Orion Lasermate Deluxe

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Brand and Model:	Orion Lasermate Deluxe
Price ($USD):	$79.95
Type:	Collimator
Description:	Laser Collimator with "rear-port" view to enable collimation of the primary mirror on a reflector, without having to return to the eyepiece.

Vote Highlights

Orion Lasermate Deluxe

I bought the Lasermate Deluxe to make collimation easier on my two reflectors. The idea is, with the Lasermate in the focuser you adjust the secondary mirror until the red dot strikes the centre of the primary. Then go to the primary end - if your scope is anywhere near collimated you should see the red dot reflected somewhere on the 45degree bevelled surface in the centre of the Lasermate tube. Then, while at the primary end, adjust the primary knobs until the dot "disappears" into the hole in the centre of the bevel. At this point the laser beam is reflecting right back up the light path to where it originated. In theory the scope is now collimated.
A brilliant gadget...
Almost...
My reflectors use JMI DX3 focusers, which i regard as well-machined devices. Here's the rub... in either of these focusers the fit of the Lasermate is so sloppy that after i tighten the set-screw the device "flops" to a different (non-orthogonal) position within the drawtube, and the red dot no longer hits the middle of the primary. It flops around way more than a normal eyepiece does in these focusers, and it happens regardless of how much i tighten the set-screw. The problem is exacerbated by the top-heavy design of the lasermate. So, in my 10" Starfinder i use my right hand to hold the lasermate perfectly orthogonal in the focuser while i reach under the primary with my left hand and adjust its knobs.
Not so easy with my 17.5", i would need 6 foot arms. So i use my Helix Collimator in this scope.
I mentioned the problem to Orion's technical support - i was told it was designed under-sized to allow for use in a variety of focusers, and i should try wrapping electrical tape around it to get a tighter fit. Nice try, but i'm not buying it, i can't imagine any decent quality scope having a focuser so under-sized that the Lasermate would fit snugly - it would not be able to accept regular eyepieces such as TV, UO etc. And i dont like using plastic tape as a shim.
I am keeping the Lasermate for use in my Starfinder, but the fit is too sloppy to achieve its full potentital in larger scopes.
YMMV
Bob Bennett, Maple Vly, WA

Overall Rating: 7
Performance:7 Value:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date: 10/29/2004 06:28:20 am PST
By: rjb
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=395495

Reply Replies: 1

I just received my Orion LaserMate Deluxe today.  The first thing I did was check the alignment of the laser.  By looking down the tube, visually I could see that the laser aperture was misaligned with the hole in the tube, so I decided to measure the misalignment.  By standing the tube on its end with the laser pointing down on an optically flat mirror, it was apparent that the return beam was misaligned with the hole.  I shimmed the side of the tube opposite the misalignment until the return beam was centered in the hole, and found that the misalignment corresponded to 1/2 of a degree, ten times greater than the 3 minutes of arc claimed in the specifications!

This was only the first of my disappointments.  I decided to try the LaserMate on my 15" f/5 Discovery Dob, and found that it did not fit well in the eyepiece tube, but had so much play that it was impossible to center accurately.  I tightened the eyepiece setscrew and decided to try collimation anyway.  I had previously collimated the scope by eye so that the optics appeared perfectly centered.  The purpose of the LaserMate was to improve on that.

I aligned the secondary tilt, and then the primary mirror, until the received beam was exactly centered in the hole.  I then checked the centering of the mirrors by eye again, and found that my telescope had become completely decollimated!  Both the secondary and primary mirrors were now far off center.  This was to be expected because of the alignment problems with the Laser Mate itself.

I had read several positive reviews of the LaserMate before I bought it, but in hindsight I realize that these were all somehow affiliated with companies that were selling it.  I plan now to return the LaserMate and require Orion to fulfill the terms of the warranty, and to bring it up to the performance stated in their advertised specifications.  However I don't know how they will do this without a complete redesign.  

WJG Bensalem PA

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