I have to do a presentation to some Boy Scouts on surveying and was wondering why we call the total station a "Total Station". I have read that the technical name for the instrument is a "Tacheometer". Although, I have never heard anyone call them by that name. I assume that the name comes from the fact that the instrument, for a large part, replaced what used to take 3 separate instruments: The Transit (or Compass), The Level and the Measuring Tape (or Chain). Does that sound close to the mark? Does anyone know where the term "Total Station" was coined?
You are largely correct. Before the EDM was integrated into the theodolite, it was a completely separate machine. The earliest ones were mounted on the tripod, while the theodolite was put away in its box. Later, the Red MINI was invented, that could be mounted on top of the theodolite, so that angles and distances could be measured without swapping equipment around. Then came the total station, fully integrated, and the angels sang from on high...
The Tacheometer was a separate device from the optical theodolite and you swapped them out during a setup. Then they mounted a tacheometer on top of a theodolite, then they built it in but the angle readings were still optical, Then they built digital reading theodolites and added internal data collection, that was a total station. I believe Tacheometers were in the infrared range but most eveyrthing today is visible laser light.
I never used the first two, went from a transit and tape to an optical theodolite with built in measurement, A Topcon E2, I believe. I do not care for any internal EDM COGO I have ever used and was very happy with SMI which worked the same no matter what instrument it was plugged into. That includes Topcon 3B, 3C, 250, 301, 3000 and some other?ÿ numbers I forget, 1 Trimble, 1 Zeiss, 3 different Nikons, 3 different Sokias.
Paul in PA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_station
In ancient times (c. 1985 small town New Zealand) I used a Kern Tachymeter, a optical theodolite with direct reading of distance off the staff,?ÿ Rather than reading the stadia, you could point a fixed height on the staff (typically the same an instrument height) and turn a dial and read the distance off the instrument.?ÿ Saved time booking readings, reductions and reduced sources of error.?ÿ Traverse with theodolite, steel survey band.
later an optical theodolite, and swap to HP3805A electronic distance meter, in same tribrach.
Later a topmount red2 on the theodolite.
Later a Topcon GTS-02? with coaxial edm, and basic functions with a remote key pad?
The first true total station I used was Sokkisha Set3, and later an SDR2 data recorder was added.?ÿ Downloaded to SDR Mapping and Design software.?ÿ ?ÿ?ÿ
They are now called Electronic Theodolites. You will have to explain it anyway.
FWIW,
I always thought a tacheometer was a specialized instrument with moving stadia hairs allowing measurement of distance above or below the vertical. The Wild RDS was such an instrument. I used one almost 50 years ago on a project in Africa. I don??t remember much about it. Doing a little digging I came up with this.
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http://www.dehilster.info/geodetic_instruments/1963_wild_heerbrugg_rds.php
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I also saw some reference to them being instruments capable of measurement using subtense bars. BTW, I recollect seeing reduction tables for substituting a M16 for a subtense bar.?ÿ
An electronic theodolite does not necessarily shoot a distance.
A total station is an electronic theodolite that has an electronic distance meter (EDM) built-in and will communicate with another device by wire or other electronic signals such as BlueTooth and can have onboard programming capabilities.
In other words, it will do all the necessary field measurements.
Wiki says:
A?ÿtotal station?ÿ(TS) or?ÿtotal station theodolite?ÿ(TST) is an electronic/optical instrument used for?ÿsurveying?ÿand?ÿbuilding construction. It is an electronic transit?ÿtheodolite?ÿintegrated with?ÿelectronic distance measurement?ÿ(EDM) to measure both vertical and horizontal angles and the slope distance from the instrument to a particular point, and an on-board computer to collect data and perform?ÿtriangulation?ÿcalculations.[1]
Robotic?ÿor motorized total stations allow the operator to control the instrument from a distance via remote control. This eliminates the need for an assistant staff member as the operator holds the?ÿretroreflector?ÿand controls the total station from the observed point. These motorized total stations can also be used in automated setups knows as Automated Motorized Total Station (AMTS).
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Or, you could tell them to Google it!
My ??total station?: T2 snd subtense bar. What more could you ask for?
I did just get an HP 3805A.?ÿ
We call it the survey instrument.
We called the first instruments with the integrated edm 'total stations'. They did not have integrated data collection.
The technology evolved in different directions and the terms were used differently depending on your geographic region. There were no terminology police back then.????
@geeoddmike been there done that- got the hearing aids to prove it - 82C ??hold it out in front of you towards me- no dumaZZ don??t point it at me...?
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I believe the first use of the now-ubiquitous term "total station" was by Hewlett-Packard when they introduced their 3810A model.
See April 1976 issue of Hewlett-Packard Journal for more information.
GB
Glenn thanks for the link to the H-P Journal. I have some but will add this to my collection.
John Nolton
In this Geodimeter history doc, on page 21, there's a reference to a Geodimeter 700 Total Station (1971). And an implied explanation of the term.
http://www.geotronics.it/public/geodimeter_story.pdf
Would it be fair to say that prior to this, neither of the words "total" or "station" were used to describe a survey instrument?
The first one I ever used or heard called a total station was the HP3820. Thing weighed a TON. Seems the Topcon Guppy was also called a total station.
Trimble actually marketed one if its 4000-series receivers as a Total Station.?ÿ I always thought that was a stretch.
During my search to identify an unknown instrument, I came across the 50 YEARS OF WILD HEERBRUGG & LEICA GEOSYSTEMS IN THE UK publication. The publication has some history of total stations. Please see the URL and attached .PNG file (snipped from the publication).
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