Leica A6 User Manual

Leica DISTO™ A6

The original laser distance meter

6

2nd

User Manual

Version 1.0

English

Congratulations on your purchase of a Leica DISTO™.

The safety instructions can be
found in a separate booklet, which
accompanies this user manual. The

user manual should be read carefully before initial
operation.
Helpful Hint: The first and last page including the
pictures should be folded out and left open, whilst
reading through the manual. Letters and Numbers in
braces {} refer to the illustrations.

Content

Start-up................................................................ 1

Menu functions ................................................... 3

Operation.............................................................4

Measuring ............................................................ 4

Functions ............................................................. 5

Working with BLUETOOTH®........................... 8

Appendix

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

safety instructions along with the

.............................................................. 9

Start-up

Inserting / replacing Batteries

See figure {C} - Open the positioning bracket.
Remove the locking clip and slide the endpiece down.
Slide the red locking mechanism to the side and open
the battery compartment. Insert new or replace used
batteries. Close battery cover, reinsert the endpiece
and fix locking clip.

The battery symbol {B, 21} appears permanently blin­king in the display when the battery voltage is too
low. The batteries should be replaced as soon as
possible.

• Pay attention to correct polarity.

•Use alkaline batteries.

• Batteries should be removed if the device will not
be used for a long time (danger of corrosion).

When changing the batteries the settings and stack
content remain unchanged.

Multifunctional Endpiece

See figure {D}
The device can be used for different measurement
situations:

• For measurements from an edge open the posi­tioning bracket until it locks in place.
See figure {E}.

• For measurements from a corner, open the posi­tioning bracket until it locks in place, with a slight

1

Start-up

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push to the right the bracket can be turned
further. See figure {D and F}.

A built-in sensor automatically detects the orienta­tion of the positioning bracket and calculates the
corresponding distances accordingly.

Integrated telescopic viewfinder

The device is equipped with a telescopic viewfinder
on the right hand side. The viewfinder is especially
helpful when aiming at distant targets. When looking
through the viewfinder, the target is clearly visible
thanks to the 2x magnification. At distances beyond
30 m laser spot is centered on the crosshair, below
30 m the laser spot appears on the edge of the cros­shair, which is normal.

Level

The integrated bubble level allows simple horizontal
levelling of the instrument.

Keypad

See figure {A}:
1 ON/MEASURING

2 2nd FUNCTION LEVEL
3 PLUS [+]
4 TIMER
5 EQUAL [=]
6 AREA/VOLUME
7 STORAGE
8 MEASUREMENT REFERENCE

Start-up

9 CLEAR/OFF
10 MENU
11 ILLUMINATION
12 INDIRECT MEASUREMENT (PYTHAGORAS)
13 MINUS [-]
14 BLUETOOTH

®

Display

See figure {B}
1 Information about faulty measurements
2 Laser active
3 Circumference

4 Maximum value of continuous measurement
5 Minimum value of continuous measurement
6 Measurement reference
7 Recall of Historical Storage
8 Storage of constant
9 Main line
10 Units with exponents (
11 Ceiling area
12 Wall area
13 Three auxiliary lines (e.g. previous results)
14 BLUETOOTH
15 2nd Function Level on
16 Hardware error
17 Indirect measurement - Pythagoras
18 Indirect measurement - Pythagoras - partial height
19 Area / Volume
20 Offset setting
21 Battery indication

®

on/off

2

2/3

)

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

Menu functions

Presettings

The menu allows selection of the settings that will
remain in memory after the instrument is switched
off.

Navigation in the Menu

Press the MENU -key {A, 10} repeatedly to scroll
through the possible menu functions (UNIT, OFFSET,
TRIPOD, RESET).

When the desired menu option appears, select it with
the EQUAL - key {A, 5}, scroll through the possible
settings with the PLUS - key {A, 3} or the MINUS -
key {A, 13} and store the selected setting with the
EQUAL - key {A, 5}. Press CLEAR - key {A, 9} to leave
the menu without saving any changes in the settings.

Selecting Units

"UNIT" blinks in the display.
Possible units:

Distance Area Volume

0.000 m

0.00 m
0 mm

0.00 ft

0.00

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

1

/

ft in

32

0.000 m² 0.000 m³

0.00 m² 0.00 m³

0.000 m² 0.000 m³

0.00 ft² 0.00 ft³

0.00 ft² 0.00 ft³

Distance Area Volume

0' 0'' 1/

0.0 in

1

/32 in

0

32

0.00 ft² 0.00 ft³

0.00 ft² 0.00 ft³

0.00 ft² 0.00 ft³

Measure with offset

An offset automatically adds or subtracts a value to/
from ALL measurements. With this feature toler­ances can be taken into consideration e.g. between
unfinished and finished dimensions.

