New Trimble Sx10

The SX10 is very interesting from the technological point of view, i would love to test it out myself. What worries me about this concept is that there's no telescope, no screws for drives, no screen with keyboard, it can be only operated via remote control. It's more like a scanner with additional total station functionality whereas Leica MS60 is more a total station with scanning feature on the side, so a completely different approach. It's quite hard to say which instrument is better and it's hard to compare them, but i would say if one had to choose between them you would have to answer which functionality - scanning or total station measurements - will be the most used. If it's the total station - go Leica MS60, and if scanning - go Trimble SX10. Although if it's for scanning, you could just go for the full size scanner...

Thing looks pretty slick, but I'll wait to hear some field testimonials before I pass judgement on it one way or the other. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) my company doesn't have much use for the scanner aspect. We have been looking into Trimble drones, though, which has me a little excited. That's a tale for a different day, though.

Cool! 26,000+ points per second is a big deal.

I wonder if there are any trade-offs in using it as a robot? Arturs mentioned the no telescope and tangent screws. i agree with Arturs thinking this is more scanner than robot but I love the idea.

beuckie, post: 394281, member: 2245 wrote: http://www.trimble.com/news/release.aspx?id=100616a

Seems nice but i have the feeling about these instruments like a "combi-oven", traditional oven and microwave in one. I don't like them in one, seperate oven and microwave works much better. It's the same with the Leica MS instruments.

Just my thoughts.

hello beuckie,

do you have any technical concerns regarding the combination of scanning and total station capabilities into one package?

integrating distance measurement technology into the theodolite telescope turned out pretty well if you are looking for a direct precedent of combining technologies/capabilities in the surveying world.

Arturs, post: 394284, member: 11365 wrote: The SX10 is very interesting from the technological point of view, i would love to test it out myself. What worries me about this concept is that there's no telescope, no screws for drives, no screen with keyboard, it can be only operated via remote control. It's more like a scanner with additional total station functionality whereas Leica MS60 is more a total station with scanning feature on the side, so a completely different approach. It's quite hard to say which instrument is better and it's hard to compare them, but i would say if one had to choose between them you would have to answer which functionality - scanning or total station measurements - will be the most used. If it's the total station - go Leica MS60, and if scanning - go Trimble SX10. Although if it's for scanning, you could just go for the full size scanner...

As a Trimble dealer up here in the NW part of the USA, we are really excited to learn of the power behind this new instrument. As soon as we receive our demonstration units (next week!) we will be able to do some field testing and see the ease or difficulty of setting over a point using the optical plummet & camera to get over the point on the ground, zooming in on the optically enhanced telescope to the backsite, and proceeding with the survey. Two things are certain. With new Technology there is always a learning curve and There will always be early adopters willing to learn and embrace it.
Jeff

Geoline, post: 394307, member: 9338 wrote: As a Trimble dealer up here in the NW part of the USA, we are really excited to learn of the power behind this new instrument. As soon as we receive our demonstration units (next week!) we will be able to do some field testing and see the ease or difficulty of setting over a point using the optical plummet & camera to get over the point on the ground, zooming in on the optically enhanced telescope to the backsite, and proceeding with the survey. Two things are certain. With new Technology there is always a learning curve and There will always be early adopters willing to learn and embrace it.
Jeff

Jeff, would really like to hear your feedback after you've done some testing! As you said, plummet camera, telescope and overview cameras for pointing, scanning speed/quality, there's much to look at!

This instrument really intrigues me; I hope to get my hands on one sooner than later. My only concern, without having seen it, is the pointing accuracy that can be achieved with the cameras for reflectorless shots.

I was already pretty sure that a new data collector and new tablet would be introduced as soon as next week; now I think so more than ever. The screens on the current TSC3 and Trimble Tablet (Yuma 2) are totally inadequate for an instrument that is 100% reliant on cameras for pointing.

Conrad, post: 394306, member: 6642 wrote: hello beuckie,

do you have any technical concerns regarding the combination of scanning and total station capabilities into one package?

integrating distance measurement technology into the theodolite telescope turned out pretty well if you are looking for a direct precedent of combining technologies/capabilities in the surveying world.

I think that a surveyor who doesn't do scanning doesn't miss the scanning part. When it's possible through this machine one will pretty soon wishes that they would have bought a separate scanner. The combination isn't bad i only think that the limitations to the scanning side would appear pretty soon.

No one ever bought a pencil attached to a ruler. You have more use with the 2 separate tools.

