Hilti PD 38 User Manual

PD 38

Operating instructions en

Mode d’emploi fr

Istruzioni d’uso it

Manual de instruções pt

Manual de instrucciones es

Printed: 07.07.2013 | Doc-Nr: PUB / 5070015 / 000 / 00

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PDA 50

PDA 60

PDA 61

PDA 62

PDA 80

PDA 81

PDAW 80-1

PDAW 80 / 81-1

PDA 70

PUA 60

PDA 66

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PDAW 80 / 81-2

PDAW 80 / 81-3

PDAW 81-1

PD 38 laser range meter Contents

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It is essential that the operating
instructions are read before the range
meter is used the first time.

Always keep these operating instruc­tions together with the range meter.

Ensure that the operating instructions
are with the range meter when it is
given to other persons.

Component parts

 Laser exit aperture
 Control panel
 Receiving lens
 Plastic casing
 Horizontal bubble
 Vertical bubble
 Battery compartment
 Folding spike
 Graphic display showing operating

status

 Metal contact points for precise meas-

urement (3x rear)

 Metal supports for precise measure-

ment (3x underneath)

 Optical sight
 Side measure button

Contents

1. General information. . . . . . . . . . 3

1.1 Safety notices and their

meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.2 Pictograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.3 Location of identification data on

the range meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.1 Intended use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.2 Items supplied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.3 Measuring principle . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.4 Range meter functions . . . . . . . . 4

2.4.1 General range meter functions . . 4

2.4.2 PD 38 side measure button . . . . 4

2.4.3 PD 38 optical sight . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.5 Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. Tools and accessories . . . . . . . . 6

3.1 PDA 50 target plate. . . . . . . . . . . 6

3.2 PDA 80/81charging kits . . . . . . . 6

3.3 PDAW 80-1 mains adapter . . . . . 6

3.4 PDAW 80/81-2 car battery

plug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.5 PDAW 80/81-1 charging adapter . 7

3.6 PDAW 80/81-3 battery pack . . . . 7

3.7 PDAW 81-1 mains adapter . . . . . 7

3.8 PUA 60 laser visibility glasses . . 7

3.9 PDA 62 belt clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.10 PDA 70 measuring extension . . 7

3.11 PDA 66 Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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4. Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

5. Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5.1 Basic safety information . . . . . . . 9

5.2 Misuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5.3 General safety precautions . . . . . 9

5.4 Proper organization of

workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5.4.1 Electromagnetic compatibility. . 10

5.4.2 Laser classification . . . . . . . . . . 10

5.4.3 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1

Contents

6. Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6.1 Inserting alkaline/rechargeable

batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6.2 Battery charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6.2.1 Standard charging of batteries . 11

6.2.2 Fast battery charging . . . . . . . . 12

6.3 Switching the range meter

on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

6.3.1 Initial distance measurement . . 12

6.4 Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.4.1 Activating the settings menu . . 13

6.4.2 Menu/Beep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.4.3 Menu/Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6.4.4 Switching Bluetooth on and off . 13

6.4.5 Terminating the menu . . . . . . . . 13

7. PD 38 operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7.1 General controls . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7.1.1 Control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7.1.2 On/off and control buttons . . . . 14

7.1.3 Measure buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7.1.4 Function buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7.2 Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