Select the menu function OFFSET {B, 20} (OFFSET
blinks in the display), confirm with the EQUAL - key
{A, 5}. Adjust the OFFSET with the PLUS - key {A, 3}
or the MINUS - key {A, 13}.
By holding the keys down, the setting values will
increase/decrease faster. Once you have entered the
proper offset confirm your selection with the EQUAL

- key {A, 5}. As long as an OFFSET {B, 20} is added/

subtracted the symbol is visible on the display.

Measuring with tripod

Using a tripod eliminates shaking when measuring
over long distances. On the back of the instrument is
an industry standard ¼"-threaded hole for use with a
camera tripod mounting screw. For correct measure­ments the reference needs to be adapted. Select the
menu function TRIPOD {A, 8} ("triPod" blinks in the
display) and confirm with the EQUAL - key {A, 5}.

3

Menu functions

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Reset

When you select the menu function RESET ("rESET"
will blink in the display) and press the EQUAL-key
{A, 5} twice the device will default to factory
settings.

CAUTION: Any customized presettings as well as
stored values will be deleted.

Operation

Switching On/Off

ON: Press ON - key {A, 1} briefly. Battery indica-

tion is displayed until the next keystroke.

OFF: Press and hold OFF - key {A, 9}. To maximize

battery life the laser beam will switch off after
3 minutes of inactivity, the device will auto­matically switch off after 6 minutes of inacti­vity.

CLEAR key

Pushing the CLEAR - key {A, 9} clears the last entry
or measurement. Within a function (area, volume,
etc.) single measurements can be deleted step by
step and remeasured.

Illumination

Pressing the ILLUMINATION - key {A, 11} turns on/
off the display backlight.

Operation

Measuring reference

If the positioning bracket is folded out, the device
recognizes the position, adapts the reference and
calculates distances accordingly.

The default reference setting is from the rear of the
instrument. By pressing the REFERENCE - key {A, 8},
the setting can be changed, so that the next measu­rement taken will be from the "front" of the in-stru­ment. Afterwards the reference setting automatically
defaults back to rear. See picture {G}.
You can choose the "front" reference permanently by
pressing the REFERENCE - key {A, 8} longer. Press
the REFERENCE - key {A, 8} longer another time to
change back to the "rear" reference.
See also "Measuring with tripod".

Measuring

Single distance measuring

Pressing DIST - key {A, 1} turns the laser on. Aim at
the desired target and press DIST - key {A, 1} again.
The measured distance is displayed immediately in
the chosen unit.

Minimum/maximum measuring

This function allows the user to measure the
minimum or maximum distance from a fixed measu­ring point as well as to determine spacing - see figure
{H}.
It is commonly used to measure diagonal distances

4

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

(maximum values) or horizontal distances (minimum
values).
Press and hold DIST - key {A, 1} until you hear a
beep, indicating the device is in a continuous measu­ring mode. Then slowly sweep the laser back and
forth respectively up and down over the desired
target point - see figure {I, J} - (e.g. a corner in the
room).
Press DIST - key {A, 1} again and the continuous
measurement will be stopped. The values for
maximum and minimum distances are shown in the
display as well as the last measured value in the main
line.

Functions

Addition/Subtraction

To add or subtract two or more measurements simply
works as follows:

Measurement +/- Measurement +/- Measure­ment +/- …. = RESULT

Pressing the EQUAL - key {A, 5} ends the sequence
and displays the result in the main line; the actual
measurements are scrolled upwards in the display.
Pushing the CLEAR - key {A, 9} undoes the most
recent operation.

Areas and volumes can be added/subtracted in
exactly the same manner.

Area

Press the AREA/VOLUME - key {A, 6} once for the

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

area function. The corresponding symbol appears in
the display. When both measurements have been
taken the result will be automatically calculated and
displayed in the main line.
Press the AREA/VOLUME - key {A, 6} longer to calcu­late the circumference {B, 3}. Press the AREA/
VOLUME - key {A, 6} longer again to return to the
previous area measurement.
If you want to measure another area, press AREA/

VOLUME - key {A, 6} again.

