KnowledgeBase

Troubleshooting Guide – L-743

Troubleshooting Guide – L-740 or L-730 Series

 

 

Problem Possible Solutions
1. Laser Turret Spinning & A-1519/1520 Target Not Detecting Laser (target LED not illuminated)
  • Turn off laser power supply and turn back on – All L-740 & L-730 Series lasers have a power-protection circuit that needs to be reset if a power surge causes the laser to turn off.
  • Turn off rotation of laser if the beam is ok, check target battery
  • Check where beam is hitting on Target – if it hits too low, target will not turn on.
2. Turret Spinning – Laser Beam Not On
  • Turn off laser power switch and turn back on again.
  • If it doesn’t come back on, then it’s a possible blown laser diode – send back for repair.
3. Laser Beam On – Turret not spinning
  • Check rotation switch is turned on.
  • Check rotation speed knob is turned up.
  • Check batteries – if the battery is low, there may not be enough voltage to spin the turret but the laser may still be visible.
  • Laser is in too cold an environment. Cannot be used below 32 degrees F (0 degrees C).
  • Belt drive may be broken – if so, return for repair
4. Laser not Spinning & No Laser Beam
  • Check power supply is connected.
  • Replace batteries in the battery pack
  • Check power supply connector. Look at female connector on he laser and take small screw driver and widen split in pin inside the female connector.
  • Check A/C power source. Use second A/C power supply if available.
5. Noisy Target (A-1519/1520) Readings on PDA
  • NOTE: on average the user can expect .00002”/ft to .00005”/ft (0.0025 mm/M- 0.004 mm/M) of noise in good operating conditions.
  • Check for vibration in laser instrument stand (tripod) or surface the laser is sitting upon. If laser is mounted on a machine tool, try turning machine tool off.
  • For very noisy readings check for rotary lights (like on fork lift) or strobe lights – this will look like a “laser” to the target.
  • Check for air turbulence – air conditioning vents right over target? Check for open doors in summer or winter. See manual for Atmospheric Conditions.
  • Check for reflections from metal surfaces by turning off the rotation of the laser and slowly rotating it by hand to look for reflections – dim overhead lights if possible.
  • Check for excess background light – use light shields – a warning may pop up on PDA display
  • Make sure only 1 laser is hitting the target at one time. Turn off other laser plane rotation to see if this helps.
  • Check to see if the target is not facing/pointing directly at the laser (within +/- 5 degrees)
  • Check light frequency 50 Hz vs. 60 Hz for Background Light Correction feature of A-1519/1520 targets– see Target Utility Manual. North & South America is 60 Hz. Europe, Australia and parts of Asia are 50 Hz.
  • If PDA is plugged in, try unplugging PDA from A/C adapter
  • Check for possible radio interference.
6. No target readings in PDA – Target LEDs Illuminated (means target is detecting laser)
  • Check Zigbee radio communication. (2) green LED lights in top PDA boot, (1) solid, (1) blinking. If no lights, hold green power button down for (3) secs and release, restart PDA and tap Cancel on Unidentified USB Device Pop-up.
  • Check Radio Receiver battery – plug in A/C adapter to ensure it has power.
  • Make sure “check box” to the left of the display window in Read9 (see manual) is checked for each target.
  • Check channel setting (system ID) on A-1519/1520 matches the setting in PDA – See Read9 Manual.
  • Check Target ID on A-1519/1520 is set to 1-4 for 1st screen or 5-8 in 2nd screen in Read9.
  • Target is too close to laser (target LED’s will blink)
  • Check for reflections
  • Check for strobe lights and rotary lights.
  • Check for excess background light (normally target LEDs will blink)
  • Plug target into computer via USB cable & open Target Utility software. If software shows reading, then there is probably a problem with the radio.
  • Make sure PDA has same radio frequency as Target (900 MHz or 2.4 GHz)
  • Hit reset switch on target (use paper clip in hole near Target ID/Channel Selector Panel).
  • Laser could be hitting too low or high on target window (it should be near the window). It’s possible for the laser to activate the auto wake up feature of target but not enough of the beam is hitting the PSD (target sensor) to get a reading.
7. No target readings in Software – Target LED Illuminated
  • Check A-910 Radio Base Station is connected to USB port
  • Check to make sure the correct COM port is selected for the USB Bridge Controller – see Windows Device Manager (has to be lower than COM10.)
  • Check Device Manager in System Icon in Control Panel. Set COM port for USB Bridge Controller to lower than COM10.
  • Make sure the correct target ID is chosen in Machine Tool Geo or Read8.
  • Check channel setting (system ID) on A-1519/1520 matches the setting in A-910 – See Target Utility Manual.
  • Check SND/RC LEDs on A-910 are blinking. See Target Utility Manual.
  • Make sure ACTUAL TARGETS (RADIO in Plane5) is selected in Read8, Plane5 or Machine Tool Geo software.
  • Make sure Antenna is connected to A-910.
  • Target is too close to laser (target LED’s will blink)
  • Check for excess background light (normally target LEDs will blink)
  • Make sure A-910 Radio Base Station has same radio frequency as Target (900 MHz or 2.4 GHz)
  • Laser could be hitting too low or high on target window (it should be near the window). It’s possible for the laser to activate the auto wake up feature of target but not enough of the beam is hitting the PSD (target sensor) to get a reading.
8. Target LEDs Blink – Laser Beam OK and Rotating
  • Check for reflections
  • Check for strobe lights and rotary lights.
  • Check for excess background light (normally target LEDs will blink)
  • Check to make sure the beam is not being clipped by an obstruction or not on the edge (upper or lower) of the PSD sensor.
  • Laser rotation may be too slow.
  • Make sure 2 lasers are not sweeping across the target.
  • Make sure target is facing the laser within +/- 5 degrees
  • Hit reset button on target – possible target could lock up. Use paper clip – see Target Utility Manual
9. “OFF TGT” Shown in Target Display – PDA
  • This means the radio communication is working but the target does not “see’ the laser.
    • Make sure laser beam is not blocked
    • Make sure laser beam is bright
    • Check power laser power supply, especially if using a battery pack.
10. Cannot See Level Vials
  • Turn on level light switch
  • Turn on master power switch
  • Check power supply connection.
11. Run Time Error in Software
  • Make sure to not unplug the A-910 from the USB port while still in the program.
  • Report to HLI the exact key strokes that created the Run Time Error
12. Software Crashes upon Loading
  • Make sure USB/Serial Converter cable is connected to the laptop’s USB port
  • If problem persists contact HLI
13. PDA Locks UP
  • Hit Reset Switch
    • Nomad PDA – Hold green power button down for 3 seconds and release. Tap on Restart in the power menu.
    • Dell PDA – reset is on right hand side of the back of PDA near the lower right corner of the Radio Module.
    • HP IPAQ – reset switch is located on bottom end of PDA.
14. PDA Turns Off Automatically
  • Check the Power Saving Options selections in the PDA. See PDA manual for details.
15. PDA is frozen
  • Check the Lock Switch on the side of the PDA.
  • If that does not work, hit reset button.
16 Nomad PDA No Communication
  • Check Zigbee radio communication. (2) green LED lights in top PDA boot, (1) solid, (1) blinking. If no lights, hold greenpower button down for (3) secs and release, restart PDA and tap Cancel on Unidentified USB Device Pop-up.