7.2.1 Symbols displayed . . . . . . . . . . 15

7.2.2 Display illumination . . . . . . . . . 16

7.3 Optical sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

7.4 Measuring distances. . . . . . . . . 17

7.4.1 Measuring references . . . . . . . . 17

7.4.2 Measuring distances step by

step. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

7.4.3 Measurement mode . . . . . . . . . 18

7.4.4 Measuring from corners . . . . . . 19

7.4.5 Measuring with the aid of target

objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

7.4.6 Measuring in bright conditions . . 19

7.4.7 Taking measurements to rough

surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

7.4.8 Taking measurements to round

or inclined surfaces . . . . . . . . . 20

7.4.9 Taking measurements to wet or

shiny surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

7.4.10 Taking measurements to

transparent surfaces . . . . . . . . . 20

7.4.11 Measuring ranges . . . . . . . . . . . 20

8. Applications and functions . . . 21

8.1 Measurement data memory . . . 21

8.1.1 Saving measurements . . . . . . . 21

8.1.2 Historical data memory. . . . . . . 21

8.2 Area measurement . . . . . . . . . . 21

8.3 Volume measurement. . . . . . . . 22

8.4 Adding distances . . . . . . . . . . . 23

8.5 Subtracting distances . . . . . . . . 23

8.6 Setting out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

9. Measuring using a Bluetooth

connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

9.1 Setting up PDA/MDA . . . . . . . . 25

9.2

Establishing connection between

PD 38 and PDA/MDA . . . . . . . . 25

9.3 Measuring using Bluetooth

connection to PDA/MDA . . . . . . 26

10. PDA/MDA Windows CE with

Hilti PD 38 application . . . . . . 27

11. Data transfer from PDA/MDA

to PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

12. Calibration and adjustment . . . 29

12.1 Calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

12.2 Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

12.3 Hilti calibration service . . . . . . . 30

13. Care and maintenance. . . . . . . 30

13.1 Cleaning and drying . . . . . . . . . 30

13.2 Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

13.3 Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

14. Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

15. Manufacturer's warranty –

tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

16. FCC statement (applicable in

USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

17. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

18. Bluetooth declaration of

compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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19. EC declaration of conformity . . 34

1. General information



1. General information

1.1 Safety notices and their meaning

-CAUTION-

This word indicates a possibly hazardous
situation which could result in slight bodily
injuries or damage to property.

-NOTE-

This word indicates information to help the
user employ the product efficiently, and
other useful notes.

1.2 Pictograms

Warning signs

General warning

Laser class 2
(Do not stare into the
beam.)

1.3 Location of identification data on the

range meter

The type designation and serial number
can be found on the rating plate on the
range meter. Make a note of this data in
your operating instructions and always
refer to it when making an enquiry to your
Hilti representative or service department.

Type : ___________

Serial no.: ___________

Symbols

Read the operating
instructions before
use.

Return waste material
for recycling.

These numbers refer to the correspon­ding illustrations. The illustrations can be
found on the fold-out cover pages. Keep
these pages open when studying the oper­ating instructions. In these operating
instructions, the PD 38 laser range meter is
referred to as « the range meter ».

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2. Description

2. Description

The distance is determined along a laser
beam emitted by the range meter up to the
surface where the laser beam is reflected.
The red laser spot clearly identifies the tar­get from which the measurement is taken.

The measuring range depends on the
reflectivity and the surface structure of the
target surface.

2.1 Intended use

The range meter is designed for:
– Measurement of distances
– Calculation of areas, volumes and distances
– Addition and subtraction of distances
– Operation and storage in the specified

temperatures

2.2 Items supplied

1 PD 38 laser range meter
1 PDA 50 target plate
1 PDA 60 hand strap
1 PDA 66 holder
2 type AA batteries
1 soft pouch
1 operating instructions
1 producer certificate

2.3 Measuring principle

The range meter emits a visible laser beam
carrying a wave signal which is reflected
and received with a phase shift. The phase
shift is used to determine the distance.
This measuring principle permits highly
accurate and reliable distance measure­ments to objects without use of special
reflectors.

2.4 Range meter functions

2.4.1 General range meter functions

Vertical bubble

Optical sight

Measurement

reference point

Liquid crystal

display

Volume function

Area function

Horizontal bubble

Spike Display illumination

On / off

Side measure button

Measure button

Addition of distances

Subtraction of distances
Battery charging contacts

2.4.2 PD 38 side measure button

2.4.3 PD 38 optical sight

Eye

2.5 Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology enables wireless data
exchange over short distances with fast,
reliable and secure data connection main­tained typically over 10 m (30 ft).
Transmission range can drop to about 5 m
(15 ft) under very unfavourable conditions
but can also reach up to 20 m (60 ft) under
very favourable conditions.

phi

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Printed: 07.07.2013 | Doc-Nr: PUB / 5070015 / 000 / 00

Unfavourable conditions for Bluetooth
communication range

• Steel surfaces in immediate surroundings

• PD 38 is placed in corners or on wet sur-

faces

• PD 38 and PDA/MDA are held in wet

hands

• Obstructions between PD 38 and

PDA/MDA, e.g. thick wall with a lot of
steel reinforcement, wire mesh, etc…

Favourable conditions for Bluetooth
communication range

• Direct sight between PD 38 and

PDA/MDA without any obstructions

• PD 38 and PDA/MDA kept at adequate

distance (approx. 0.5 m, 2 ft) walls and
steel surfaces, etc…

• PD 38 and PDA/MDA are held in dry

hands

2. Description

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3. Tools and accessories

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3. Tools and accessories

Description Designation

Target plate PDA 50

Hand strap PDA 60

Soft pouch PDA 61

Belt clip PDA 62

Measuring extension PDA 70

Charging kit PDA 80

Charging kit PDA 81

Mains adapter PDAW 80-1

Mains adapter PDAW 81-1

Car battery plug PDAW 80/81-2

Charging adapter PDAW 80/81-1

Battery pack PDAW 80/81-3

Laser visibility glasses* PUA 60

* These are not laser safety

glasses and do not protect the
eyes from laser radiation. The
laser visibility glasses restrict
colour vision. These glasses are
therefore not permitted to be
worn by a person driving on a
public road and must not be
used to look directly into the sun

3.1 PDA 50 target plate

The PDA 50 target plate is made of durable
plastic with a special reflective coating. In
poor light conditions it is advisable to use
the target plate for distances above 10 m
(30 ft).

