Well, thanks to Chad Randolph with Earl Dudley in Birmingham, AL for setting me up with Hayes BantamX radios and a TDS Ranger 500x with SurveyPro Robotics software for my ancient 1998 Leica TCA 1100 (dark green) Robot. After I shipped my Leica to them to have it connected properly and they shipped it back, I seem to be up and running.
Even though it is still TDS software, it is a much newer version than I was using, so there will still be a learning curve.
I am optimistic that I will like this setup better than the older version of TDS on board the PCMCIA card.
Already there is no big battery at the gun to run the old Leica radios anymore. We will see how well the little internal battery handles the servo motors and EGL lights. I bought another GEB87 battery for backup, we will see.
The rod is much lighter and cable free!
The modern DC is very nice with both the touch screen features (not a huge fan though) and the big button functionality (which I prefer but can not always use exclusivley instead of the touch screen it seems).
I set the Leica 360 prism offset at -23.1mm, does that sound right?
I have double checked some old control on a nearby jobsite and still have a few hundredths floating around...probably just rough old topo control. Maybe Friday I can get out to my jobsite that has tight control.
Thanks for listening. I needed to get my thoughts down on e-paper.
The 23.1 mm offset is correct for the Leica 360º prism.
Great news! I know the model you are talking about, and have the next generation TCA 1103. While I like the RCS 1100 controller and have used one for years, knowing there is a workaround and upgrade for it is a great option.
That is why I posted this here.
Just wanted to give back to the beerleg.com community that has given so much to me...
Hi,
you will like your ranger 500,
I use Trimble Access but the Ranger is the same, we prefer the keyboard input above the touchscreen, it's a lot faster when you get used to the schortcuts ... and very handy in cold winters when wearing gloves. for us most windows shortcuts work, you can cut and paste notes, ... it's worth reading the Ranger manual to start navigating around.
good luck,
Chr.