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Geodimeter 400,500,4000,600 and Trimble 5500/5600 toolkit

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(@robots)
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@hvac you need to do this on station without CU. otherwise you are talking to CU and not station. Second ... what is your firmware in station ? you should see that by sending ? command over terminal

 
Posted : 17/07/2021 4:48 am
(@robots)
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@lazyfern no ... 400/500/4000 stations need special interface to communicate. And your station still has firmware, its only missing calibration and some other variables.

 
Posted : 17/07/2021 4:49 am
(@timd1971)
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Posted by: @robots

Station is turned on now, shining laser on my wall and making UUUUU sound.

If you don't mind, what exactly is all this for??ÿ What Total Station are you using with laser on wall??ÿ Thanks!

 
Posted : 17/07/2021 5:30 am
(@robots)
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@timd1971 all geodimeter stations (since digital age) have battery inside. This battery makes memory inside of the station not forget stuff. By stuff i mean: Calibration constants for angular sensor, calibration for servo board (if there is one), tracker, various constants used in computations (in gdm210 all math constants).

Since last year or so all geodimeter stations are not supported by Trimble, only way to make "service" on your station is to bring it to shop that already serviced it (they still might have copy of the calibration constants).

Ah yes, those calibration constants - they do not change at all. Its not like they calibrate each sensor separately. They upload the same data into station as factory did, check mechanical alignment, grease, oil and return your station. Yes you get new battery that costs 5USD. But the cost is nowhere near 400-600-1000USD as they ask.

So with these tools, you can make copy of the internal memory of station and CU and you can change battery yourself at home and later reupload content of memory. And if you are careful enough not to drop your station to ground/hard surface chances are that the mechanics is intact. (or if you get sand inside, you are in trouble). You then make the alignment that's in manual, and your station is good to go.

?ÿ

Problem is that there is very little number of 400/500/4000 stations still working. So i am working on how to calibrate these at home. It should be same for 600 station, but its still long way to be done. And if someone is going to argue that this calibration is not precise enough as factory calibration - yes you are right, but for playing it is ok 🙂 i am not surveyor.

 
Posted : 17/07/2021 6:14 am
(@lazyfern)
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@robots Thanks for the detailed explanation! I did not get this answer when I asked multiple repair shops, and all of them do not service these older units anymore. The person who sold the geodimeter to me failed to tell me that the internal battery was shot. I was getting error 54 (no internal communication). I was also told that I had a large paperweight and better off making this museum piece! Hoping I can revive this unit with your help, thanks!

 
Posted : 17/07/2021 7:00 am
 Hvac
(@hvac)
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@robots ok, fixed it now. Turns out PyCharm works but not IDLE IDE, running in windows 10.

Managed to backup both my 5602 and 600 ATS.

Thank you so much for making this happen.

 
Posted : 18/07/2021 9:28 am
 Hvac
(@hvac)
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Anyone know how to mechanically adjust VA angle on 5600 ?

Mine is a bit off so it wont do the software collimation calibration.

 
Posted : 23/07/2021 7:29 am
(@timd1971)
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@lazyfern?ÿ

So in @lazyfern case, is it not possible to revive his Geodimeter??ÿ This seems the biggest problem if one receives a error 54 DEAD Geodimeter.

Is the ONLY way to copy everything from his Geodimeter while battery was still functional?

Or can you install new battery(s), clear it, then copy settings etc from "another" Geodimeter or some sort of generic settings file(s)??ÿ Then somehow recalibrate things?

Thank you.

 
Posted : 25/07/2021 4:33 am
(@robots)
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@timd1971 @lazyfern

exactly. Its not possible once the geodimeter is dead.

I mean you can take data from other unit, it will work, you will see angles. But i have no idea how much off it will be. And definitely not usable for surveyor work anymore.

Thats why i have written these tools to backup geodimeter stations while batteries are good 🙂

 
Posted : 25/07/2021 10:27 pm
(@robots)
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@hvac what is the error you get ?

 
Posted : 25/07/2021 10:40 pm
 Hvac
(@hvac)
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@robots

20210717 173917[1]

?ÿ when trying to do collimation calibration I get error that its to big for software to correct.

I can see with my bare eye that its not horizontal.

 
Posted : 26/07/2021 7:05 am
(@alexyangtw)
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@hvac I have the same problem

How do you fix it?

how do you turn on 5602 w/o CU?

?ÿ

 
Posted : 13/09/2021 12:20 am
(@mike1202)
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@alexyangtw?ÿ

To turn on without CU i use on my Geodimeter 610 the Panel Attachment Cover (pat) 571202292.

Or just make quick connection of the two pins rightmost like the pat does (see picture). You will immediately hear the typical starting sound and can stop connecting the pins.

To turn off, i just disconnect battery.

That is how i do it, and remember its all your responsibility!

GDM600 turn on

?ÿ

?ÿ

 
Posted : 13/09/2021 1:32 pm
(@alexyangtw)
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@mike1202 Thanks.

I have backup the fw of my 5503

And can i use this tool to backup CU?

?ÿ

 
Posted : 13/09/2021 3:54 pm
(@richard-imrie)
Posts: 2207
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@alexyangtw?ÿ

Would it be possible for someone to post a diagram or photos of the physical setup of the connections to the instrument and computer, so that a layperson like me can see how this instrument backup can be done?

 
Posted : 13/09/2021 8:36 pm
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