Orion LASERMATE 5684 User Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Orion®

LaserMate™ Pro

#5684

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

OrionTelescopes.com

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89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076

IN 386 Rev. A 03/10

2

3

Sight tube

Power button
housing

Telescope
insert portion

Laser lens

Figure 1. The components of the LaserMate Pro

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 Pro provides a clear, intuitive way to deter­mine if your telescope’s mirrors need adjustment, and which adjustments need to
be made. With the highly precise two step alignment provided by the LaserMate
Pro, you’ll be enjoying better, crisper views in no time!

The LaserMate Pro has a lifetime alignment guarantee. Its durable, hardened
design will ensure the laser beam is parallel to the 1.25" barrel that slides into

your eyepiece holder. You will be able to obtain repeatable accurate alignment of
your telescope’s optics. If your telescope has a 2" focuser you will need to use a

1.25" adapter to use the LaserMate Pro components. We recommend using the
Orion Precision Centering Adapter for best results.

Marking the Primary Mirror

In order to achieve the best accuracy when collimating with the Orion LaserMate
Pro, you will need to have the primary mirror center marked. All Orion Newtonian
reflectors and many other commercially available optical tubes are center marked
from the factory. If your mirror already has a center mark you may skip ahead to
the next section of this manual.

Applying the center mark can be easily achieved using a supplied collimation
target. You can create a paper target to locate the precise center of your mirror.
The steps to do so are outlined below. Placing a target on the center of your mir­ror will not affect the light gathering of your mirror since the target will be placed
behind the secondary mirror.

Remove the primary mirror cell from your telescope. If you are unsure how to
do this, consult your telescope’s instruction manual. Remove the mirror from the
mirror cell. To do this, unscrew and remove the mirror clips. You can now lift the
mirror off of the cell. Handle the mirror by its edges only, and be careful not to
touch the surface with your fingers.

Note: If the primary mirror is glued into its cell, it is not necessary to remove it
from the cell.

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.

User Safety Precautions

As with all laser products, the LaserMate Pro is not a toy and is intended
for use by adults only.

Avoid Direct Eye Exposure.•

Do not shine the laser into or near the eyes of people or animals. •
Direct eye contact with beam or bright reflection may cause
eye injury.

Do not shine the laser toward moving vehicles of any kind, even •
distant ones.

Do not shine the laser toward anyone operating machinery.•

Do not shine the laser at aircraft. Shining lasers at aircraft may be •
considered a felony.

WARNING: The LaserMate Pro 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 bottom surface of the LaserMate
Pro. 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 Pro out of the
reach of children.

4

5

2.

3a.

3b.

Figure 2. Trace the outline of the mirror on the paper.
Figure 3a, 3b. Fold the paper circle in half, and then in half again.

4.

5.

6.

Figure 4. Cut the tip off the paper wedge.
Figure 5. Place the template on the mirror sur face and

carefully register its edge.

Figure 6. Affix the ring label to the mirror surface

through the hole in the template.

Figure 7. The primary mirror’s center is now marked,

and it is ready to be reinstalled.

7.

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.

Now, cut about 1/4 inch off the tip of the paper wedge you have created.

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

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. The center of the primary
mirror is now marked, and you can reinstall the primary mirror in the telescope.

Note: For mirror cells that use mirror clips to secure the primary mirror in place,
it is important not to over tighten 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. Over tightened 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 Pro

Accurate collimation of your telescope’s optics
using the LaserMate Pro 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

Red laser spot

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

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.

is an adjustment that can be made with the aid
of the LaserMate Pro, 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 Pro 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 Pro will be to adjust the
tilt of the secondary mirror. This is performed with the Laser collimator.

Insert the LaserMate Pro into your telescope’s focuser drawtube. Point your opti­cal tube so that it is level with the horizon to limit the play in the eyepiece holder.
You want the LaserMate Pro to be “balanced” as possible in the focuser. Secure
it in place by lightly tightening the thumbscrew on the drawtube that holds the
eyepiece. Then turn the LaserMate Pro on by pressing the red button on the top
of the unit until it clicks on.

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