Special Function:
Sides to be measured can be made up of several
distances.

If necessary, all sides of your area measurement can
be made up of several partial measurements. Choose
the area mode. Press the PLUS - key {A, 3} or MINUS

- key {A, 13} before you start with the first partial

measurement. Proceed with the first partial measure­ment by pressing DIST - key {A, 1}. In the display an
addition or subtraction symbol appears. Make the
first partial measurement, press PLUS - key {A, 3} or
MINUS - key {A, 13} and make the second partial
measurement. Unlimited partial measurements can
be summed up or subtracted. To finish the distance
measurement press the EQUAL - key { A, 5}. The
second distance can be made up of partial distances
with the same method. The area result is shown as
usual in the main line.

5

Functions

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Volume

Press the AREA/VOLUME - key {A, 6} twice for the
volume function. The corresponding symbol appears
in the display. When 3 measurements have been
taken the result will be automatically calculated and
displayed in the main line.

Press the AREA/VOLUME - key {A, 6} longer to
display additional room information such as ceiling/
floor area, surface area of the walls, circumference.
Press the AREA/VOLUME - key {A, 6} long again to
return to the previous volume measurement.

If you want to measure another volume press AREA/

VOLUME - key {A, 6} again.

Special Function:
Sides to be measured can be made up of several
distances.

If necessary, all sides of your volume measurement
can be made up of several partial measurements.
Choose the volume mode. Press the PLUS - key {A, 3}
or MINUS - key {A, 13} before you start with the first
partial measurement. Proceed with the first partial
measurement by pressing DIST - key {A, 1}. In the
display an addition or subtraction symbol appears.
Make the first partial measurement, press PLUS - key
{A, 3} or MINUS - key {A, 13} and make the second
partial measurement. Unlimited partial measure­ments can be summed up or subtracted. To finish the
distance measurement press the EQUAL - key { A, 5}.
The second and the third distance can be made up of

Functions

partial distances with the same method. The volume
result is shown as usual in the main line.

Indirect Measuring

The device can calculate distances using Pythagoras'
theorem. This method is useful when the distance to
be measured is difficult or dangerous to access.

• The met hod is only us ed t o estimat e di stances, it
cannot replace an accurate measurement.

• Make sure you strictly follow the sequence of the
measurements

• All target points need to be vertically or horizon­tally in the same plane

• Best results can be expected if the device is
turned around a fixed point (e.g. positioning
bracket folded out completely and the device is
held towards a wall)

• It is highly recommended to use the "Minimum/
maximum measuring" by pressing the DIST ­key {A, 1} longer. The minimum value is used for
the measurements perpendicular towards the
target respectively the maximum value for the
other measurements. This increases the accuracy
of the indirect measuring considerably.

Indirect Measuring - Determination with two
points

See figure {K}
Press the PYTHAGORAS - key {A, 12} until the
correct symbol appears on the display. The distance

6

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

to be measured will flash in the display. Take the
necessary measurements. The result and the single
measurements appear on the display.
CAUTION: Right angle is necessary between the
second measurement and the resulting distance. We
recommend to press the DIST - key {A, 1} longer to
activate the perpendicular (min.) measuring function.

Indirect Measuring - Determination with three
points

See figure {L}
Press the PYTHAGORAS - key {A, 12} until the

correct symbol appears on the display. The length to
be measured appears flashing on the display. Take
the necessary measurements. The result and the
single measurements appear on the display.
CAUTION: Right angle is necessary between the
second measurement and the resulting distance. We
recommend to press the DIST - key {A, 1} longer to
activate the perpendicular (min.) measuring function.

Indirect Measuring - Determination of a parti­al height with three points

See figure {M}
Press the PYTHAGORAS - key {A, 12} until the
correct symbol appears on the display. The length to

be measured appears flashing on the display. Take
the necessary measurements. The result and the
single measurements appear on the display.

CAUTION: Right angle is necessary between the third
measurement and the resulting distance. We recom­mend to press the DIST - key {A, 1} longer to activate

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

the perpendicular (min.) measuring function.

Storage of Constants/Historical
Storage

Storage of a Constant

It is possible to store and recall a frequently used
value e.g. height of a room. Measure the desired
distance, press and hold STORAGE - key {A, 7} until
the device beeps to confirm the storage.

Recalling the constant

Press STORAGE - key {A, 7} to recall the constant
and make it available with a press on the EQUAL - key
{A, 5} for further calculations.