Looks like a nice package for urban and alta situations.

Doubt I would get one load on the ATV and head into the forest with.

I just wish Trimble would release a data collector with a camera worth a damn. Slightly exaggerating, but the original iPad had a better camera than the TSC3

Lee D, post: 394328, member: 7971 wrote: This instrument really intrigues me; I hope to get my hands on one sooner than later. My only concern, without having seen it, is the pointing accuracy that can be achieved with the cameras for reflectorless shots.

I was already pretty sure that a new data collector and new tablet would be introduced as soon as next week; now I think so more than ever. The screens on the current TSC3 and Trimble Tablet (Yuma 2) are totally inadequate for an instrument that is 100% reliant on cameras for pointing.

Lee, I will let you know next week when we fire up the new system. As for the TSC3, you are correct and the TSC3 will NOT be compatible with it. As for your forward thinking on what's next..... I like it.

Arturs, post: 394313, member: 11365 wrote: Jeff, would really like to hear your feedback after you've done some testing! As you said, plummet camera, telescope and overview cameras for pointing, scanning speed/quality, there's much to look at!

You got it, I am not sure if the new Trimble Access version will be available next week, but i'll do my best. The new version allows for a split screen view of what the gun is seeing at and the data on the other half of the screen. One other item we saw in the Trimble Webinar release, you can zoom in very tight by simply using your fingers to zoom in. In a side by side with the S7 optics the SX seems like is at least 3x more magnification with much clearer view on the target. The scanner portion auto registers the scans as well...pretty cool.

Geoline, post: 394430, member: 9338 wrote: You got it, I am not sure if the new Trimble Access version will be available next week, but i'll do my best. The new version allows for a split screen view of what the gun is seeing at and the data on the other half of the screen. One other item we saw in the Trimble Webinar release, you can zoom in very tight by simply using your fingers to zoom in. In a side by side with the S7 optics the SX seems like is at least 3x more magnification with much clearer view on the target. The scanner portion auto registers the scans as well...pretty cool.

Do you know how long it takes to do a target all scan at medium density?

Terrestrial Scanning has a lot of potential for terrain modeling. I've been a skeptic but on our evidence mapping we scan everything and I've been amazed how much ground we get through the brush. You could spend an hour trying to get 10 shots through the brush or scan it and it'll find thousands of holes. Obviously there are limitations but I think there is potential for a lot more scanning happening as the technology gets more affordable.

I'm going to try it on some creek cross sections, may have to adjust the work flow but the PS40 can get a full dome scan in 1.5 minutes (0.06' at 100' spacing), that is the Cadillac of scanners. It is fairly easy to clean the vegetation to ground if you know how to do it.

Dave Karoly, post: 394435, member: 94 wrote: Do you know how long it takes to do a target all scan at medium density?

The data sheet says it does a full dome scan at 50 mm spacing @ 50 m in 12 minutes. This seems too long at a low density compared to what I am using at the moment. Saying that though the ability to set control and scan with the one instrument should knock some time off the overall process. I think I would have to use it on a small job first to see if it the whole workflow is better.

Any indications on cost I imagine it's about the same as the Leica MS60.

I saw one of these operating in Nz a couple of weeks ago. i stopped to talk to the guy but he wasn't giving much away.
It didn't look like it was operating that fast compared to a scanner. I thought maybe it was doing photogrammetry.

beuckie, post: 394281, member: 2245 wrote: http://www.trimble.com/news/release.aspx?id=100616a

Seems nice but i have the feeling about these instruments like a "combi-oven", traditional oven and microwave in one. I don't like them in one, seperate oven and microwave works much better. It's the same with the Leica MS instruments.

Just my thoughts.

I like combi ovens!
But I don't feel the need for a scanner in the total station.
Some scanners can do station setups in the field eg resections and traverses.

Geoline, post: 394307, member: 9338 wrote: Two things are certain. With new Technology there is always a learning curve and There will always be early adopters willing to learn and embrace it.
Jeff

Two other things are certain -

A: v1.00 of anything will have some bugs

and

B: Trimble have a long history of using early adopters as testers (often unwittingly and always unpaid)

Yes it is nice to have new toys with which to play, but I for one would not be blindly deploying and expecting a trouble free ride

Totalsurv, post: 394459, member: 8202 wrote: Any indications on cost I imagine it's about the same as the Leica MS60.

I heard about $40K for the instrument itself, plus you need a tablet to run it and TBC to get the most out of the data. So if you were starting from scratch probably $55K when all is said and done.