Does anyone have one of these? I have been offered this by a neighbor - getting rid of old stuff. Assuming it works, will it last and be useful, or will I need to buy parts such as batteries that no longer exist?
Thanks in advance for your advice
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You might find this PDF helpful:
I've forgotten what the battery looks like, but it's almost certainly a proprietary design that's no longer made and may not be recellable.?ÿ You can probably get by with an outboard battery; I never used one, but I'm pretty sure there's a external power port.?ÿ I hope the tribrach comes with it; the 3820A used a design similar to the Kern bayonet system, but with different dimensions.
Will it be useful??ÿ That thing weighs a ton, around 30 pounds with the case as I recall.?ÿ And its timing oscillators will probably have drifted enough to materially affect distance measurements.?ÿ But it was hot stuff in its day.
I never used a 3820, but I did use?ÿa 3800 and a 3810.?ÿ Both of those could be used with a 12 volt car battery.?ÿ Toting those suckers up and down hills was NOT for faint hearted.?ÿ They were definitely for use by the young(er).
Andy
You might want to contact?ÿ@ndrummond and see if found anything when He made this post...
Warren- I'm still around, and I still collect the HP3820A model as an example of one the first American-built total stations, dating from 1978-1981. ?ÿ I have a couple examples of the 3820A that are still usable and although they still work, they are not really feasible to consider as a usable instrument today, due to age of the components and the uncertainty of reliable use and operation.?ÿ As I recall, they also require a HP-specific prism with a .27mm offset (not the more common .30mm), have only a one-way serial-port output, and would be a risk to use in any paid capacity?ÿ I also have a couple examples that don't work, due likely to?ÿ some internal component drifting out of specifications. ?ÿ?ÿ For a hobbyist/ collector, they are a neat instrument that has the benefit of being well documented by Hewlett Packard, and an example of how far the technology has progressed in the last 35+years.?ÿ?ÿ
?ÿ I won't try to discourage you getting the one that your neighbor is offering, if possible see if you can obtain the original HP battery charger and any dead batteries- even if the batteries are dead, they can be re-celled with NiCAD's to enable it to work. (battery is 3.6V, similar to a older VHS-type camera battery, very long and rectangular)- see attached image.
If you do obtain the instrument but end up not interested in keeping it, I would be willing to make an offer for it; you can contact me via my profile or comment here and I'll send you my contact info.?ÿ?ÿ As far as I know there are no available supplies of parts or batteries for it; HP discontinued their line of surveying equipment over 30 years ago.
I'm attaching a picture of what the batteries and original HP chargers looked like (the beige box was a external 3rd-party charger that would charge 4 batteries at once).
I've got one in the "museum of surveying junk" out in the shop. It's a very low serial number as I recall, practically single digit. As a collector of hp calculators, it holds a little nostalgia for me, so I won't let it go. I recall it being used once in my career. Had a couple instruments in the shop, so it came out of mothballs to tie some new power poles for an easement. As I recall it took every battery we could find to tie about 5 poles, but it did do the job.?ÿ
Yeah, would be collector item only. We had 2 of them in 1979. You either kept them under maintenance contract and you sent them in for calibration or repair annually, as they would quit working yearly. But excellent total station that would measure several miles to a single prism.
I recently aquired one of these units and had the battery pack rebuilt. I would like to obtain a copy of the owners manual if anyone has one they could copy for me. Thanks GPBATEY@compuserve.com
Believe it or not, I have located a quick reference guide. It's not in the best of shape, kinda crumpled up at the bottom of the instrument box. I've got a big heavy book sitting on it on my desk right now trying to flatten it out, I'll have a go at scanning it tomorrow. I think I have the full manual too, I'll keep looking when I have a chance.
Many years ago (1980's) I saw an HP 38xx instrument in a store that seemed to be selling excess inventory and insurance salvage items. I played with it a bit and tried to relate it to the brass transit I had experience with.
I think I had the horizontal pointing locked, but when I moved it vertically something rattled and I got different horizontal pointing value. I concluded the graduated glass plate must have come loose from shock in a vehicle accident, and that's why an insurance company had unloaded it to the store. I'll always wonder if I was correct, or if I missed the bargain of the decade.
I was gifted a 3810A a few years ago. It's a cool instrument but I'm not carrying it very far...
I used several 3820A(s) in the late 70s and early 80s on various types of projects. I liked them for the most part, but they were HEAVY! My shoulder never really recovered from a several week long Gravity Survey spanning Idaho, Oregon, and California that required 50 plus setups everyday. Now that I'm OLD, it makes that shoulder ache just thinking about it!
Of course compared to ElectroTape DM20s, they were light as a feather, and you only needed ONE of them.
It sucks to get old, but sucks even more to BE OLD!
...It sucks to get old, but sucks even more to BE OLD!
I can spend far too much time dwelling on being old if I let myself.
Throughout my sixties I kicked, pissed and moaned every chance I had to show my displeasure of the inevitable. Now that I'm into my seventies I have apparently acquiesced to my condition. It doesn't seem to bother me that much except for the physical aspects; you know, all the aches and pains, arthritis, cataracts...and I've forgotten what else.
My hip is need of replacement so I used to carry a cane in case I needed it. Now I don't go anywhere without it. The other day I hopped up on the back bumper of the truck to retrieve the pin finder. It was up at the front of the bed so I hoisted my good leg over the tail gate to step into the bed...I had to be helped down by the "kid" that has helped me for the last 20 years (he's now over 50). It took almost a week for my "good" hip to quit hurting.
Being old truly does sucks...but to coin a phrase...it beats the alternative. 😉
@david-baalman That would be awesome. My unit lights up and the az and vert readings seem to work. Thanks Gordon
