Leica/Wild GPS System 200/300 Data Transfer to PC

I have some 399's with CR344 controllers and use an old laptop with a PCMCIA slot to transfer my data and have used the cable for a serial download. Leica made an adapter for the lemo to plug into that has the RS232.

I also tried the card at an old laptop but it doesn´t fit in the slot because it is no standart PCMCIA card.
Is there a number at the cable and can you provide some detail (picture) of the adapter?

I always found it easier to pull the pc card than try to connect through the data cable. The 244 has a type I pc card and the 344 has a type II pc card. Your laptop or walmart card reader use a type II pc card. You are going to need a card reader that can read a type I pc card or you might use some very old wildsoft office or leica skipro software to connect. I never liked either when it was "the stuff". You could could have a good opus collector if the firmware is up to date. Please use on a known point a couple of times to see if the change was made. Good Luck.

The memory cards have an internal battery within them.
From what I remember, they lasted 2-3 years.
If you take the battery out right now, all data will be lost!

The PCMCIA cards worked in a standard reader. We used a Dell laptop straight from Dell.

I found the old data transfer cable. Attached is a photo of the readings for the pins from Lemo as you numbered in your pic above, to the D-shell 9-pin.

Hope this helps to fabricate one for yourself.

NOW ! I have to ask about the 1165 error. That is the error of the lithium motherboard battery being dead. You said you had them repaired.
Who repaired them (replaced the battery)? And did they re-install the controller software also?

Please contact me via my email through my profile.

@oldpacer

On this Page it is written that all PC Card Types I,II and III have a 68-Pin Interface.
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/PCMCIA#Type_I

But my Card has only 60 pin´s an it has also 2 notches that are different to a PC Card.

Here is also the page from the manual where my CR233 Controller should have a "SRAM Flash card"

Is there a special card reader from Wild/Leica for my memory card?
I searched the www for my card but could not find the same card or a card reader that fits.

@ epoch date
thank you for the picture! Now i will try to build my own cable.

About Error 1165...
It was a private guy from Poland who put in a new battery and re-install the controller software also.

I will send you my Email correspondence to your Email.

You are correct. I thought I was old, apparently not old enough to have used the System 200. I remember the CR344 Controller would not use the old cards. I thought it was because of the slot. So it was because they were not PC cards, but just "static ram flashcards". I thought I would look online and answer all of your questions, but it is as if the System 200 never existed. Let me qualify anything else I say as "off the top of my head". I remember the CR 344 having a setup check box for both System 200 and System 300 along with several antenna selections (I think). Maybe a CR244, CR233 or CR344 would have better communications and card compatibility? Good Luck. Wish I could have helped.

I did another search and find out that this card must be a "Mitsubishi 60-Pin MEL-Cards (SRAM)"
http://fjkraan.home.xs4all.nl/comp/px16/

and a picture of my card
http://fjkraan.home.xs4all.nl/comp/px16/mel/

another excel table told me the Mitsubishi part number:

Part Description
MF3128-M6DAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB8
MF3128-M6DAP01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB8
MF3128-MLCAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB
MF3128-MLDAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB8
MF3128-MLDAP01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB8
MF3128-MMDAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB8
MF3128-MNDAC01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB 8
MF3129-M6DAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 128kB DB16
MF31M0-M6DAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 1MB DB8
MF31M0-M6DAP01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 1MB DB8
MF31M0-MMDAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 1MB DB8
MF31M0-MMDAP01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 1MB DB8
MF3256-M1EAP01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 256kB
MF3256-MLDAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 256kB DB8
MF3256-MLDAP01 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 256kB DB8
MF3256-MMDAP00 MEMCARD 60PIN SRAM 256kB DB8

I also asked csm but they also can´t offer a 60pin card reader any more.
http://www.csm.de/en/cards-a-drives-3/memory-card-reader.html

So i will try to build the cable on my own and i think thats the end of the Story.

Thanks everyboy for the help.

After building the serial Cable (Leica Art. No 560 254):
LEMO Size 1B Diameter 9mm 5-Pole FGG.1B.305
http://www.ebay.de/itm/LEMO-Groesse-1B-1-Codierter-Stecker-5-Pole-FGG-1B-305-/371183728437?
and
http://www.ebay.de/itm/1-5m-Anschlusskabel-D-SUB-9-pol-D-SUB-Stecker-9-pol-D-SUB-Buchse-95196-/271437442087?

I contacted the Leica Geosystems service, and they send me the old Software "Ski" Version 2.3. And with that software the Data-Transfer from CR233 to my old WinXP Laptop worked great without Problems. Now i got Rinex data and try to a static GPS processing/adjustment.

The Service man also said that this Memorycard is a 60 Pin Mel-card and it needs special cardreader. But with the Software Ski 2.3 and my lemo cable I can transfer data from Internal Controller Memory and from the Melcard to the WinXP Computer.
So there is no need of a special cardreader any more.

So both Controller work like they are supposed to do.
Problem with GPS System 200 solved 🙂

Again thanks everybody for your help.

