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Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Guide

Contents

Troubleshooting Guide L-730/L-740 Series

Problem Possible Solutions
1 Laser turret spinning and A-1519/1520 target not detecting laser (target LED not illuminated)
  • Power off laser and turn back on (all L-740 and L-730 series lasers have a power protection circuit that needs to be reset if a power surge causes the laser to turn off). (Figure 1)
  • Turn off rotation of laser if the beam is OK and check target battery. (Figure 1)
  • Check where beam is hitting target. If it hits too low, target will not turn on. (Figure 2)

Figure 1 – Control Panel – L-743 & L-733 Lasers

 



Figure 2 – 1519 900 Mhz Target – Front View showing Laser beam to low

2 Turret spinning; laser beam not on
  • Power off laser and turn back on. If the laser does not power on, then it’s possibly a blown laser diode. Return to HLI for repair. (See Figure 1)
3 Laser beam on; turret not spinning
  • Ensure rotation switch is turned on. (See Figure 1)
  • Ensure rotation speed knob is turned up. (See Figure 1)
  • Check batteries – if the battery is low, there may not be enough voltage to spin the turret, but the laser may still be visible.
  • Environment is too cold. Laser cannot be used below 32 degrees F (0 degrees C).
  • Belt drive may be broken. Return to HLI repair.
4 Laser not spinning and no

laser beam

  • Ensure power supply is connected.
  • Replace batteries in the battery pack.
  • Check power supply connector. Widen split in pin inside the female connector on the laser with a small screwdriver. (Appendix A )
  • 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 on. 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.
  • Turn off the rotation of the laser and slowly rotate is by hand to check for reflections from metal surfaces. Dim overhead lights if possible.
  • Check for excess background light (use light shields). A warning may pop up on PDA display.
  • Ensure only one laser is hitting the target at a time. Turn off other laser plane rotation to see if this helps.
  • Ensure the target is facing/pointing directly at the laser (within +/- 5 degrees).
  • Check light frequency (50 Hz vs. 60 Hz for background light). For 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 radio receiver battery. (Appendix B – Replacing the Universal IR Receiver
    Battery) Plug in A/C adapter to ensure it has power.
  • Ensure “check box” to the left of the display window in Read9 (see manual) is checked for each target. (See Figure 3)

    Figure 3 – Target Readout Screen showing the TargetSelection Boxes

 

  • Ensure channel setting (system ID) on A-1519/1520 matches the setting in PDA (seeRead9 Manual).
  • Ensure target ID on A-1519/1520 is set to 1-4 for first screen or 5-8 in second screen inRead9.
  • 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 and open Target Utility software. If software shows reading, then there is probably a problem with the radio.
  • Ensure PDA has same radio frequency as target (900 MHz or 2.4 GHz).
  • Reset target (use paper clip in hole near Target ID/Channel Selector Panel)(By AuxiliaryPorts for the Zigbee units). (See Figure 4)
    Figure 4 – Back of Target showing Reset Button, System ID & Target Network ID: Zigbee Units, by the Auxiliary Ports
  • 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. (See Figure 2)
7 No target readings in software. Target LED illuminated
  • Ensure A-910 radio base station or A-910-2.4ZB dongle is connected to USB port.
  • Ensure the correct COM port is selected for the USB bridge controller – see WindowsDevice Manager (has to be lower than COM10). (See Appendix C)
  • Check Device Manager in Windows Control Panel. Set COM port for USB bridge controller lower than COM10. (See Appendix C)
  • Ensure the correct target ID is chosen in Machine Tool Geometry or Read8 software.
  • Ensure channel setting (system ID) on A-1519/1520 matches the setting in A-910 (see theTarget Utility Manual). (See Appendix D)
  • Ensure SND/RC LEDs on A-910 are blinking (See Appendix E)
  • Ensure ACTUAL TARGETS (RADIO in Plane5) is selected in Read8, Plane5 or MachineTool Geometry software.
  • Ensure antenna is connected to A-910.
  • Target may be too close to laser (target LED’s will blink).
  • Check for excess background light (normally target LEDs will blink).
  • Ensure A-910 radio base station has same radio frequency as target (900 MHz or 2.4GHz).
  • 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. (See Figure 2)
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).
  • Ensure 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 two lasers are not sweeping across the target.
  • Make sure target is facing the laser within +/- 5 degrees.
  • Reset target (use paper clip in hole near Target ID/Channel Selector Panel). (See Figure 4)
9 “OFF TGT” shown in target display – PDA
  • Radio communication is working, but the target does not “see’ the laser.
    • Ensure laser beam is not blocked.
    • Ensure laser beam is bright.
    • Check laser power supply, especially if using a battery pack.
10 Cannot see level vials
  • Turn on master power switch.
  • Check power supply connection.
11 “Runtime Error” in software
  • Do not unplug the A-910 from the USB port while still using the program.
  • Report to HLI the exact key strokes that created the Runtime Error.
12 Software crashes upon loading
  • Ensure USB/Serial Converter cable is connected to the laptop’s USB port. If problem persists, contact HLI.
13 PDA locks up
  • Hit RESET switch (See Appendix F)
    • Nomad PDA – Hold green power button down for 3 seconds and release. Tap onRestart 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 is on bottom end of PDA.
14 PDA turns off automatically
  • Check the Power Saving Options 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, press RESET. (See Appendix F)

