Orion 5690 User Manual

IN 218 Rev A 1100

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INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Newtonian reflectors perform at their best when their mirrors
are accurately aligned.While it’s not difficult to do, collimation
can be a chore if you do not have the proper tools.The Orion
LaserMate Deluxe provides a clear, easy way to determine if
your telescope’s mirrors need adjustment, and which adjust­ments need to be made. With the highly precise alignment
provided by the LaserMate Deluxe, you’ll be enjoying better,
crisper views in no time!

The LaserMate Deluxe’s laser diode has been precisely
aligned within it’s housing at the factory. Do not drop the
LaserMate Deluxe or otherwise roughly handle it, or it may
need to be returned for re-alignment. Re-alignment is a ser­vice that is not covered in the product’s limited warranty. Also,
do not remove the label on the LaserMate Deluxe or otherwise
attempt to make adjustments to the LaserMate Deluxe’s align­ments screws; doing so will void the terms of the warranty.

WARNING:The LaserMate Deluxe emits laser
radiation, so it is important not to shine the beam
into your or anyone’s eye. During the collimation
procedure, it is also important to avoid direct
reflections of the laser beam into your eye. Rather,
look only at off-axis reflections to determine the
position of the laser spot on the mirrors. It is safe
to view the laser when it is reflected off a surface
that will diffuse the light, such as the viewing
screen of the LaserMate Deluxe. It is also safe to
view the reflection off a mirror surface as long as
the beam is not directed into your eye. Because of
the potential danger from the laser beam, store
your LaserMate Deluxe out of the reach of children.

Marking the Primary Mirror

To achieve best accuracy when collimating with the Orion
LaserMate Deluxe, you will need to mark the center of the
primary mirror with one of the supplied collimation targets.
This will not affect the telescope’s performance. If you do not
wish to mark your primary mirror, you will need to judge the
primary mirror’s center by eye during the collimation proce­dure. While this is not recommended, it is possible to get
adequate alignment of the optics without marking the primary
mirror’s center.

To accurately locate and mark the mirror’s center point, you
will need to make a paper template.

First, remove the primary mirror from your telescope. If you
are unsure how to do this, consult your telescope’s instruction
manual.If the primary mirror is glued into its cell, it is not nec­essary to remove it from the cell. Handle the mirror by its
edges only, and be careful not to touch the surface with your
fingers.

Get a clean sheet of paper that is big enough to cover the
entire mirror’s surface. For large diameter mirrors, you may
need to tape several sheets of paper together. Lay the pri­mary mirror on the paper and trace its outline with a pencil
(Figure 1). Next, cut out the circle you have just traced with a
pair of scissors. Fold the paper circle into quarters by folding

the circle precisely in half, and
then folding it in half again
(Figure 2). Now, cut about 1/4
inch off the tip of the paper
wedge you have created (Figure

3).Unfold the paper, and you will
find that you have a paper tem­plate of your mirror with a hole
at the center.

Orion

®

LaserMate

™

Deluxe

#5690

Figure 2a, 2b: Fold the paper circle in half, and then
in half again.

Figure 1: Trace the outline
of the mirror on the paper.

Make sure the template is still
clean; place the paper template
over the surface of the primary
mirror.Carefully register the tem­plate edge with the edge of the
mirror (Figure 4). Now, take one
of the supplied collimation tar­gets and affix it to the center of
the mirror’s surface through the
hole of the paper template
(Figure 5). The center of the pri­mary mirror is now marked, and
you can reinstall the primary mir­ror in the telescope (Figure 6).

Note: For mirror cells that
use mirror clips to secure
the primary mirror in place,
it is important not to
overtighten the mirror clips.
For Orion reflector
telescopes, tighten the
mirror clip anchor screws
until just snug, and then
back off each screw by 1/2
turn. Overtightened mirror
clips will put stress on the
primary mirror's figure, and
will introduce astigmatism
into the optical system as a
result.

Before You Begin Collimating Using the
LaserMate Deluxe

Accurate collimation of your telescope’s optics using the
LaserMate Deluxe will most easily be achieved if you do a
rough collimation of the optics with your eye first. This is
because if the optics are grossly misaligned, it may be con­fusing to interpret which surfaces the laser is being reflected
off of.Refer to your telescope’s instruction manual for the pro­cedure on how to do a rough collimation with your eye.

Note About Centering the Secondary Mirror
Under the Focuser

Centering the secondary mirror under the focuser is an
adjustment that can be made with the aid of the LaserMate
Deluxe, but it requires marking the center of the secondary
mirror in the same way the center of the primary mirror was
marked.This is generally undesirable due to the large area of
the supplied collimation targets compared to the total area of
the secondary mirror. Since centering the secondary mirror
under the focuser is an adjustment that very rarely, if ever,
needs to be done, we recommend simply making this adjust­ment by eye. Again, refer to the collimation instructions in
your telescope’s manual for the procedure on how to do this.

If you wish to use the LaserMate Deluxe for centering the
secondary mirror under the focuser, refer to the appendix
section at the end of this manual.

Adjusting the Tilt of the Secondary Mirror

The first collimation adjustment made with the LaserMate
Deluxe will be to adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror.

Insert the LaserMate Deluxe into your telescope’s focuser
drawtube (Figure 7). Secure it in place with the thumbscrew
on the drawtube.Then turn the LaserMate Deluxe on by turn­ing its thumbscrew clockwise.

Before looking into the optical tube, take a sheet of white
paper and place it across the front aperture of the telescope.
If you see a red laser spot on the sheet of paper, then your
telescope is considerably out of collimation (Figure 8). Take

note of the position of the red
spot, and be careful not to
place your eye in that posi­tion. Remember, it is safe to
view the reflection of the
laser beam off mirror sur­faces as long as the beam is
not directed into your eye.

Look down the front of the
optical tube. Remember to
keep your eyes clear of any
direct reflections of the
beam. Notice the red spot on
the surface of the primary
mirror itself; this is the laser
beam being reflected from

2

Figure 3: Cut the tip off
the paper wedge.

Figure 4: Place the
template on the mirror
surface and carefully
register its edge.

Figure 6: The primary mirror’s
center is now marked, and it is
ready to be reinstalled.

Figure 5: Affix the ring
label to the mirror surface
through the hole in the
template.

Figure 7a, 7b: The LaserMate Deluxe fits directly into the
drawtube of 1.25" focusers (left).If you have a 2" focuser,
you will need to use an optional 2"-to-1.25" adapter (right).

2"-to-1.25"
adapter

Red laser spot

Figure 8: Place a piece of
white paper in front of the
open tube. If you see a
laser spot on the paper,
be careful not to place your
eye in that position.