> I have wasted much time talking with Carlson and Leica people about these issues and your simple suggestions in your response make me sound lazy.
I apologize for the apparent time you've already spent researching the problem(s); it was not my intent to cast aspersion on you or your efforts. I was merely attempting to offer ideas based on my past experiences. In my role, I cannot make assumptions that people have tried the ideas I pose and some times it's the simple things that can be at the root of a problem.
> Yes I do have a monochrome screen on my allegro mx as I did on my allegro ce; the SurvCE looked great on the mono screen prior to new releases so why did that all of a sudden change?
I can't give you a solid reason for the "sudden change" in screen displays. There is a possibility that the manufacturer of the monochrome screens used in the Allegro CE are/were from a manufacturer different than those used in the Allegro MX. What I can say, however, is that the SurvCE color scheme (and hence how it renders on monochrome screens) has changed very little over the last few years. Although I don't have a monochrome Allegro CE with (presumably) SurvCE 1.x nor a monochrome Allegro MX with SurvCE 2.x in my possession for a direct comparison, I did take the liberty of taking some side-by-side screen captures of the color schemes from the desktop emulator versions of SurvCE 1.67 (on the left) and the current SurvCE 2.62 (on the right) in an apples-to-apples comparison:
Menu Interface:
Command Interface:
Map Screen Interface:
Based on this representative comparison, one could arguably say that the newer version of SurvCE should have more contrast (e.g. bigger, bolder text on menu buttons, black lettering on white backgrounds, etc) than the earlier versions of SurvCE had and hence should be easier to read on monochrome screens.
If the general look of the program hasn't changed, I would tend to presume that factors of device displaying the product might have changed. From a display perspective, common factors include the amount of backlight, the contrast ratio of the screen or perhaps the screen itself. The TV's of today in an electronics store are a perfect example of what I'm try to convey... same shows being displayed, same ambient lighting. However, some TVs display a picture better than others. Is this the fault of the TV show?
>The product is advertised to perform a certain way and when it doesn’t everyone comes up with the responses like you – try the newest version, we can’t be responsible for that because that’s the other guys fault, etc.
I'm not trying to make excuses or play a "pass-the-buck" type of scenario. From my perspective, I can only speak on behalf of Carlson Software. What I will do, however, is relate your experiences into the Carlson development team to see if there is anything we can do to improve our solutions.
I have an engineer friend that wants to sell me his Leica 1203+ robot (2009 or 2010 model). I haven't taken it for a test drive yet.
I know these instruments are popular, what can you all tell me about their function?
Are there any expensive to replace cables, batteries, prisms, etc?
I know he uses a Carlson Explorer 600 to run it, and I doubt he will sell that along with the instrument. I currently have a non-bluetooth earlier Explorer, so a DC upgrade is in order, but I can't afford another $5000. What radio communication methods can be used? Does the Leica have a serial data port to attach an external DC?
To begin with, I may be forced to operate the instrument from the face panel. After reading some threads regarding setting zero, etc, what do I have to look forward to? How steep is the learning curve for operating the instrument efficiently from the faceplate?
Thanks again.
