Scalar Ring alignment tool for BUD

[SignalHill]

I made a gadget to help align the scalar ring on my BUD. It uses an el cheapo laser gunsight and a piece of plastic machined to fit inside the scalar ring.

 

[toucan-man]

So how far off were you ?

 

[SignalHill]

I was off by about 6 inches, making the laser dot just outside the round center plate of the dish. It's about 1 1/2" away from the center now and I am getting signal levels of around 83% on my Openbox S10 on G19. This forum has been a huge help to me during the BUD search/buy/dismantle/drag home/refurbish/install/align process.

cheers
fred

 

[Magic Static]

I used a laser also. Good idea Bullseye II feed pictured

 

[stecle]

Guys I like your ingenuity but how can you be certain that you have established a perfect 90 degree angle?. Even the laser light itself might not be parallel with the body.

I was working on a similar idea using lasers, but gave up when I could not be certain about the 90 degree angle. I even tried using the pythagorean theorem but couldn't get an accurate measument of the beam.

I wonder if there are any mathematicians on the board that could weight in.

 

[toucan-man]

Was thinking about getting this one,



Should be easy enough to build a holder to get it square and centered. Good enough for rifle bores, good enough for me.

 

[FaT Air]

using lasers, but gave up when I could not be certain about the 90 degree angle

Put a portable drill in a vice. Chuck in the laser. Turn on laser - Turn on drill. You'll either get a point of light, or a circle of varying size.
If circle, determine it's center. Turn off drill. Rotate laser to place spot on top of circle. mark laser body top. Measure the center/spot offset. Best if projecting to a surface = to your focal length.
Use measurement and direction to compensate.
(The above is just a 'brain fart'. so YMMV. )

 

[Anole]

We talked about this before.
I suggested a laser from a 99-cent store...or several, if necessary.
Problem with them is that their beam is not coaxial...not parallel to the outside body.
The first step is solving that problem. :up
.
edit: a variation on Fat Airs spinning technique was put forward.
.
.

 

[Joe DC]

I made one that fits snugly inside the throat of an LNB. To check if its 90 deg I put a thumtack on the ceiling of the garage and dropped a weighted string to a spot on the floor. Place the lazer in the holder on that spot and check if it hits the thumbtack on the ceiling.

 

[RimaNTSS]

I've been thinking about such a tool as well. I have more or less professional lazer-pointer (at least it coasted much more than rest of them), it has long round body. I would like to make some kind of adapters with inner diameter to tight fit pointer and outer diameter 40mm for Ku-band LNB or 60 (or whatever) for C-band LNB. I have plastic adapters for Ku-band LNB to be fitted in C-band holder. When pointing, better to turn pointer several times and watch how light moving.

 

[toucan-man]

I think this kind of thing might be next in the new Titanium line...

 

[mmewrench]

If you rotate the whole assembly you will see the dot move in a circular pattern (if the angle is off). Adjust for the smallest circle. I have done this before using the feedhorn throat and it works very well.

 

[Lak7]

Damn.
I just use an expandable broom stick.

 

[toucan-man]

Damn.
I just use an expandable broom stick.

Not geek enough !

 

[mmewrench]

Here is an old school tool. Good use for your old rabbit ears.

 

[Lone Gunman]

Was thinking about getting this one,

View attachment 92314

Should be easy enough to build a holder to get it square and centered. Good enough for rifle bores, good enough for me.

That bore sight will be tapered like the chamber of the rifle it's designed to fit in so that may not be a good idea either. If you can get a straight casing bore sighter like a .444 Marlin or a .45-70 Government round then that might work but the one in the picture is for a tapered chamber rifle.

 

[toucan-man]

That bore sight will be tapered like the chamber of the rifle it's designed to fit in so that may not be a good idea either. If you can get a straight casing bore sighter like a .444 Marlin or a .45-70 Government round then that might work but the one in the picture is for a tapered chamber rifle.

Damn, I knew I might be outted by a real firearms enthusiast. I shall keep this in mind sir !

 

[. Raine]

Great idea, think I'll try this. I have a laser that I pulled out of an old spectrograph that is very accurate and not tapered and looks like it may even be the same diameter as the bore in my scalar. Might be what I mess around with this weekend, thanks for posting this, SignalHill.

 

[primestar31]

Just put the laser on a table, pointing at the ceiling. Spin it around while it's turned on, and adjust as needed with whatever you are using to do that in your cap, until it's a tight sharp beam at the center on the ceiling.

 

[waylew]

Damn, I knew I might be outted by a real firearms enthusiast. I shall keep this in mind sir !

Or for whatever round you decide on,get a chamber reamer.