Special function: Adjusting the constant

A measured value can be adjusted. If you press the
EQUAL - key {A, 5}, the value starts blinking and can
be adjusted with the PLUS - key {A, 3} or MINUS ­key {A, 13}. Through pressing the EQUAL - key {A, 5}
again the adjustment is confirmed. Now the value can
be stored as usual as a constant.

Historical Storage

Press STORAGE - key {A, 7} twice quickly and the
previous 20 results (measurements or calculated
results) are shown in reverse order. Using the PLUS ­key {A, 3} and the MINUS - key {A, 13} allows to
navigate in the historical storage. Press EQUAL - key
{A, 5} to take a result from the historical storage to
use for further calculations.

7

Functions

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Timer

Press and hold TIMER - key {A, 4} until desired time

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delay has been reached (5 - 60 seconds).

F

Press DIST - key {A, 1}. Once the key is released the
remaining seconds until measurement are displayed.

I

The last 5 seconds are counted down with a beep.
After the last beep the measurement is taken.

E

Special function: Switch off of Beep

P

Pressing MENU - key {A, 10} and MINUS - key
{A, 13} together for 4 sec. switches the Beep off or

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on.

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Working with BLUETOOTH

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Switching on BLUETOOTH® /

N

sending measurements

FIN

A quick press on the BLUETOOTH® - key {A, 14}
starts DISTO BLUETOOTH

J

then be established out from Pocket PC / PC by the
application software. The BLUETOOTH

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display {B, 14} will continue to blink until this has

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been successfully completed. BLUETOOTH® automa-

ROK

tically switches off if the connection to the Pocket PC
/ PC is not established within 240 sec from when the
BLUETOOTH

PL

H

Switching off BLUETOOTH

BLUETOOTH® switches off as soon as the DISTO™ is

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switched off.

®

was switched on.

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Working with BLUETOOTH®

®

®

. The data connection must

®

- icon in the

®

The direction keys

Eight direction keys (identified by a small arrow near
the key) on the operator's keypad are used to
manoeuvre the cursor. The direction keys become
active when you switch to the second level (by pres­sing the 2nd key {A, 2}). The distance measuring key
is active in both levels. The functionality of the direc­tion keys depends on the software used.

Transmitting the measurement

If your software supports the direction keys use them
to select the appropriate position for the cursor. To
transmit the measurement press the BLUETOOTH
key {A, 14}. The measurement is then transmitted to
your Pocket PC. For further details please consult
your manual for the software used.

During data transmission

If the data is not confirmed as being successfully
received by the Pocket PC / PC then no new measure­ment can be processed. The Info code "240" appears
in the display if no data transmission has taken place
after 2 seconds. Press the CLEAR - key {A, 9} and
repeat the measurement and then transmit it.

Selecting particular values in the
display

By using the Min. / Max. function particular measure­ments can be selected for transmission. The display
shows a number of measurements (min., max., last

8

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

®

-

measurement taken). You can select a particular
measurement by using a longer press on the PLUS ­key {A, 3} or a longer press on the MINUS - key
{A, 13}. When selected the measurement blinks.
Once selected and blinking, the measurement can be
transmitted using the BLUETOOTH
The same selection process can be used for areas,
volumes, indirect measurements and room dimen­sions.

®

- key {A, 14}.

Transmission of user-entered mea­surements

A measurement on the display can be changed if you
wish. By pressing the EQUAL - key {A, 5} the value
blinks and can then be changed using the PLUS - key
{A, 3} and the MINUS - key {A, 13}. Pressing the keys
for longer increases the rate of change. Pressing the
EQUAL - key {A, 5} again confirms the change and
the value can be transmitted as normal.

NOTE

)

The free software supplied is designed to
provide the user with basic functionality. Leica
Geosystems provides no warranty for this free soft­ware and offers no support for it. Leica Geosystems
accepts no liability whatsoever arising from the use
of the free software and is not obliged to provide
corrections nor to develop updates or upgrades.

You can find numerous commercial vendors of soft­ware for a wide range of applications on our home­page.

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

Appendix

Message Codes

All message codes will be displayed with either "InFo"
or "Error".

The following mistakes can be corrected:

InFo Cause Remedy
204
206

240

245

252

253
255

256

257

260

9

Calculation error Repeat procedure
No endpiece detec-

tion

Error in data trans­mission

2nd key pressed
although no BLUE-

®

TOOTH
exists.

