Overview

• Having the finest laser dot possible is the key to HoTech's precision collimation.
• Optional crosshairs allow users to efficiently zero-in the laser with ease during the final collimation on the secondary and the primary mirror.
• The laser engraved 45º targeting faceplate displays the returning laser spot with a clear visual reference during adjustment
• The HoTech SCA adapter serves three critical functions.
• Expansion rings accommodate almost all focuser's manufacturing tolerances.
• Automatically centers the adapting laser in the focuser.
• Provides at least two evenly distributed contacts on the focuser's inner tube surface preventing the adapting laser from pivoting and keeping it parallel to the focuser.
• Once the slop is taken away, you can quickly collimate your telescope with confidence that you will achieve perfect collimation every time.
• Having the finest projecting laser ot is the key to the
• The HoTech laser collimator is well centered and aligned, which is critical for an accurate collimation.

Description

Built-in Self Centering Adapter
No more loose fitting laser collimators! Our patented Self-Centering Adapter cleverly eliminates the slop problem by using expanding rubber rings. As the rings expand, each ring fills the focuser slop and center positions the laser collimator in the drawtube. The SCA mechanism accommodates most brands of focusers allowing repeatable installation for an accurate collimation.

Current Collimators' Problems
The Thumbscrew Gap
Adapting with Unified Compression Ring

Problem Solved with SCA Technology!

• SCA Accepts the Imperfections and Eliminates Drawtube Slop

When a standard collimator is inserted, the gap between the drawtube and the inserting device creates a certain degree of slop, which is a problem. All drawtubes have manufacturing tolerances, but other imperfections, like dents, scratches, uneven burrs, or even distortion can be compensated for by the rubber rings which will faithfully centers HoTech accessories in the tube every time. The rubber rings in the HoTech SCA expand radially, according to the user’s adjustments, filling the gaps. This makes your accessory seats firmly in the drawtube for a secure installation every time.

• SCA Eliminates unstable locking from thumbscrews or compression ring and Keeps Laser Perfectly Parallel to the Focuser

The patented multiple expanding O-rings design provides solid, even, 360 degrees grip to the inner surface of the focuser. This keeps the accessory perfectly parallel to the focuser tube thus eliminating any possible tilt error from the conventional thumbscrew locking mechanism. When an accessory is locked down by thumb screws, the optical axis can shift. In some cases, a compression ring can cause unstable tilt when there are loose tolerances between the compression ring, inner groove, and the uneven tip of the thumbscrew(s). The SCA to the tube without using the thumbscrews or a unified compression ring.

SCA Laser Collimator Features:

• Laser Engraved 45º Targeting Faceplate

The targeting faceplate displays the returning laser spot with a clear visual reference during adjustment. This allows you to align your primary mirror from the rear of the telescope and eliminates repeated traveling to the front of your scope during collimation.
When Collimating without the targeting faceplate, you are not able to adjust the primary mirror in real time while referencing the laser dot. This results in collimation taking considerable time to complete and defeats the purpose of quick and easy laser collimation.
The HoTech laser collimators include the faceplate as a standard feature. All astronomers deserve to have it without paying any extra for convince or quality! The faceplate viewer’s pattern is laser engraved to ensure a long lasting sharp targeting grid for best visual effects. Unlike other collimators, the target is not a sticker that will peel, or paint that can rub or chip off.

• Finest Projecting Laser Dot

No more guess work during the final primary mirror collimation! The crosshair laser easily guides you for a precise final collimation. The extension crosshair helps you to center the returning laser when its center dot disapear into the laser exiting hole. The crosshair also makes centering the dot on the primary mirror donut an easy task during the secondary mirror collimation.

