Data Collector Properties - General Settings

When you add the Data Collector module, the Data Collector Properties dialog appears with this tab.

If you select the module in the Tree view after you have added the module, the categories and settings of this tab appear in the Properties view.

Use the General Settings tab to view and edit the Data Collector properties, such as total station, scheduler, and weather condition settings.

Total Station category

The settings of this category specify the connected total station. All settings are required.

Instrument: This setting specifies the the instrument type and thus the data decoder. At time of documentation, two instrument types are available for selection:

Note - The Leica GeoCom interface allows serial connections only. If you have selected an incoming Connection type other than the Serial connection, the connection settings will automatically be changed to the Serial connection type (not editable) at COM port COM1 (you may then select another COM port). The serial connection needs 9600 baud, N parity, 8 data bits, and 1 stop bit. Additionally, compensator calibration is not available for Leica GeoCom instruments.

Mission name: This setting is only editable, when you add the module. Later it is set to read-only. It specifies the name of the mission. 1 to 255 case-sensitive alphanumeric characters, including spaces or underscores. Trimble 4D Control Server uses this name as prefix to point names. Thus point names (which often are consecutive numbers starting with 1) get unique within a mission, even if these numbers are used multiple times in a complete configuration. To set up multiple Data Collector modules which each control a total station at the same specific site, that means which measure the same net of target points (or overlapping sets of points), you should assign identical mission names.

Selected total station: Only available, after a mission name has been specified. Displays the total station point name. To view and edit the total station point information set the focus onto the Selected total station setting and click the browse button. This opens the Select Total Station dialog displaying only the points that are identified with the same prefix. If the site has not been available yet, no point is a member of the list. For a complete point list, refer to the system properties.

Serial number: Specifies the instrument by its serial number. A valid serial number for Trimble S Series total stations consists of 8 numerical digits. Default setting: empty.

PIN: Only available, if the selected instrument is Trimble S Series. Specifies the 4-digit, numerical Personal Identification Number, which may be required for commanding a Trimble S Series total station. If the selected total station does not require identification using a PIN, enter 0000 as value. PIN values are displayed as ****, and are stored as encrypted text. Default setting: 0000.

Rounds Scheduler and Calibration Scheduler categories

Use the Rounds Scheduler category to enable the scheduling function for round measurements and to configure its time settings.

Use the Calibration Scheduler category to enable the scheduling function for calibrations of Trimble total stations and to configure its time settings.

Enable scheduler: If set to Yes, the schedule function for round measurements (in sets of rounds) is enabled which starts the module action at specific times in pre-defined intervals. To disable scheduling, select No. How many rounds are measured at the scheduled time depends on the setting of the Set of rounds module-property.

Compensator calibration: If set to Yes, the schedule function for compensator calibrations is enabled which starts the module action at specific times in pre-defined intervals. To disable scheduling, select No.

Scheduler configuration: Only available, if scheduling is enabled. Displays the scheduler configuration settings such as the scheduled days of the week, the start time and repeat interval for scheduled actions. To edit the settings set the focus in the value field and click the browse button. The Scheduler Configuration dialog appears.

Tip - When setting the start time you should keep in mind that changes to the settings only apply after you have accepted the changes to the module properties.

For starting scheduled round measurements, the scheduler needs a valid reference measurement. As long as you did not perform any site setup, you cannot enable the rounds scheduler.

Weather Condition category

The settings of the Weather Condition category let you specify a fixed temperature at the site in degrees Celsius (default: 20 °C) to be used, if no external temperature sensor is available, and the weather-dependent refraction coefficient for slope reduction (values between 1 and -1, Default 0.142; a value of zero (0) represents no refraction coefficient). Additionally, air pressure values are continuously fed in from the built-in barometer of the total station. Weather condition values are respected when calculating positions.

Note - Since the temperature data and the air pressure data are derived from different instruments, they can be measured at different times.

Version category

The read-only settings of the Version category let you view the versions of both the SNPCom (Trimble optical position communication components) and the BPP total station interface as soon as they are available, that means, as soon as the module is loaded successfully.