Hi guys!
Is there such a rugged bluetooth minikeyboard commercially available?
Minikeyboard is I guess a good tool to minimize physical engagement with your DC. A series of shots of same class (i.e. ground) for example doesn't necessarily requires physical engagement with your DC. I guess it would be very convenient taking shots by triggering one button (say, enter key) to initiate measurement without necessarily taking off your eyes from the scope.
Happy weekend!
Thank you.
*triggering one button in the minikeyboard...
if it does not exist it is worth to be invented 🙂 I imagine it to be a device with 1-2 buttons attached to one's glove or palm (hand).
If you are taking ground shots for half an hour and do not need to change point description it would be handy
That is exactly what I am talking about.. 🙂
Or it could be like a small mobile phone. As a texter, I can easily enter codes with ease with that minikeyboard. 😉
...this ...or just a screenless 2 button device, one button for reflectorless shots the other one for prism shots. It could be worn like a ring on pointer finger and buttons could be pressed with thumb finger of the same hand.
In my opinion, this can be done by an electronic communications engineer. 🙂
> ...this ...or just a screenless 2 button device, one button for reflectorless shots the other one for prism shots. It could be worn like a ring on pointer finger and buttons could be pressed with thumb finger of the same hand.
or by a crazy surveyor :clap: (with an idea of those two buttons). But every odd idea has a high percentage of truth. I remember Sokkia was making a total station like 10 years ago and it had a remote control, exactly like TV one. It was not a datacollector, they already had SDR33 before that (not sure if 33). I think it was SET500 Series total station which had that functionality. The remote control was triggering the Total Station to take a shot.
Hoping for that crazy surveyor to emerge very soon... 😛
> or by a crazy surveyor :clap: (with an idea of those two buttons). But every odd idea has a high percentage of truth. I remember Sokkia was making a total station like 10 years ago and it had a remote control, exactly like TV one. It was not a datacollector, they already had SDR33 before that (not sure if 33). I think it was SET500 Series total station which had that functionality. The remote control was triggering the Total Station to take a shot.
> If you are taking ground shots for half an hour and do not need to change point description it would be handy
That feature did exist at one time. You could set SMI to use the last point description, last rod height and store the shot as the next available point number, all without asking.
That means aim at the prism and push one button. And then repeat:
Aim at the prism, push one button.
I don't do much topo work but its one of the reasons I still use SMI.
Does any of the current, better, faster, make life easier etc, DC software have that feature?
> Does any of the current, better, faster, make life easier etc, DC software have that feature?
To answer my own question, MicroSurvey Field Genius allows for that. Collected a bunch of points today with the Auto Sideshot mode. And creating linework as I got them, all automatically. And viewed the contours as I was getting shots - very handy!
Hi Dave!
Sorry if my post appear not very clear to you.
What I and Yuriy Lutsyshyn were discussing is not actually about data collection software features but the convenience an external bluetooth minikeyboard (or even just a one or two button device as what Yuri suggests) can provide to serve as the trigerring device to initiate measurement. Using this device minimizes physical engagement with your DC when collecting points of same class. This means that you wont necessarily take your eyes off the scope everytime shot is initiated.
it is about taking shots without looking at the datacollector, I know... only a really spoiled surveyor can dream about such feature 🙂
> it is about taking shots without looking at the datacollector
I think Dave's description of SMI accomplishes this: you don't have to look at the data collector, you just have to be able to find the "shoot" key by feel. While not quite as nimble as having a wireless mini-button in your hand, it's a very workable solution.
The DC50 can also be set up to auto-store shots with the same rod height and description, and finding the right key by feel is pretty easy. Even when using it with a description prompt, I usually take the shot by feel and then enter the description.
OK, I understand now. Ya, that would be nice!
