Topcon Total Stations: Demystifying model names/numbers
When I was looking up info on Leica total stations, I found a PDF that listed all the model numbers, their manufacture dates, and various specs/features. I was able to memorize what's what fairly quickly and chase down the right model.
With Topcon I'm lost. There are so many different model numbers. Some are only slightly different. Is there a similar resource available as the Leica one?
Can I ask why you are comparing Leica to Topcon robots?
I've mostly used Leica and a little Trimble plus comments I've read on here indicate those two brands are head and shoulders above anything else. If you don't want the top shelf Geomax are poor man's (previous generation technology but still great; I use mine with XPAD but some on here love survPC for reasons I can't follow) Leica and Spectra Precision are the Trimble off brand (but no idea if they are nearly as good as the Trimble robots).
I prefer the Lecia passive tracking which seems more precise when measuring (and lighter/cheaper at the pole end) but the Trimble active track sounds like it's the rock solid lock option for productivity. Depends if your doing boundary/control or topo in scrub/bulk set out on a busy site.
I run Topcon and Sokkia gear and wouldn't replace it for any Leica or Trimble. You pay in excess for maintenance and other crap.
If you buy a Topcon you get everything in one app on your fieldbook; No messing around with additional cost for routines you would want to have.
All the projects i have layed out have produced no error in construction in the 15 years i've been doing business by myself.
Stop this Topcon bashing and calculate the cost of ownership of a Leica or Trimble kit.
calculate the cost of ownership of a Leica or Trimble kit.
I advise checking the cost of ownership of GeoMax versus either Leica or Trimble. It's been almost 8 years since I did so, but the difference was dramatic.
It really depends on type of work you do, and what you want to do with the gear.
If I were starting out solo and wanted to run lean and mean for a few years I'd absolutely look into Spectra, Carlson and GeoMax. I'd look into Topcon too I were more savvy with the software, but I'm already more comfortable with a half dozen other brands and know I'd be able to get up and running faster.
But honestly I really like, and use, a lot of the fancy bells and whistles that Trimble puts out.
Neither Leica nor Trimble appear to be hurting from their current business model. They have invested a ton of money in full "ecosystems" that are targeted for enterprise-level deployment at midsize and larger firms who do work across many different geomatics disciplines and want full compatibility and scalability without patchwork solutions.
I also know a lot of smaller shops that run the "too expensive" stuff - and make lots of money doing it.
Kieth, I have not found a source similar to the Leica PDF. There is the Topcom museum page:
https://www.topcon.co.jp/en/positioning/topcon/museum/ts/
I have found Surveyconnect.com to be very helpful if you ask. There is at least one member that was/is a dealer for more than 20 years, and a couple of folks that are current users that try and help answer Topcon specific questions. Den
Since the advent of the GTS-600 series instruments that appeared first in Topon's lineup in 1999, the last digit of the model number indicates the angular accuracy rating in the series. So the GTS-601 was rated 1" angular accuracy, the GTS-602 was rated 2" and so on. The model series the GTS-600 replaced was the GTS-310 series. It featured the GTS-310 (1"), the GTS-311 (2"); the GTS-312 (3") and the GTS-313 (5"). Then the GTS-220 series was released in the year 2000. There were the GTS-223 (3"), the GTS-225 (5"), the GTS-226 (6") and the GTS-229 (9"). Then came the first Bluetooth-enabled model series - the GTS-230W series with the same angular accuracies as the GTS-220 series. After that, any new Topcon model with a W on the end of the model name was wireless capable. For additional confusion, along about that time, Topcon introduced their first pulse laser reflectorless instruments. Those model included the GPT-1000 series (still not getting the angular accuracy in the model number yet with those. Then came the GPT-2000 series that included the angular accuracy rating within the model number, with 2", 3", 5" & 7" models. That series was followed by the GPT-3000 series, which was soon replaced by the GPT-3000W series as Bluetooth was added.
There were also the higher-rated instuments such as the GTS-700 and GTS-710 series. And later came the GTS-720 and GPT-7000 series.
All those were replaced by the ES-100 series which was the first Topcon instrument that had the EDM technology from their acquisition of Sokkia. Those instruments were all capable of reflectorless measurement. the ES-100 series was superseded by the GM-100 series.
The foregoing is not exhaustive. Suffice it to say in closing that any Topcon total stations, including their robots made in the last 15 years, designate the angular accuracy rating by the final digit in the model number.
@jerrys Thanks Jerry! The model numbers seem more numerous compared to other manufactures. And for whatever reason, When I see a Leica model number I know what it is (for example, Robotic, not robotic, etc...). Maybe just because I'm more familiar with them.
One thing I'm specifically trying to figure out at the moment is if there is a difference between their "auto tracking" and "robotic" total stations. Basically whether or not the "auto tracking" stations are actually 1-man machines and if they track well.
@lukenz In short I'll just need a cheap robot (or two) in the future. Many Topcon robots are really inexpensive compared to Trimble/Leica stuff.
And a longer explaination:
I do construction layout. In construction layout many of the "value added" features included with Trimble/Leica (and other brands) just aren't necessary (for me at least, but I'm sure they are invaluable to land surveyors). But you'll still pay for them. Any software will work for construction layout. Sometimes you'll just have to click through more screens for certain features. The more basic the better and a lot of guys prefer older software. Older software is hard to find so buying new might the only option, and Topcon Magnet is considerably cheaper (at least last time I checked) than most other software. It's maybe only slightly cheaper than SurvPC/FieldGenius but seems a bit easier to use for me at least.
If I got a screaming deal on a Leica TPS 1200 I'd snatch it up in a second and just sort the software/controller out after. But those are getting hard to find, and although they are great total stations, their age makes their reliability questionable. Knowing what's what with Topcon basically just gives me more options when I do buy an instrument or a replacement when whatever I'm using bites the dust.
