@learner Yeah mine will occasionally lock onto something else like a clean car window or something, but if I don't notice it's not pointing at me it most likely will not shoot or will keep losing lock.?ÿ
In certain bright conditions I also have trouble but I'm using a Sokkia prism because the original Leica grz4 failed. I've never had good luck with Sokkia stuff so the prism could be part of the issue.?ÿ
I named both those Leicas ??Lucy?.
just seemed to fit??
Did that for years in rain, wind, dust and heat. Still got the old tcrp1203 that I used, still works perfectly.?ÿ
Hey, my MS50 saw solid 12hr days on Sunday and Monday.?ÿ Friday was another 12hr day of staking.?ÿ For the most part running the EDM on continuous mode.?ÿ I've been using robotic instruments since I opened up in 1998 and have never thought twice about using the robotics for long days in the heat or cold.?ÿ Hell, my real time monitoring system stays on for months at a time.?ÿ The last project was on the Oregon coast this winter.
I'm just curious if anyone else runs a robot all day long?
I run a TS12 and get eight hours on a strenuous day. I don??t know if it matters but with lots of activity on site, I always tell my ??instrument man? to relax whenever practical (power search is pretty awesome). But I resort to hell raising with trades when called for.
I??ve used a Trimble robot about 10 years ago and wouldn??t want anything else than my Leica.
BTW: on power up I get Initialisation (Brit spelling) Error, but the original licensed surveyor who handed it off said to ignore it. There is no cure, and it has not presented a problem.
Me and HAL 9000 get along great, but he occasionally has spats with his old lady, aptly called the ??controller,? and that??s usually just a communication problem. ?????ÿ
I don't think there's really any issues running a robot all day for extended periods provided it's maintained sensibly and treated with the respect it deserves. I've used Leica 1100+/1200+ robots, currently using a Topcon GT for machine control and a Trimble S6 for civil setout work, with none of them failing.
In saying all that they're not going to last forever and different jiggers have various weak points. I know a couple of surveyors who have had issues with the servos in the Leicas giving up. The Trimbles are pretty bullet proof, but with the lack of options with the measuring settings, the EDM board being burnt out is the only issue I've heard of. The older Topcons were notoriously bad with their radios, but my recent experience with GT has shown that they've improved in that field.?ÿ
I feel that the environment that they're used in plays a bigger part in how long they'll last than how long they're used for daily, every instrument I've come across that's had a major failure has been on a civil works site, with heavy rollers driving past on full vibration.
@mvanhank222 you are correct they changed the motor design when the iX/GT were launched.?ÿ I still see a lot of SX and SRX in the field working flawlessly- nothing sexy about a servo motor but they work just fine.?ÿ
If you mean all day every day, no. If you mean all day on some jobs, yes. It's been the Trimble S6 for way more than a decade. I will say that it and the Wild T-2 are the best surveying instruments I've had. The R-10 is a close second to those two.?ÿ
Haven't done any repairs to the S6.?ÿ
Just ran my backup TCRP1201 (one of the first on the west coast when I took possession in June 2004) for 8 hours of construction staking today, while my MS50 is in for routine servicing.?ÿ Back in the day it was the primary work horse, along with a TCRP1203, and would work 8 to 16 hours a day without blinking.?ÿ Today it ran great, it seems a little slow after running a piezo drive but that is probable just me.
I have two robots.
My 10 year old Topcon QS still runs strong, clean and calibrate it once a year....works like a charm
My new gun Is a Focus 35...so far, so good.
While working at different companies, I've used the following all day through either BC rain and/or SW Ontario summer/snow.?ÿ They all had their quirks, but they all worked.?ÿ Residential/commercial construction to highway to railway to topographical survey to cadastral boundary work.
-Trimble 5603 ("red dot")
-SP Focus 10 ("blue dot")
-Leica TCRA1103
-Leica TCRP1203
-iCon ICR70
-Carlson CR5
-Carlson CRx2
?ÿ
If it's been Trimble or Leica/Hexagon, they have all been pretty decent.?ÿ Each had its quirks, but the job got done at the end of the day.?ÿ The biggest thing was to remember to swap the batteries at lunch on the charger in the truck.?ÿ Even if you don't need to, a dead battery wasn't an excuse for any company that I worked at.?ÿ If it needed to be recelled, recell it.?ÿ They would gladly pay for the cigarette lighter charger.