-NOTE-

– For reliable distance measurements the

laser beam should be perpendicular to
the target plate whenever possible. If this
is not the case, the laser spot on the tar­get plate may not be in the same plane
as the target point and the distance
measured will be incorrect.

– For very accurate measurements using

the target plate, 1.2 mm (1/20 inch)
should be added to the measured dis­tances.

3.2 PDA 80/81 charging kits

The PDA 80 and PDA 81 charging kits
enable use of the range meters with
rechargeable cells. Battery charging time is
approx.12 hours for fully discharged cells.
However, within the first 15 minutes, the
cells are charged with sufficient current for
150–200 measurements.

Please also refer to the description of bat­tery charging in section 6. “Getting start­ed”.

Contents of PDA 80 charging kit

– Mains adapter 100–240 V AC with

2-pole Europlug
– Car battery plug
– Charging adapter for range meter
– 2 rechargeable battery cells (NiMH)

Contents of PDA 81 charging kit

– Mains adapter 100–240 V AC with 4

interchangeable plugs for US, GB, AUS,

EU.
– Car battery plug
– Charging adapter for range meter
– 2 rechargeable battery cells(NiMH)

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3.3 PDAW 80-1 mains adapter

The mains adapter is an integral part of the
charging kit. It is equipped with a two-pin
plug. The mains adapter transforms the
power from alternating current to direct

3. Tools and accessories

current which is used to charge the batter­ies. The mains adapter automatically
adjusts itself to suit an AC voltage between
100–240 V and 50–60 Hz. The mains
adapter has been specially designed to
supply current to the charging adapter.

-NOTE-

Battery chargers or mains adapters with
other voltage outputs, such as those for
mobile phones, may not be used. Use of
other battery chargers or mains adapters
may damage the range meter.

3.4 PDAW 80/81-2 car battery plug

The car battery plug is an integral part of
the PDA 80/81 charging kit. It can be
inserted into a vehicle cigarette lighter or
into sockets of the same design. This
adapter has a special design and trans­forms the 12–24 V direct current of a vehi­cle battery into a voltage suitable for the
charging adapter.
A light-emitting diode (LED) is incorporat­ed in the adapter to indicate correct con­nection for charging. An additional fuse in
the adapter’s front section provides protec­tion against voltage peaks.

remains in the battery compartment while
being charged.

-NOTE-

– There is virtually no “memory effect”

with this type of battery and the charging

process used.

The charging process can be interrupted

at any time without damaging the battery

cells.
– Other brands of rechargeable batteries

can be used. It must be ensured, howev-

er, that the batteries have a similar

capacity of approx. 1800 mAh.

3.7 PDAW 81-1 mains adapter

The PDAW 81-1 mains adapter is virtually
identical to the PDAW 80-1 mains adapter.
The only difference is the type of mains
plugs (interchangeable plugs).

3.8 PUA 60 laser visibility glasses

The laser visibility glasses clearly improve
the visibility of the laser beam (spot).

3.9 PDA 62 belt clip

The belt clip is made from durable plastics
and is quickly and easily fixed to the belt
using the snapper. The range meter snaps
into position for carrying and easily detach­es when needed.

-NOTE-

As the car battery plug has been especially
designed to charge the NiMH batteries of
the PD 38, it may not be replaced by other
types of car battery plugs.

3.5 PDAW 80/81-1 charging adapter

The respective mains adapter supplies cur­rent to the charging adapter. Prior to
charging the battery, the side flange con­nections should be carefully checked.

3.6 PDAW 80/81-3 battery pack

The battery pack consists of two recharge­able, 1.2 V NiMH cells with a capacity of
approx.1800 mAh. The battery pack

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3.10 PDA 70 measuring extension

The measuring extension is made from alu­minium and is equipped with a nonconduc­tive plastic grip.
The range meter attaches to the measuring
extension with the help of the belt clip.
The rear reference is then extended by

1.270 m/50 inches. Please also refer to
section “7.Operation” for more informa­tion on how to change the reference setting
when using the measuring extension.

3.11 PDA 66 holder

The PDA 66 holder joins the PDA/MDA and
PD 38 as one unit. The smaller part can be
attached to a solid surface on the rear of
the PDA/MDA. The PD 38 can then be
clipped into the holder.

