Mike is quite correct in that it does take at least seven or eight seconds to switch the instrument from active to passive mode for a semi-active shot.
I use the MT1000 on pole to get to about the right place, but swap to a mini-prism for the actual setout. For me it is not only more accurate, but actually quite a bit faster
It is possible we got a bad batch, but if that's the case the bad batch includes the s7. All of them were purchased about 2 years ago at the most. The s7 closer to 1 year I believe. I have not used any trimble total station older than about 2 years old. I have run check/adjust on my s5 several times since I got it, most recently less than 2 months ago. I'm also very gentle with my equipment. The splits between face 1/2 on normal prism shots are very tight. Reflectorless the beam lands exactly where sighted in, its just that one face or the other misses the corner often. I don't know why this issue would affect 2 s5's, and an s7 using 3 different data collectors, with different versions of access.
Okay, this makes me feel a lot better. I could not understand why it seemed like everyone thought I had my settings messed up or was making this up or something. I've tested this with too many different pieces of equipment to be an anomaly.
The downside to using passive with an s series is that you never know when it's going to lock onto your vest or something else shiny. This never happens using the Leica. Not a problem if you're shooting maually with a 2 man crew, but this is supposed to be a robot.
I think you might be shooting in passive mode to get that kind of speed out of the shots.
Btw, the only reason I don't do what you do with the mini prism, is how awkward it is to carry around these things, with the big clunky tsc7 on the pole (usually I am using a bipod on the pole also) and then trying to switch to the mini prism and block the active prism. If I'm doing a pinning I'm also setting the spikes with the hammer, possibly the drill also....and if I'm shooting building corners its doable but not easy.
I think the s7 you used was definitely in passive mode to shoot that fast.
A Trimble employee just confirmed that I am right that it takes at least 7 or 8 seconds to shoot in semi active mode.
I only use passive mode for traversing measuring rounds and to the mt1000 to a property corner while measuring rounds. Except if staking something tight vertically i will switch to passive on that to get cut fill if i don’t have a lot of wiggle room. I like rover have ran the first s6 series back before Trimble access existed it was survey controller back then. However I recently last couple years ran a 2010 model s6 with tsc7 and tsc5. We currently run an older s5 and tsc7 along with a year old s5 and tsc7. No issues hardly at all. Except a few quirks once in a while but usually a reboot solves that. On most of the work we do i am running active mode and distance is set to tracking. Topo or stake out. Traverse it gets changed to regular mode for distance and if setting something tight. Howei have checked it several times and in tracking mode if i let it settle not much difference in the distance. You state you are running a lieca robot with the Trimble data collector is that the set up you see the issues with. Or are you seeing the issues with Trimble access and s5 robot. Using the mt1000. I would most definitely be reaching out to my dealer to solve the problem if its s5 and tsc7. We have dozens of crews multiple states not having any issues like what you describe. Some of the issues i have seen was i was in a jon boat sun low and it had issues locking or it would lock and not get a distance. Wide open. Had a green eye man look through and the mt1000 was just above water and it was switching between the actual prism and the reflection in water. Same has happened on glass buildings before just uniqueness of the sun angle etc. dc start getting very slow almost un responsive at times. Reboot solves that or improper cad files makes it sluggish. I usually clean up layers and such before it goes to field. Now we work mostly frow dxf or dwg and csv files . I have a separate csv file for control. Then stake out. So i sent a csv file for an easement we had to stake and also curb and gutter had a different one. Some pilings had a different one yet. All linked and unlinked as the crew needed to do whichever task. It stays in project folder. New job file daily. They will link to a job file from previous day or last time they were on site just to see what was done or not done. Re staking is a ring the cash register again. Contract depending. I know of a company that imports everything into a job. Heck they had one job file for a year just kept adding to it. Why i don’t know but didn’t seem to me like a good way to manage a project. Every time i had to import i had to deal with everything over and over again. When you are linked it only brings in what you use everything else is visible but not actually stored in that days job file. Same with topo as well. Do you have a sim card or able to connect to internet on a job. If so the dealer support should be able to log directly into your dc and watch it in real time. Remotely. Are yall set up for Trimble connect and maybe updates being sent to often. I would lose my mind if i were going through what you are for sure . I had a tsc3 that screen went bad. One side was useless and i did a topo it about drove me nuts. I set it on bosses desk and said the job is done but this thing needs fixing. He went out side and saw the issue two days later i had a new dc. Tsc3 was at end of life. Remember bosses always here excuses. Sometimes you just have to show them and such. But i would have the dealer on the phone and support checking this issue out.
Mike is quite correct in that it does take at least seven or eight seconds to switch the instrument from active to passive mode for a semi-active shot.
????
I've never had it take more than 2-3 seconds, even with previous-generation S6 instruments.
Now I'm unclear on why you want to change from active to passive and back from shot to shot. I've done plenty of construction layout with the S5, much of it high precision applications, always with the active tracking, no problem.
On another track - The GRZ4 is a very good prism, as are all the pro series Leica prisms. Switching to one significantly improved the tracking performance of my Topcon Robot. Not enough to keep me happy, but noticeable. They do cost well over US$1000. So not as much of a price difference to the MT1000 as one might first think. Like you, I happened to have one on the shelf.
I have read from multiple sources that you should use semi active mode for best accuracy. Especially as the mt1000 gets older and LEDs may have been tweaked. I do use active mode sometimes for layout if it only has to be within a centimeter, but I prefer to use semi active if I'm worried about it being better.
Trimble has mislead greatly on this concept of semi active being more accurate. All of the angles (horizontal and zenith) are based on the pointing in active mode. In other words, the diodes control the angles. When it switches from active to passive, it will point at the center of the strongest signal return but the only thing that is happening during this time is the instrument is averaging a few hundred distances. In active mode you get the same angles and only 1 instantaneous distance. Trimble refers to these averaged distances as more precise. It is of marketing value for them, but there is very little added value for the surveyor using semi active mode. I also have read many sources claiming the virtue of semi active mode, however Trimble's failure to read the angles when the instrument points at the strongest signal has resulted in the loss of a great opportunity for more precision. Active or semi active with the mt1000 you are still dependent on the accuracy of the diodes.
@lurker That is not my understanding.
In Active mode the instrument seeks the strongest signal from the diodes
In Passive mode it seeks the strongest return from the prism glassware - the diodes are ignored.
You can test this for yourself - cover a couple of the diodes on one row and watch the instrument change pointing (a little) as you switch from Active to Passive and back
I would have to agree, because if the batteries die in the prism (always without warning since they don't have a battery warning LOL) switching to passive will get you going again until you swap the battery in the prism. Therefore the LED's are not being used at all in passive mode.
That said, in my usage I have not noticed a significant different between active and semi active for accuracy, the biggest thing is actually hitting "measure" instead of just storing in tracking. That can change the results by up to 0.005m when usually my tolerance is 0.010m.
This is an odd set of threads. I don't have an S5, but I have had a 5600 and do have an S6. I was glad to switch out to the S6 not because that the older robot didn't work but it had too much steampunk like old tech to deal with, the S6 is way more integrated. It's super fast, highly accurate, very durable, I don't see a reason to upgrade with the exception of it needing to be better in brush.
7-8 seconds to take a shot?
I've had the robot for over a decade, never had any issues like that.
Something's wrong in a big way, I've chatted with other users and they don't have this problem, heck I watched them run a concrete machine with a Trimble robot controlling the curb machine in continuous mode as the curb is being built (that can't be done unless the robot and controller are almost instantaneously tracking).
I think the problem is with this particular machine, hardware and/or software mixing, or operator error.
