Farpoint 2" Super Collimation Kit — Laser, Cheshire, Autocollimator + Case

Product Overview

The Farpoint 2″ Super Collimation Kit is the three-tool collimation set, assembled for the tightest alignment the sequence allows. It carries Farpoint's 650 nm laser collimator with the 1.25″/2″ combo stepped barrel, the 2″ Cheshire collimation eyepiece and the 2″ autocollimator, along with the mirror centre-marking template and triangle centre spots the three tools align to.

The tools run in order — laser, then Cheshire, then autocollimator — each reading the primary more finely than the one before, with the autocollimator used iteratively at the end. Everything travels in a sturdy carrying case with a fitted foam insert. The tools are machined in the USA, and Farpoint's lifetime alignment guarantee covers both the laser and the autocollimator.

Who It's For

This is a good match if your reflector has a 2″ focuser and the last fraction of primary alignment matters to what you do with it — long-exposure imaging where corner stars record every residual error, or high-power planetary and double-star work where the diffraction pattern shows collimation directly. It also suits a fast Newtonian, where the depth of focus is shallow and the collimation tolerance narrows with focal ratio. If the laser-and-Cheshire pair already gets you where you want to be, the 2″ Collimation Kit is the same set without the autocollimator.

Key Features & Design

• 650 nm laser collimator: extra-bright red diode with a 0.76 mm beam aperture, the smallest Farpoint publishes for any collimator on the amateur astronomy market.
• 1.25″/2″ combo stepped barrel: the laser seats in either drawtube size, so a second, smaller reflector is covered by the same tool.
• Eight-screw alignment system: directly opposing screws clamp both ends of the laser diode, rather than the three-screw arrangement used in cheaper designs.
• Single-piece machined laser body: barrel and diode housing cut from one aluminum blank, which keeps them concentric.
• 2″ Cheshire collimation eyepiece: reflective-pane design in the CATSEYE™ BlackCat style, with no crosshairs to interpret.
• 2″ autocollimator: machined to optical-grade tolerances, the result of ten years of iterative design refinement at Farpoint.
• No power on the Cheshire or the autocollimator: no batteries and no electronics in either.
• Mirror centre-marking template: acetate template and triangle centre spots for mirrors up to 12.5″.
• Fitted carrying case: sturdy case with a foam insert cut for the three tools.
• Made in the USA: with a lifetime alignment guarantee on the laser and the autocollimator.

Mechanical and Optical Design

The three tools read the telescope by different physics, and the sequence exists because each one resolves what the previous one leaves. The laser projects a single 0.76 mm beam along the focuser axis and reads where it lands, which makes it decisive about the secondary mirror — whether it sits centred under the focuser at the right tilt — and quick on the primary. Its limit is geometric: the primary reading travels a return path sensitive to how squarely the laser sits in the drawtube.

The Cheshire projects no beam at all. Its reflective pane throws diffuse light down the tube and presents an illuminated field against which the primary's centre mark is judged by eye. Because that is a concentricity judgement on an extended field rather than the position of a spot, it resolves the primary more finely and is not biased by residual tilt of the tool in the focuser.

The autocollimator goes further again by folding the light path. Its mirror returns the beam through the optical train more than once, so any residual primary tilt is multiplied by each pass before it reaches the eye. An error too small to see in a Cheshire becomes visible in an autocollimator, which is why it is worked iteratively: adjust, re-read, adjust. Multiplying the error that way also multiplies any error in the instrument itself, which is why Farpoint machines the 2″ autocollimator to optical-grade tolerances and guarantees its alignment for life.

Two details underpin the laser's own accuracy. Machining the barrel and diode housing from one aluminum blank removes the tolerance stack that comes with a barrel pressed into a separate body, and the eight-screw mount clamps the diode at both ends with directly opposing pairs, holding it in compression so alignment survives handling and transport.