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4. Technical data

4. Technical data

Power supply

3 V DC
Type: AA (LR6, AM3, Mignon)
Standard: two alkaline batteries
Optional: rechargeable NiMh batteries

Battery status indicator

Battery display with four segments
showing 100%, 75%, 50% and 25%
charged
All segments deleted = discharged
battery

Measuring range

0.05 m to 200 m (2 in to 600 ft)

0.05 m (2 in) from the front edge
Max. distance resolution 750 m
(2,500 ft)
Typical measuring range without tar­get plate:
– Drywall panel, white 70 m (210 ft)
– Concrete, dry 50 m (150 ft)
– Brick, dry 50 m (150 ft)

The maximum range depends on:
– Reflectivity of the target surface
– Ambient light conditions
In case measurements are not possi­ble, use the Hilti PDA 50 target plate.

Beam diameter

< 6 mm @ 10 m (< 0.2 in @ 30 ft)
< 30 mm @ 50 m (< 1.2 in @ 150 ft)
< 60 mm @ 100 m (< 2.4 in @ 300 ft)

Basic operating modes

Single measurement
Continuous measurement
Calculation/functions

Display

Illuminated liquid-crystal display
showing operating status and battery
status

Laser

Visible, 620–690 nm, laser class 2
(IEC60825-1: 2003,
CFR 21 § 1040 [FDA])
output power: < 1 mW

Automatic time-out

Laser: 1 min.
Range meter: 10 min.

Battery life at 25 °C (77 °F)

Max. number of measurements
with single set of batteries
(laser switched on for 10 sec.)
Alkaline: 8,000–10,000
NiMH: 6,000– 8,000

Accuracy

±1.5 mm (±1/16 in) is typical for
individual and continuous measure­ments **
** The measuring accuracy is affected
by ± (1.5 mm + 20 ppm)/± (1/16 in
+ 20 ppm) due to atmospheric condi­tions. This effect is typically noticeable
at distances > 100 m (> 300 ft).

Smallest unit displayed

1 mm (1/16 in)

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Operating temperature

–10 °C…+ 50 °C (14 °F… 122 °F)

Storage temperature

–30 °C…+ 70 °C (–22 °F… 158 °F)

Protection class

Dust and splash-proof, IP 54 as
per IEC529 standard

Weight

220 g/0.48 lb (without batteries)

Dimensions

120 (L) x 65 (W) x 28 (H) mm

4.7" (L) x 2.5" (W) x 1.1" (H) in

5. Safety information

5. Safety information

5.1 Basic safety information

In addition to the safety precautions listed
in the individual sections of these operating
instructions, the following points must be
strictly observed at all times.

5.2 Misuse

The range meter and its accessories can be
a source of hazard if they are not used
properly or not used for the intended pur­pose by untrained people.
– Do not use the range meter without suit-

able prior instruction.

– Do not render any safety devices ineffec-

tive and do not remove information and
warning notices.

– Have the range meter repaired only at a

Hilti service center. Unauthorized open­ing of the range meter may cause the
emission of laser radiation in excess of
class 2.

– Tampering with or modification of the

range meter is not permissible.

– Use only genuine Hilti accessories and

auxiliary tools in order to avoid the risk
of injury.

– Do not use the range meter in atmos-

pheres where there is a risk of explosion.

– Use only a clean, soft cloth for cleaning.

If necessary, moisten the cloth slightly
with pure alcohol.

– Keep the range meter out of the reach of

children.

– Measurements taken to plastic foam

materials, such as polystyrene foam, or
to snow or other strongly reflecting sur­faces, may be inaccurate.

– Taking measurements to surfaces with

low reflectivity surrounded by areas with
high reflectivity may lead to measure­ment errors.

– Measurements taken through panes of

glass or other objects may be inaccurate.

– Rapid changes of the measuring condi-

tions, e.g. persons walking through the
laser beam, may lead to measurement
errors.

– Do not direct the range meter towards

the sun or other sources of bright light.

– Do not use the range meter as a levelling

tool.

– Check the range meter before taking

important measurements and after it has
been dropped or subjected to other
mechanical stressing.

– Check the setting of the measuring re-

ference before measuring.

5.3 General safety precautions

Check the range meter for possible damage
before use. If the range meter is found to
be damaged, have it repaired at a Hilti serv­ice centre. The accuracy of the range meter
must be checked after it has been dropped
or subjected to other mechanical stressing.
– When the range meter is brought into a

warm environment from very cold condi­tions, or vice versa, allow it to become
acclimatised before use.

– Although the range meter is designed for

the tough conditions of jobsite use, as
with other optical instruments (binocu­lars, spectacles, cameras, etc.) it should
be treated with care.

– Although the range meter is protected to

prevent entry of dampness, it should be
wiped dry each time before being put
away in its transport container.

– As a precaution, check the settings you

have made before using the range meter.

– When using the circular bubble level

(bull's eye) for alignment, only look at
the range meter from the side.

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