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New to topcon – Ex Leica user
I have started of a new site for my company and the machine they have is a Topcon PS series. Im struggling to familiarise myself with it as im not used to this make.
A couple of questions I have if anyone can help me with:
How can I search for the prism that I am holding, for example, if the machine is placed in the middle of site and is looking north and I happen to be stood south of machine, there must be a function where the machine spins through 360degrees searching for the prism? (similar to powersearch on Leica), currently it only searches in a very narrow field and takes an age to locate the prism.
Secondly, I am trying to import co-ordinates from autocad, I have managed to do this but once the co-ords are on the handheld unit they are not the same as what they were on autocad (vastly different location and the scale is completely different). Can anyone help with this?
Is it possible to do a resection with the reflective targets, or only using the prism on known points?
Is there a mode similar to “survey” on Leica, where it gives you a live update on your easting, northing and elevation as you move and in doing so can store positions you require?
Finally, is there an online manual I could use to familiarise myself with the machine.
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17 Replies
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I’m not a Leica nor a Topcon user so can’t help with the search issue, but things that come to mind for import…
Do the import settings match the AutoCad exported file?, That is, N,E,Elev,Desc vs. E,N, Elev, Desc.And is you instrument set to meters instead of feet?
Regarding resection – I’m confident that function is somewhere in the software, you’ll just have to find it.
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I seem to recall that Topcon has a device called an RC2 or maybe RC3 that allows the instrument to search and find the prism faster and frankly more precise than all but the Trimble.
If you do not have the RC device you are going to struggle with getting it to find you.
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I have started of a new site for my company and the machine they have is a Topcon PS series. Im struggling to familiarise myself with it as im not used to this make.
A couple of questions I have if anyone can help me with:
How can I search for the prism that I am holding, for example, if the machine is placed in the middle of site and is looking north and I happen to be stood south of machine, there must be a function where the machine spins through 360degrees searching for the prism? (similar to powersearch on Leica), currently it only searches in a very narrow field and takes an age to locate the prism.
Secondly, I am trying to import co-ordinates from autocad, I have managed to do this but once the co-ords are on the handheld unit they are not the same as what they were on autocad (vastly different location and the scale is completely different). Can anyone help with this?
Is it possible to do a resection with the reflective targets, or only using the prism on known points?
Is there a mode similar to “survey” on Leica, where it gives you a live update on your easting, northing and elevation as you move and in doing so can store positions you require?
Finally, is there an online manual I could use to familiarise myself with the machine.
I use a Topcon PS with Survey Pro on a TSC3. One thing you haven’t shared is which data collection you are using.
The gadget the goes on top of the 360?ø prism is called the “RC-5”. Aim the window on the RC-5 at the instrument as best you can and initiate a “global search”. After thinking about it for about 5-10 seconds the instrument with rotate in the horizontal plane until it is pointed at you, then it will search for the prism in the vertical plane. If you have been living right and thinking pure thoughts the instrument will lock onto the prism in under a minute. Be sure to face Tokyo, bow deeply, and repeat the phrase “Watashi wa fusawashikunai“ in thanks each time this works.
It sounds like you have already discovered the “local search” function which searches a relatively small area. That’s good for when the instrument is pointed right at you but is not locked on to the prism. Which occurs a lot.
If you are in the market for a 2nd Topcon PS, I may know where you can get one.
As far as your coordinates – that’s going to be in the data collector somewhere. It is possible to do a coordinate conversion from Int’l feet to Survey Feet, or from one projection system to another, on import.
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I seem to recall that Topcon has a device called an RC2 or maybe RC3 that allows the instrument to search and find the prism faster and frankly more precise than all but the Trimble.
If you do not have the RC device you are going to struggle with getting it to find you.
Do you care to elaborate on the “and frankly more precise than all but the Trimble” portion of this statement?
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Is it possible to do a resection with the reflective targets, or only using the prism on known points?
The reflectorless does work quite well. So you don’t even need reflective targets.