Keeping the laser dot to the finest point possible is the key to precision collimation. But when you look closely at the laser dot from brand to brand, most laser dots appear large, and are not the fine point you might imagine. This means there is guess work involved when you try to center the dot; not just centering the laser dot to the center of the faceplate, but also centering the center of the dot itself. This does not make any sense when you are trying to take the advantage of the precision of a laser. The laser beam size within the collimation distance (as the laser beam travels to the primary mirror and back to the faceplate) should remain a constant, fine, point.
As you probably know, most laser collimator are not made by the company that manufactured the laser. These brands install an off-the-shelf laser module or pointer in the collimator and align the laser in a tube without REALLY considering the user’s application. This means they do not account for operating distance or a laser beam’s size.
HoTech has been designing and built laser modules and systems for over 10 years for various professional industries. HoTech knows exactly how a laser should work and limits the laser beam to the finest size for the correct operating distance creating the optimal effect. The understanding and experience with laser design that HoTech provides permits you to have an effective and precise collimation.

• Optional HoTech Crosshair Laser Collimator Available

With the HoTech laser crosshair, users can efficiently zero-in the laser with ease during the final collimation on the secondary and the primary mirror. The crosshair model still exhibits a precise center dot, but with the addition of four spikes extending from the center dot. These spikes, or crosshairs, are essential, as they provide the most intuitive and accurate way to guide the laser.
During collimation of the secondary mirror, a single dot laser projecting on the approximate center of the pre-loaded donut is difficult. The crosshair laser can easily help the user adjust the secondary mirror to point the laser on the exact center every time. During the final primary mirror collimation, the returning laser dot often hides in the laser’s exiting hole. This prevents the user from identifying if the returning laser is at exact center of the hole. Again, the crosshair will help visually guide the user to center the laser dot with ease, even when the center laser dot disappears into the exiting hole.

• High Accuracy Laser Alignment

The HoTech laser collimator is well centered and aligned, which is critical for an accurate collimation. But you will be surprised how many other laser collimators on the market fail in this regard. The reason is in the design and understanding of the product itself.
HoTech takes the time to focus on parameters such as the alignment mechanism, the mechanical and optical structure of the laser itself, and more. For instance, sometimes the laser pointer might not be installed perfectly centered in its casing. This can be due to pointer size variations and the added alignment mechanism itself. Thus, the laser itself is not positioned at the true alignment point and optical axis. As the result, the laser will never be centered in the enclosure. It is possible to align the laser beam parallel to the optical path but always with an offset along the optical axis. This means the laser beam will be off no matter how you center or adapt the laser collimator to the focuser. The result of an off-centered laser is to introduce an astigmatism into your scope.

• Light Weight Design and All Aluminum Body Machined with High Precision CNC

Many laser collimator manufacturers give users the wrong impression, “big and heavy means rugged and stable.” Instead, HoTech engineers successfully cut the unnecessary weight on the laser collimator because we understand that additional weight on a telescope (especially open structure Newtonians) will create imbalance and structure sagging. In addition, the heavier the device is, the more inertia it will have during an impact from an accidental drop. In such an accident, the inertia force can cause more damage to the internal alignment mechanism because there is more energy required to dissipate from the impact. Therefore, the lightweight design on our laser collimator makes you gain reliable precision collimation. The HoTech laser collimator uses aero-space grade lightweight aluminum material and is CNC machined with the tightest tolerances, then sand blasted and anodized to protect it from harsh environment. Nothing is sacrificed while you get a long lasting state-of-the-art collimation instrument.

• Long Lasting Battery Life

By using the CR123, 3V battery as the HoTech laser’s power source, their laser collimators has over 65 hours of continuous use battery life. The included CR123, 3V lithium battery operates well under a typical cold night and has a 10 year shelf life. The advantage being that you don't have to worry about changing tiny, hard to find, cell batteries frequently in the dark like with other collimators.

Collimation for your SCT
Commercially made SCTs all have slight optical and mechanical alignment errors. The error typically appears when centering the secondary mirror. As the result, when a laser is installed and emitted from the focuser, the beam will seldom return dead center, even though star testing would indicate perfect collimation. In addition, the secondary (convex) mirror expands the fine laser dot to a larger spot, and magnifies any axial error by about 5 times. The error of deviation for a typical well collimated SCT will return laser beam at around 0.125" to 0.250" off center. In order to correct the optical and mechanical alignment errors of SCT’s, a different collimation approach is required. Please refer to the newly developed Advanced CT Laser Collimator for more detail.

Personal testimonials from renowned astrophotographers and users can be viewed here.

Specifications