Recommended Uses

• Precision collimation of a 2″-focuser Newtonian or Dobsonian: secondary with the laser, primary with the Cheshire, final iteration with the autocollimator.
• Long-exposure deep-sky imaging: where the frame corners record every residual tilt as coma and elongation.
• Fast Newtonians: where the collimation tolerance narrows as focal ratio drops.
• High-power planetary and double-star observing: where the diffraction pattern reports alignment directly.
• Setup after transport: a truss Dobsonian reassembled at a dark site reads with the laser in seconds, then refines from there.
• First-time centre marking: the supplied template and triangle spots put the reference point on the primary that all three tools use.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

• Focuser fit: the Cheshire and autocollimator take a 2″ drawtube. The laser's combo stepped barrel seats in either 2″ or 1.25″.
• 1.25″-only focusers: the Farpoint 1.25″ Collimation Kit carries the matching 1.25″ laser and Cheshire, and we stock it.
• Telescope types: Newtonian and Dobsonian reflectors. Refractors, catadioptric and SCT designs collimate by other means.
• Primary mirror centre mark: all three tools align to a mark on the primary, and the acetate template and triangle spots are supplied for mirrors up to 12.5″.
• Mirrors over 12.5″: the Farpoint LARGE centre-marking template covers 12″ to 26″ and is sold separately.
• Two-tool alternative: the Farpoint 2″ Collimation Kit is the same laser and Cheshire without the autocollimator.
• Tell us your scope and we will confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The Cheshire and autocollimator here are the 2″ versions. They seat in a 2″ drawtube; a reflector with a 1.25″ focuser is served by the 1.25″ kit instead.
• The autocollimator is an iterative tool. It multiplies the residual error through repeated passes of the light path, so it is read and adjusted in several rounds rather than once.
• The primary mirror needs a centre mark for any of the three tools to align to. The template and triangle spots are in the box, and marking a mirror is a one-time job.
• The supplied template covers mirrors up to 12.5″. Larger mirrors take the LARGE template, which we also stock.
• The 650 nm beam is bright by design. It is meant to be read off the mirror and the focuser face rather than viewed directly.
• Farpoint's lifetime alignment guarantee covers the laser and the autocollimator. The Cheshire carries no alignment to hold, having no diode or electronics in it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

Each tool drops into the focuser like an eyepiece. The laser and Cheshire are read once each; the autocollimator is worked in a few short rounds, since it is designed to be adjusted and re-read. The one preparatory step is marking the centre of the primary mirror, and the template and triangle spots for that come in the kit — done once, the mark lasts the life of the mirror.

Will it fit my telescope?

The Cheshire and autocollimator suit reflectors with a 2″ focuser. The laser's combo barrel steps to fit 2″ or 1.25″. Send us the make and model and we will check which kit suits.

What does the autocollimator add over the Cheshire?

It folds the light path so the beam passes through the optical train more than once, multiplying any residual primary tilt with each pass. An error too small to read in a Cheshire shows up plainly, which is what allows the final iteration to close in.

Do the Cheshire and autocollimator need batteries?

No. Both are passive optical tools with no electronics, so there is nothing to power or replace.

What does the 0.76 mm beam aperture change in practice?

It tightens the spot that returns off the mirror. A wider beam comes back as a larger, speckled patch that is harder to judge against the centre mark; at 0.76 mm the return is a small spot, so a slight misalignment stays visible.

How does this differ from the 2″ Collimation Kit?

The 2″ Collimation Kit is the same 650 nm laser and 2″ Cheshire in a case. This kit adds the Farpoint 2″ autocollimator for the third, iterative pass on the primary.

Bottom Line

In short: a USA-made three-tool set for 2″-focuser Newtonians and Dobsonians — a 650 nm laser with a 0.76 mm aperture and a combo barrel, a 2″ reflective-pane Cheshire, and a 2″ autocollimator machined to optical-grade tolerances — running laser to Cheshire to autocollimator for the tightest primary alignment, with the centre-marking template and a fitted case included.