 

 

Troubleshooting Guide L-700 & L-705

 

Problem Possible Solutions
1. No Laser Beam


Figure 5 – On/Off Switch

 

  • Check laser is turned on and check switch. When the laser beam is switched on, the red LED on the faceplate lights up to safely indicate that the unit is on.(figure 5) Also if the LED on front of laser is on but dim, it’s probably a low battery. If LED is bright, then the laser diode has probably failed and unit should be sent in for repair.
  • Make sure laser shutter is open. Use a straight-edge screwdriver to open or close the shutter. (L-700 only)(figure 6)
  • Replace battery (new? Inserted correctly?) (See Appendix G)
  • Check for switch damage.

    Figure 6 – Shutter Control and Adjustments
    Figure 7 – L-705 Laser Control
2. Beam Is Not Round (use white paper to see beam)
  • Clean laser optics with alcohol
  • Make sure optics are not scratched to cracked
3. Beam has satellites (use white paper to see beam)
  • Clean laser optics with alcohol
  • Make sure optics are not scratched to cracked
4. “—” shown in Software Target Display
  • This means Software does not see the computer interface. – Check target connections
  • Check cable connections.
  • Target has to be connected to R-358.
  • Make sure R-358 has been charged up (Note: the R-358 takes 3-5 minutes to show a connection to Software when battery is fully discharged.
  • Check connectors for broken pins or wires in connectors.
  • Make sure in TARGET SETUP that ACTUAL TARGETS
  • is chosen under DATA SOURCE tab. (See Figure 9)
  • Check for kinks in the cables.
  • NOTE: Extremely bright light shining on the face of the target can also cause the display to blank out.
5. If green LED on R-358 is illuminated, but there are “—-” in the display
  • Probably means Software has been set to the wrong interface – i.e. the R-358 has been set to Hi Res but Software has R-355 Lo Res mode selected. (See Figure Below)
    Figure 8 – Spindle8 Target Setup
6. “OFF TGT” Shown in Target Display
  • This means Software sees the R-358 but not the target.
  • Check target connection.
  • Target has to be connected to R-358.
  • Check connectors for broken pins or wires in connectors.
  • Check for kinks in the cables.
  • Make sure laser is turned on. (See figure 5)
  • Make sure laser beam is bright (use white paper to see beam).
  • Make sure the beam is hitting the center of the target window.
  • -Check to see if target angle is too severe – Note the angular range of the T-261A is somewhat limited, so the angle of the target has to be within =/- 0.5 degrees.
7. Numbers in Target Display Jump Wildly
  • Make sure in TARGET SETUP that ACTUAL TARGETS (not RANDOM DATA) is chosen under the DATA SOURCE tab. (See Figure Below)
    Figure 9 – Spindle8 Data Source Setup
8. Numbers in Target Display are noisy(jump up/down by more than 0.002 mm in