Hi Guys,
the card is definitely an SRAM card. To read is, you need a PCMIA card reader and the right drivers. If you can find a PCMCIA card reader (external or internal), attached is a doc outlining how to load the drivers. The doc is old but so is the card you are trying to read.

Hello!
I'm surveyor from Bulgaria.
I'm using four Leica GPS system 200 receivers with CR233 controllers.

Now I have "error code:1165 , contact service".
This is dead lithium battery on the motherboard, the problem is that no one in Bulgaria can import the firmware back to controller after battery replacement.
I have original installation CD with Ski-3.2 software, with firmwares for the sensor and receiver included.
In the local service told me that they can replace the battery, but can't upload the firmware back to controller. The reason is that the software (Leica CDU) is pretty old, DOS based, and needs a slow CPU 486 computer to run correctly. They suggest me to buy a new GNSS equipment.

I'm asking all of you that have same problem solved, to contact their local service and ask for help.
Thank you all! Excuse me for my bad English!
Kind regards!

I haven't used a 200 since 1995/6 time frame, I think we must of just used the cable that you built or found as I don't recall a card reader. I was going to say a PCMCIA full size reader, BUT that must of been for the 300's and maybe 500's, now that you mention it, I think Leica picked a card for the 200's that turned out to be left in the dust (remember Betamax and VHS video wars?).

The newer Leica processing software (LGO) will not import or process anything older than the 300's. I seem to remember it has something to do with code added squaring the 200's used, I also believe this precludes the data from being processed by OPUS, but I might be wrong on that part, all you can do is try it and see what happens. You are working with units that came off the drawing board in the late 1980's early 1990's (I know they were in production by 1992), so pretty dated GPS receivers by any definition. If you can get those 200's to power up and track and log data that is a small miracle right there.

SHG

Hello, Yura. The needed program is SKI 2.3 (without pro) , give a mail to send it to you.

I have Leica SR299 with CR233 with error 1165 too, please can you send me some contact to guy from Poland? I'm from czech.
Have anyone software called Sensor PC-Control software which can be used to connect SR299 directly to computer (without controller) maybe for use as fixed basestation?

Regards,
Roman

rsafcz, post: 332287, member: 10371 wrote: ... Have anyone software called Sensor PC-Control software which can be used to connect SR299 directly to computer (without controller) maybe for use as fixed basestation?

Regards,
Roman

I contacted Leica service man and he told me that he does not have the software Sensor PC-Control (SPCS). But he could remember that they did not sell a lot of this software and that it would also need a hardware dongle to run.

I have 2x CR233 and 1x CR244. All with error 1165. It looks like the replacement 3.6V lithium batteries are reasonably easy to find (at least in Europe ... these units are for Bolivia) OR could be replaced with any 3.6V batteries (maybe even rechargeable) ... However reloading firmware is a different thing. Does anyone have instructions on how to do that?

And thanks for the instructions on making the data transfer cable. I will probably just chop one of my spare cables to add the 9 Pin PC plug.

I also tried to get some instructions to load to software by myself from the polish repairmen. And i got this understandable answer:
‰ÛωÛ?Error 1165 on CR233, same thing, internal battery has to be replace. And again .after new battery replaced then all software/programs have to be loaded from scratch.
The controller must be reprogram. No problem to fix it. Price Euro XXX incl. new battery and my guarantee up to 8 years. ‰Û?. To do repair I need only CR233 controller.‰Û

‰ÛωÛ? To fix one CR299 I have to remove electronic board to get in to the battery. Then assemble everything and load all software from the scratch.
Believe me it takes a lot of time it has to be done with DOS. First I have to dig in the CR memory and find out all codes then load new software and apply all these codes. Only then the controller can start communicate with antena. Just the internal battery costs around Euro XX is not the same as for GRM10.
Just for 3 batteries and return shipping it will cost me Euro XXX at least‰Û? ‰Û?In the same time I can repair and do full calibration to let say TCA/TCR series total station. Any Leica service shop will not repair your CR299 ...simply they don't have any techs to do this job.
‰Û?..If you could find any service for repair your CR299 they can do it only replacing main electronic board because all software is loaded by factory already. They will never load the software and do the programming by themselves they don't know how to do it.‰Û

So my finding from this email were that I will not try to fix it by myself 🙂

Maybe someone has some instruction for loading the software or I can send you his Email and you try to get some information‰Û?
I think the user ‰ÛÏepoch date‰Û (some posts above) also had Problem with Error 1165 maybe he got some information.

I've repaired my CR233 with 1165 error, by sending it to Poland to the same repairman.
I recommend him like very correct and great professional!
Don't bother to send the item to him via DHL or other services.
Thanks to mike1202 to giving me his contact!

Stadam, post: 346463, member: 10252 wrote: I've repaired my CR233 with 1165 error, by sending it to Poland to the same repairman.
I recommend him like very correct and great professional!
Don't bother to send the item to him via DHL or other services.
Thanks to mike1202 to giving me his contact!

I also have an old system 200 lying about...could I get the details of this chap in Poland also please? Many thanks..

Hi.
I also just found an old set of Wild GPS System 200.
Can I have the details of the Polish guy?

Thanks!