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The RC-5 itself does work fairly well. The limitations of the system are a huge latency in reacting to issued commands – the radio communication, the turning speed of the instrument – painfully slow, and the instruments ability to actually recognize and lock onto the prism. Those things are attributable to the the instrument and not to the RC-5.
I’ve used the Leica’s Powersearch and wasn’t blown away with that either. But at least it went to work on command and rotated at a reasonable speed.
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I seem to recall that Topcon has a device called an RC2 or maybe RC3 that allows the instrument to search and find the prism faster and frankly more precise than all but the Trimble.
If you do not have the RC device you are going to struggle with getting it to find you.
Do you care to elaborate on the “and frankly more precise than all but the Trimble” portion of this statement?
I was a longtime Topcon user and have been a longtime Leica user and now have a Geo-Max. I like the LeicaGeo-Max much better HOWEVER, the RC device was a slick little gadget that offered up at the time a quick way to find and lock onto a target without the full circle search that Leica does.
In a nutshell if you have the RC device, mine was a RC2 so that tells you how long ago it has been since it appears they are up to RC5 now. But anyway if you have the RC device it will show up on your data collector search function as simply a RC5 Search and the RC unit sends out a magic signal to the instrument and the instrument uses some kind of voodoo and turns the shortest portion of the circle to the RC device and then searches for the glass.
The RC device is a optional thing and I am surprised you are not aware of it. I loved it when I had a Topcon and had it mounted on top of the prism and it was fairly quick for getting the instrument to begin turning and ultimately locking onto the glass. It works faster than the Leica, a lot faster I might add but definitely slower than the Trimble units.
Youtube for it I am sure there is something on it.
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You can initiate an RC search through the RC-5 itself. To do so, press the yellow button on the RC unit. There are a couple of red lights at the top of the display, one with an icon that looks like a total station and one that looks like (sorta) a data collector. If you are connected to the instrument and the data collector, both lights will be solid. If either is blinking, you are not connected to the indicated device.
Driving the total station remotely is done through the data collector software. They function similarly but it is difficult to give instructions absent the information as to which software you are running.
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What data collector software are you currently using?
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Hi all
Thanks for the help so far
Looks like my company havent purchased one of the RC devices ????
As far as data collector software, would that be “magnetfield”?
Many thanks
Callum
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I’m also not a user of that equipment but with our Trimble system, the search area can be changed, such a 15 degrees horizontal and 15 degrees vertical. I’m not sure what ours is even set to, but I can control the gun from the data collector and turn it towards me and get it close and then do the search and it finds me quickly.
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Looks like my company havent purchased one of the RC devices ????
Tell them that I said they should fix that. Or hire you a helper to stand at the gun and point it at you. Working with that instrument without one of those things would be very difficult.
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If you are using a Carlson data collector in the lower right hand corner is a tripod icon, if you click on the you are rotate the instrument to look at you using the arrow keys.
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I would think with out the RC device it would just be passive tracking, which isn’t that bad, as long as you don’t have a vest on that it wants to track.
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The PS wo?t track a vest.
Magnet field allows you to open up the search area…..maybe try 20 degrees V and 30 degrees Hz. There is also a Setting for advanced tracking, prediction time and wait time. How ar? those set?
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Hi all
Thanks for the help so far
Looks like my company havent purchased one of the RC devices ????
As far as data collector software, would that be “magnetfield”?
Many thanks
Callum
They need to buy one then because without it it is not a robotic total station and is pretty useless. It can still track but when it loses lock re-acquirring the target will be difficult unless you have someone behind the instrument.
What you have right now is a motorized total station with very limited robotic capabilities. Sucks to be you.
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Without the RC-5 things get very interesting. I would find your “joystick” in magnet, turn on the layout lights, and then guide the unit to you (remember to turn off the layout lights…wastes batteries). Also remember the effective range on radio communications is limited without the RC-5…My guys have gotten to 500′, but usually 300′ is about the max (using an FC-5000). The RC-5 is $4-5k, but is worth the money. That said, if you have the hybrid module, that works even better for finding you.
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