2 meters)

  • Check for vibrations (try turning off machine).
  • Check for warm or cold air (relative to ambient temp)
  • blowing between laser and targets.
  • Some A/C power charges for laptops are noisy and can cause noise in the measurements. Try unplugging computer.
  • Check laser and target mounting setups to ensure tight clamp.
  • Increase data averaging in Software .
9. Software Crashes upon Loading
  • Make sure USB/Serial Converter cable is connected to the laptop.
10. No Negative (or Positive) readings are displayed
  • Check for broken wires or pins pushed out of Target connectors. Target will probably need repairing.
  • Make sure the screws on Target Connector are tightened in the R-358.
11. Get very odd results
  • Possible corrupt Targets.ini file (in Windows folder) or Hamar.ini (in Software32 folder). Rename both files. WARNING this will delete all target setup and calibration factors.
  • Make sure the screws on Target Connector are tightened in the R-358.

 

 

Appendix A – L-730/740 Series Laser AC Adapter Power Connector

 

 

Appendix B – Replacing the Universal IR Receiver Battery

The following provides instructions for replacing the IR receiver battery, with illustrations showing the PDA version of the IR receiver. The same battery replacement procedure applies to the PC version.

A single 9-volt battery powers the Universal IR receiver. The battery is located inside the receiver head assembly (2).

To replace the battery:

  1. Remove the two screws (1) securing the receiver assembly (2).
  2. Slide the assembly out until the battery is fully exposed. Do not overstretch the signal cable.
  3. Replace the battery (3).
  4. Carefully slide the receiver assembly (2) back into place, allowing the cable to fold back into the original position over the battery.
  5. Secure the receiver assembly with the thumbscrews (1). Do not over tighten.

 

 

Appendix C – Determining COM Port For Use In Software Setup

  1. Click on Start, Settings then Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel window, double click on “System icon.
  3. At the top left of the next window click on “Device Manager”
  4. In Device Manager, click the ” ” sign next to “Ports (COM & LPT). It will display “ATEN USB to Serial Bridge (COM#) if you are using the USB to Serial Adapter cable (with the R-358 or R-355) or Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge (COM#) if you are using an A-910 transceiver (# being the COM port being used) Make sure that you have the correct COM port checked in your software.

 

Appendix D – Setting System ID & Target Network ID

Figure 6 – Configuration (DIP) Switches
Figure 6 – Configuration (DIP) Switches

Setting the System ID

Note: Before selecting a System ID, ensure that it is not already in use by another system within the radio coverage area.

 

Using a small screwdriver, rotate Switch 1 to align the arrowhead with the System ID number (0-9). Figure 6 shows the System ID switch set to 1.

Setting the Target Network ID

  1. Locate DIP Switches 2a and 2b on the target (see Figure 6).
  2. Figure 6 – Configuration (DIP) Switches
  3. Set the ID as follows:
    • For Target Network ID 01 to 09: Use a small screwdriver to rotate switch 2a so that the arrowhead points to 0. Rotate switch 2b (lowest switch) to 1-9, accordingly.
    • For Target Network ID 10 to 99: Use a small screwdriver to rotate switch 2A so that the arrowhead points to the first digit of the ID number, and then rotate switch 2b to the second digit of the ID number.
      For example: To set Target Network ID=25, set switch 2A to “2” and switch 2b to “5”.

 

Notes:

  1. Do not set more than one target to the same Target Network ID and the same System ID. In addition, there cannot be more than one Radio Transceiver with the same System ID within radio range.
  2. The label with the large number ‘3’, shown in Figure 6, is optional. By default, Hamar Laser ships each target pre-configured with a Target Network ID set from 01 to 09 and with a label that matches the Target Network ID. Additional Labels can be purchased in sheets, with consecutive label pairs (one for each side) numbered from 0 to 9 or 10 to 19. Higher numbered labels may not be stocked but are available upon request.

