12v/6v.
This is on my LEica Total Station. I take it to mean that it can run on 6 to 12 volts....
My problem is that I don't use it alot. And, the rechargable batts are dead, when I need it. So, I got a 4 dry cell pack from radio shack, as a backup. With new batts, I show 6.47 volts. With the rechargable pack, fully charged I show 6.97 volts. It has a 5 cell pack, 1.2v each. The dry cell pack is 1.5 v x 4 cells.
My only concern is that CAN it run on 12 volts, (or, when fully charged, it is like 13.5 volts) MAybe I should make up a 9 volt pack for it.
I just want what you think that first line means.
Thanks.
Nate
Probably means that it runs on 6 volts. The 12 volt shown probably means that there is a 12 volt option, might need an external battery cable with a uniquely configured connector on the instrument end, probably no switch to shift power voltage. Must have a built in voltage reducer, 12v to 6 volts somewhere. Would not try to second guess or start messing with battery's until you know more.
jud
It means it will run with either a 6 volt or a 12 volt battery, not that it will run on a battery between 6 and 12 volts. So do not hook up a 9 volt battery. The voltage listed on the machine is a nominal voltage, and meant for laymen to find batteries. As you said much like a 12 volt battery puts out 11.0-13.5 volts, a 6v battery will produce somewhere around 5-7v.
Make sure to use batteries specifically designed to run the machine. The voltage is not the really tricky part though it is often the easiest to find a rating for. The important part is the amperage, and that is what will break the machine. As an example using a 110v radio in Europe (220v) completely fried the radio. Not because the voltage was too high, it ran just a little fast, but the amperage fried the circuit board.
110V clock radio on European 220V!
[flash width=425 height=349] http://www.youtube.com/v/4nEi5jOu-q4?version=3&hl=en_US [/flash]
If its a Leica 1200 series it is able to accept a leica 12volt external power cable to run off a truck battery or the Leica 12volt battery that is designed to hang on the side of the tripod that charges from the leica charger pro.
OK, thanks. Maybe I should contact Leica. MAYBE they would know.
N
the 12 car battery cable is Leica part #409678 model #GEV52 and cost $150.00 The 12 Leica battery that hooks on the side of the tripod is part #727367 and model #GEB171 and cost $395.00 (keep in mind you have to already have the charger pro to charge the leica 12v battery). type the model numbers in google if you would like to see what they look like... also let me know if you would like me to send you one, unless you have a local dealer you would like to use.
also do not run 9 volts into the battery pack compartment.
OK, this is a 307r. Can it run on 12 volts?? if so, I already run my RTK on 12 volt, 5000 mah packs. I can already hook one of those to it.
My only question is: Is it ok to throw 13.5v to it? These 5000 mah packs are hot, and ready to trot. My GPS loves them.
Nate
you can to the leica 5-pin lemo port just not the battery pack compartment prongs. Its designed to run off a normal car battery on that port so you should be safe at 13.5 sense thats what an alternator produces. Anything over 16volts to the port will burn up the first surface mount fuse on the pcb though so make sure your connecting to a power source that will not have voltage spikes.
also dont wory about the amperage the battery has... think of amperage like a gas tank, the more the better on a 12volt source like a deep cycle automotive battery. Voltage however is electrical pressure which when raised can cause pcb components to fry.... man I just realized how big of a nerd i am 🙂
Not quite the right way to look at it.
Excess voltage is the trigger to fry a circuit. Circuits are designed to draw their necessary amperage at the specified voltage. Exceeding the specified voltage will cause proportionally excess current to flow in a resistive load. Excess voltage will break down semiconductors so they fail.
The supply may be capable of vastly greater amperage than needed, without harm because the extra current is never actually drawn so long as the load is matched with the supply voltage. The amperage will not be excessive without excessive voltage.
A light bulb may draw about 0.8 amp at 120 volts (96 watts) (somewhat more in the first fraction of a second when turned on cold). The circuit is capable of 15 or 20 amps without blowing the fuse, and maybe 1000 amps for the time a fuse or breaker would take to open. The light bulb never knows about this vast possible current because its voltage has not been exceeded.
It is possible to design equipment to work with a wide range of supply voltage, primarily by using switching power supply technology with regulation of the converted voltage. You see this in some newer equipment (that's how laptop power supply cord lumps got small), but not in older equipment nor in equipment where this was not a specified design feature.
I stand corrected. I had always looked at it incorrectly. Darn it now I have to do more studying on the subject.
I was just thinking of it the same way - amperage
is kinda like the gas tank. How far will you go.
Ask yourself how a power inverter works.
It is really simple physics. Or transmission
lines - all volts there.
What does this mean? (Battery voltage question)
My analogy to water would be, voltage is like the head or pressure in a system, and amperage is related to flow rate which would also relate to the size of the pipes. The size of the reservoir is another thing altogether. They all interelate. If you need 10 psi you will need to be able to sustain a certain flow rate. The bigger the flow rate the more quickly the reservoir will be depleted, and of course as the water is drawn down the pressure decreases. Voltage is more like the pressure that the system provides or the psi in a water system.
You can have a battery that shows 13 volts, but once hooked up to a load will only last 2 seconds because it's capacity is virtually zero. You can have the same thing that will run for 20 hours if the amount of current (water) needed by your system is a teaspoon a minute.
If a system is designed for 6v and you hook it to a 12v source, you can easily fry it as it can deliver too much current (amps). Most systems care about such things in terms of their design. A system that is dual voltage is probably doing it by having different connections. There are some systems than can handle a range. My old Garmin receivers will run from 5 to 28 volts but that is a design feature that is rare.
Electronics don't necessarily follow ohms law but if they did like a battery hooked to a light bulb it would be .. E=IR If a system can only support 0.1 amps (I), and has an internal resistance of 200 ohms, you can figure the voltage (E) max to supply that, but it is also not just the load but the internal resistance of the source battery. If you double E with the same load you I=E/R and R didn't basically change doubling E will double I amps and fry things. etc and so forth.
> 12v/6v.
>
This is stamped on the Total Station, on a sticker, in the batt compartment. This SEEMS to indicate that the TS can handle 12V or 6V.
I want to check with Leica b'fore antagonizing it with 12 V!
N
As Jerry mentioned, they may accept dual voltage by having different connections in the cable connector for each. In that case, applying the higher voltage to the wrong connection would be a disaster.
You mean Leica TCR 307 7" total station? It is stated clearly in the manaul 6v for the battery compartment and anywhere from 11.5v to 14v for the external cable connection. If you don't have the user manual, sign up for Leica myWorld and register your instrument so you can download the manual as well as any applicable files/updates that you are entitled to. If you think any of the Leica glorified sales people aren't just going to read the same thing out of the manual and tell you the same you are kidding yourself.