Temperature too
high

Temperatur too low Warm up instrument
Receiver signal too

weak, measurement
time too long,
distance > 100 m

Received signal too
powerful

Wrong measure­ment, ambient
brightness too high

Laser beam inter­rupted

connection

Attach the endpiece
properly. If error still
occurs, replace the
endpiece.

Repeat process

Establish BLUE-

®

TOOTH

Cool down instrument

Use target plate

Use target plate
(grey side)

Use target plate
(brown side)

Repeat measurement

connection

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Error Cause Remedy

Hardware error Switch on/off the

device several times
and check if the
symbol still appears. If
so please call your
dealer for assistance.

Technical Data

Range 0.05 m to 200 m

Power Range
Technology™

Measuring accuracy up
to 30 m (2 σ, standard
deviation)

Smallest unit displayed 1 mm
Laser class II
Laser type 635 nm, < 1 mW
Ø laser spot (at

distance)
Autom. switch off laser 3 min
Autom. switch off

instrument 6 min
Integrated telescopic

viewer 2x magnification
BLUETOOTH
Range of

BLUETOOTH
Display illumination 9

®

®

Cl. 2 min. 10 m

Appendix

0.2 ft to 650 ft

Measurements can be

made up to 100 m without

target plate

typ.: ± 1.5 mm*

6 / 30 / 60 mm

(10 / 50 / 100 m)

9

Integrated level 9
Multifunctional

endpiece 9
Timer 9
Single Measurement 9
Maximum, Minimum,

Continuous Measure­ment 9

Historical storage of 20 values
Indirect Measuring

functions with Pytha­goras

Storage of constant 9
Area/Volume calculation

with room calculations 9
Addition/Subtraction 9
Tripod thread 9
Battery life,

Type AA, 2 x 1.5V
IP rating IP 54

Dimension 148 x 64 x 36 mm
Weight (with batteries) 270 g
Temperature range:

Storage

Operating

* maximum deviation occurs under unfavourable conditions
such as bright sunlight or when measuring to poorly
reflecting or very rough surfaces. For distances over 30 m the
maximum deviation may increase to a maximum of ± 10 mm.

10

splash proof, dust proof

(-13°F to +158°F)

(-14°F to +122°F)

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

9

up to 10 000

measurements

-25°C to +70°C

-10°C to +50°C

The Leica DISTO™ A6 is a product belonging to Radio
Equipment Class 1 (radiated power < 10 mW; opera­ting at a frequency range of 2400 to 2483 MHz) in
accordance with the R&TTE Directive and in a harmo­nised frequency band.

As it is a product belonging to Radio Equipment
Class 1 its use within EU countries is not subject
to any limitations.

Measuring Conditions

Measuring Range

At night, at dusk and when the target is shadowed
the measuring range without target plate is
increased.
Use a target plate to increase the measurement
range during daylight or if the target has a bad reflec­tion.

Measuring Surfaces

Measuring errors can occur when measuring toward
colourless liquids (e.g. water) or dust free glass,
styrofoam or similar semi-permeable surfaces.
Aiming at high gloss surfaces deflects the laser beam
and measurement errors can occur.
Against non-reflective and dark surfaces the measu­ring time can be increased.

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

Care

Do not immerse the unit in water. Wipe off dirt with
a damp, soft cloth. Do not use aggressive cleaning
agents or solutions. Treat the optical surfaces with
the same care that you would apply to eyeglasses
and cameras.

Warranty

The Leica DISTO™ A6 comes with a two (2) year
warranty from Leica Geosystems AG.

More detailed information can be found at:

www.disto.com

All illustrations, descriptions and technical specifica­tions are subject to change without prior notice.

11

Appendix

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Appendix

12

Leica DISTO™ A6 1.0.0 gb

Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, Switzerland has been certified as being equipped
with a quality system which meets the International Standards of Quality
Management and Quality Systems (ISO standard 9001) and Environmental
Management Systems (ISO standard 14001).

Total Quality Management - Our commitment to total customer satisfaction. Ask
your local Leica Geosystems agent for more information about our TQM program.

Printed in Switzerland - Copyright Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg,
Switzerland 2006
Translation of original text (751335)

Leica Geosystems AG
CH-9435 Heerbrugg
(Switzerland)
www.disto.com

Pat. No.: WO 9427164, WO 9818019, WO 0244754, WO 0216964,

US 5949531, EP 1195617