A long tale of woe.
Instrument Leica TCRA 1103 Plus Robotic, Article Number 723328, Serial Number 621060, Manufactured 1991. Purchased new 18 January 1996, Earl Dudley & Assoc. Upgraded to level PS 24 November 2003, Hot laser, fast lock, Earl Dudley & Assoc.
25 June 2009, set up on a clear morning. First shot gave the error code you experienced with your TCRA 1103 Plus. My shot was probably about 100 feet, it suggested lower the light or use a longer distance, neither was practical. The laser functioned good but of no use to me in the situation. Tried several times, did not try increasing the distance because that was not feasible, that suggestion was kinda useless and reduce the light was also useless. After an hour or so trying different batteries, aiming manually and so on it became obvious that nothing was going to allow me to collect data. So in the box and back to the office. The job site was about 40 miles distant, you guys out west that is just next door but to us east coasters it's a long drive.
Earl Dudley & Associates were no longer the Leica Dealer in our area. Allen Precision had assumed that duty. I called the repair supervisor at Allen Precision, he told me to box it up and send it in and in a couple of weeks he might be able to get on the job. I asked what time they opened up the show there, he said 6 AM, I asked what would happen if I was sitting on their door step at 6 AM the next day. He said he reckoned he would have to do something about the instrument. So into the box it went and I did a quick trip home and got the traveling vehicle and headed to Atlanta, about an 8 hour drive. Got there a bit after 11 PM drove over to Allen Precision to make sure that I would have no trouble finding the place. Next morning I was there at 6 AM, they let me in the door to the repair area and they got right on the job, got it on the work rig and tried to get a measurement, same old story asking for less light or longer distance. They told me that a module was bad that has something that might be considered a variable density filter was not functioning. That is the little motor sound you get when you use the regular EDM. It has the function of controlling the required level of light returning from the target. Close to the target the more dense the filter will be. I suppose you might be able to get a reading from several hundred or more feet away, didn't try that, so it might or might not. Luckily the Leica Distribution Center was located just a couple of miles from Allen Precision. They called Leica and they said we were in luck they had a new board that would solve our problems. One catch the board was a new design and slightly different in size, so it would not fit in my instrument unless the board it was piggy backed on was replaced by a newer board also. Long story short they got the boards and installed them, then the acid test, no dice. Another call to Leica, oh you have to have new firm ware. That was installed, takes ages and ages to install due to serial installation, took over two hours to install. Then all the tests were done and passed, took it outside and measured several fixed targets they had for test purposes. All were sweet.
This is what was what was replaced.
#547179 Light Guide $158.73, 530084 IR/XR Module $426.89, #548215 Optic Module $248.39, Misc Charge $8.00, Labor $760.00, total charge $1,602.01. Got out of Atlanta just ahead of evening rush hour, got back to Rocky Mount, NC around 11 PM.
The unit still is functional, hasn't had much use the past three years due to extreme loss of boundary surveying in our area.
I was told if the instrument had not been the Plus model with the latest tracking upgrades it would not have been possible to get parts from Leica to repair the unit.
I usually ignore post like this but I cannot help but to reply because of the way the post was written and that I know the people at APE and Leica personally.
1. You bought the instrument new in 1996 and from your post you have expereiced a malfunction in June 2009 ---> 13 Years of good service from an instrument and you write some "tale of woe". Please reply with another post and explain how long a electronic piece of equipment that is constantly exposed to harsh working conditions is suppose to last without expecting a repair.
2. You ask APE if they would meet you at 0600 in the morning.... they were there and from description your post bent over backwards to help you. If you need to make a special 8 hour trip during your 'tale of woe" then that is your decision. Again its seems in your post that they met you when you wanted and explained in detail what the issue was with the instrument. I think APE deserves postive recognition from you for their efforts. They were not your original dealer but were willing and able to service you when you asked.
3. Leica's policy is to keep parts for 5 years after the end of production of a instrument. So the TPS1100 Plus was out of production in 2004. So you were able to get parts for the instrument 8 years out of production which is 3 years longer than their standard parts retainment policy.
4. Technology has advanced a l-o-n-g way since 1996 when you purchased the TPS1100 so why complain about the unit having to use a serial connection to uplaod the system. Did you expect Leica had say ... USB... onbaord an instrument in 1996? Sounds to me that APE had the needed tools and expertise on hand to service your needs even though you wanted them to work on an instrument you had purchased (not from them) 16 years ago.
5. $ 1602.21 for the total repair including certified technician labor charges??? What a bargain!!! A 16 year old instrument has only incurred $ 1600 in 16 years of service? The economy is bad but repairs and new equipment still cost money.
6. If the instrument is not working properly... Have you contacted APE to explain that you are still having issues??? or have you chosen to just bad mouth APE and Leica without given them any information about what is happening?
Wow... "What a tale of woe"
I would congradulate APE for giving service on a 16 year-old instrument. If you are still having issues, please let them know.
Wow you over read Mr. Davis's post.
Thanks for your post.
It went back to Leica.
Hey we got the Instrument for free from Caltrans so if it costs a few grand to get it running it is still a bargain. I don't think ours is that old.
surveythemark you need to get to the doctor quick - apparently a bug has flown up your ass.
i think the dude was just relaying his experience to dave on a similar problem they were having and not dissing the green team or APE.
frankie says relax.
> Wow you over read Mr. Davis's post.
Yeah, I thought so too. I didn't see any complaints about APE, Leica, or the instrument. If anything, I saw it as good advertising that APE got right on it and eventually made it work before Jerry headed back to NC, that Leica was able to supply parts for the old machine to get it to work, and that APE and Leica were able to work together effectively in a short time frame to make it happen.
Good grief, I have read over my original post and can see no where in the worst reading I can make of the post do I see any complaint about Leica and Allen Precision. I have dealt with Allen Precision a number of times and have always been happy with them, no complaints at all. I'm a die hard Leica fan also, don't see how the post can be seen as a complaint.
The post had a subject title, Dave Karoly Leica TCRA 1103 Plus. This post was to explain to Mr Karoly exactly what he could expect if repair was opted. I think Dave read the post as it was intended, information from some one that had the same problem as he and elected to have it repaired and took the option of taking it to Atlanta. The repair shop opens at six, they were not there at my behest. They did a good job and turned it around in a very timely manner. Instead of waiting a couple of weeks, I opted to make the drive, I'll do it again if the situation arises that making the drive will save me two weeks waiting.
Perhaps the "Tale of Woe," is what set the reader off. I don't know what you can call if but a tale of woe. Perhaps the use of terms differ in meaning in the readers part of the country. In this part of the country it would be read with a little levity.
Jerry M. Davis, Leica and Allen Precision fan.
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
We have one of those same Leica guns and it has started giving us problems too. First the EDM would not shoot a distance. Into the shop and a $700 repair bill followed. Now, the vertical circle will not track as the scope is plunged. It just displays the same vertical reading no matter what angle the telescope is at. But once you take a shot, it displays the correct vertical reading. Strange. Wonder how much this repair will cost...
Personally I would find a 16 hour drive to get my instrument repaired a "tale of woe" as Jerry did...
the loss of two days billable time for a sole practitioner is a tale of woe, regardless of how good the service was at the shop...
I didn't read your post as a complaint. Based on your experience I would use these folks to fix an instrument if I was in that area.
Are you sure it is not the setting? There is a "hold" or "free" setting on the vertical angle, will hold the display after a distance measurement until stored or shot again.
Does not sound like this is the issue but thought I would throw it out. The accompanied re-setting that occurs with service often causes little hick-ups like this in my experience.
