to the beams - two beams are coincide with each other (or overlap). If mirror is even slightly leaning back or forward. reflected beams will be with offset to original beam. Important to note that system is agnostic to the distance to the mirror (beams are parallel). or position of the mirror up/down, left/right. What makes resulting (original and mirrored) beams NOT coincide is an ANGLE of the mirror.

This is optical principles. Next is technicalities. -how to create parallel set of beams, how to watch direct and reflected light, how to measure offset between direct and reflected picture and so on.

Now, imagine, that mirror mounted on stand and stand is sliding back and forth along the lathe ways. Autocollimator is beaming to the mirror and mirror, while sliding on ways, leaning (very slightly) back and forth by going to the "deeps " or climbing to the "heights". of ways. That will result in a mirrored beams going up/down and NOT coincide with original beam.

Hope this is clear (as mud )

 

[Gennady]

BTW. I am still researching topic and I found that laser beam can practically do the same - it has to be far from the screen - as far as possible. Sliding stand with laser along the lathe ways will make laser dot going up/down on a screen. Distance is your friend in this case. Even smallest deviation in surface level will be magnified by the laser "nodding" up/down and laser dot will be also moving up/down proportionally.

 

[mjautek]

oh if anyone is interested - I have a pdf of a "optical alignment" published by taylor-hobson that I could pass on to whoever's interested, just send me a pm with your email (it's too big to attach here I think? - it's 141 pgs)