 

 

Appendix E – Using the A-910 Radio Transceiver/Hub

Front Panel Features

  1. Power ON indicator and Low Battery indicator
  2. Internal backup battery charging indicator and USB LINK ESTABLISHED indicator
  3. TX indicator: Blinks when device is transmitting data to the target(s)
    RX indicator: Blinks when the device is receiving data from targets or other transceivers
  4. Not used
  5. System ID setting switch

    Figure 7 – The A-910 Radio Transceiver/Hub FRONT PANEL
    Figure 7 – The A-910 Radio Transceiver/Hub FRONT PANEL

 

Rear Panel Features

  1. Not used
  2. USB/Data I/O Port
  3. Power Switch
  4. External power supply: required only for computers that cannot provide adequate power (5V, 400 mA) through the USB port
  5. Antenna

    Figure 8 -- The A-910 Radio Transceiver/Hub REAR PANEL
    Figure 8 — The A-910 Radio Transceiver/Hub REAR PANEL

 

 

Appendix F – Resetting PDA

Dell & HP PDA

Soft Reset

NOTE – When you do a soft reset, the device deletes any data or active programs that have not been saved in the flash memory. Try a soft reset if the PDA does not respond when tapping the screen or pressing any of the buttons.

The left diagram shows how to reset a Dell Axim PDA. The diagram on the right shows how to reset a HP IPAQ.

Nomad PDA
Power menu: Hold down the Power key for about 3 seconds to display a countdown. Continuing to press the Power key will cause a reset when the countdown reaches zero. If you release the Power key while the countdown is proceeding, you access the following menu. Tap an option or OK to exit.

Clean Screen: Disables the touchscreen for cleaning. Press the enter key to re- enable the touchscreen.

Align Screen: Repeats the alignment procedure.

Replace Battery/SIM: Ensures that alarms will not wake up the unit while changing the battery or the SIM on WWAN units.

Shutdown: Intended for long term storage to put the unit in its lowest power mode. Running application state, unsaved data, and real-time clock settings will be lost. Internal GPS parameters will be reset to their default settings. To take the unit out of the shutdown mode, press the power key and the unit will boot up.

NOTE: While in shutdown mode, the battery LED does not work, but if the power supply is plugged in, it will still charge.

Reset: Stops all running programs and restarts the unit. No file system data is lost, only open or unsaved files will be lost. All registry settings, control panel, personal information, GPS settings and databases are preserved.

NOTE: if the countdown or the Power menu does not appear when the power button is held down, continue to hold down the power button for at least 20 seconds to reset it.

 

 

Appendix G – Replacing the Batteries in the L-700 & L-705 Lasers

The L-700 Lasers use a standard, replaceable 9-volt battery for up to 8 hours of continuous use. For best results, use alkaline or rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries.

To install or replace the battery:

  1. Remove the battery cover.
    Using the 3/32″ hex key included with the laser, loosen the two
    hex screws on either side of the bubble level. The screws do not need to be removed.
  2. Slide the cover out.
    Pull the cover straight out of the laser to access the battery.
  3. Replace the battery.
    Remove the battery (rock it gently from side to side to disconnect it) and replace it with a new 9-Volt battery. Make sure the battery is seated in the clips. If the battery won’t snap in, check to see if the clips are bent or distorted.
  4. Slide the cover on and tighten the screws.

 

 

Replacing the Batteries L-705

The battery pack uses two 9-volt batteries. The batteries are housed in a two-part case which is held together by flathead screws. Hamar Laser recommends using alkaline or nickel-cadmium (NiCad) cells for best performance.

  1. Unplug the battery pack from the laser.
    Pull the probe out of the laser control panel and gently set aside.
  2. Unscrew the cover of the pack.
    Locate and loosen the two captive flathead screws, and remove the cover.
  3. Replace the two batteries.
    Remove the old batteries and replace them with new 9-volt cells, being careful to orient them with the negative terminal out (or up).
  4. Re-attach the cover.
    Put the cover back on and secure it to the battery pack with the screws.
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