Trimble AL200 Series User Manual

Features

01. Focusing knob

02. Sighting guides

03. Crosshairs’ adjustment screws (under cover)

04. Crosshairs’ focusing ring

05. Eyepiece

06. Horizontal rotation ring and angle index

07. Leveling screws

08. Base plate

09. Circular level adjustment screws

10. Horizontal tangent knob

11. Circular level

12. Mirror for reading circular level

13. Objective

Maintenance and Care

• As with all precision instruments, the auto level should be
transported and stored in its carrying case.

• When carrying the instrument mounted to a tripod, be sure
to carry it vertically rather than over your shoulder.

• Whenever possible, store the instrument in a dry, shady area.

• Wipe the instrument clean with a cloth. Clean the objective
and eyepieces with special care using a damp tissue or soft,
clean, lint-free cotton cloth.

• When working in wet weather, wipe off the instrument and
carrying case in the field and let them dry completely indoors
with the case open.

Safety Information

Included in this manual are Cautions and Notes. Each of
these words represents a level of danger or concern. A Caution
indicates a hazard or unsafe practice that could result in
minor injury or property damage. A Note indicates important
information unrelated to safety.

Establishing an Elevation

1. Set up and level the instrument.

2. Set the grade rod on a known elevation (30.55 m) and take a
grade rod reading (1.72 m).

3. Add the grade rod reading to the known elevation to get the
height of instrument or HI (1.72 + 30.55 = 32.27 m).

4. Subtract the elevation of the point you want to establish
(31.02 m) from the HI (32.27) to calculate the difference
between the two points (32.27 – 31.02 =1.25 m).

5. Go to the point you want to establish and adjust the height of
the grade rod until the calculated difference (1.25) is centered
in the crosshairs.

Taking Measurements

Determining the Difference in Elevation

How to Use the Instrument

Setting Up the Instrument

1. Set up the tripod at a height appropriate for your use.
Note: Make sure the tripod is stable and the tripod head is

relatively level.

2. Attach the instrument to the tripod.

3. Level the instrument using the circular level as a reference.

4. Focus the telescope crosshairs by turning the crosshairs’
focusing ring.

Aligning the Instrument

1. Align the telescope to the grade rod using the sighting guides.

2. Turn the focusing knob to bring the grade rod into sharp
focus. Precisely sight the center of the grade rod in the
telescope crosshairs using the horizontal tangent knob.

3. Check for parallax shift.

Note: No parallax exists if the crosshairs and the grade rod

graduations remain in coincidence even when you change
your viewing angle (move your eye up/down and left/right in
front of the eyepiece).

Note: After the bubble in the circular level has been centered,

the compensator corrects residual line-of-sight inclinations.
The compensator does not, however, eliminate any tilts
resulting from inadequate adjustment of the circular level or
line of sight. These must be checked regularly (see Adjusting
the Instrument for more information).

Taking a Distance Measurement

Note: The instrument’s stadia lines allow you to determine the
distance between the instrument and the grade rod.

1. Take readings at the upper stadia
line (1.436 m) and the lower stadia
line (1.152 m).

2. Calculate the difference between
the two readings (1.436 – 1.152 =

0.284 m).

3. Multiply the difference by 100
to get the distance between the
instrument and the grade rod
(.284 x 100 = 28.4).

Computation Example

Elevation

Center Line Reading 1.294 m

Distance Measurement

Upper Stadia Line Reading 1.436 m
Lower Stadia Line Reading 1.152 m
Difference 0.284 m
Distance (0.284 x 100) 28. 4 m

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7

5

4

8

13

12

10

11

9

3

6

2

1

1. Set up the instrument half way between two points (A and B).

2. Take a reading at point A (a

1

= 1.726 m) and another one at

point B (b

1

=1.259 m).

Note: A slight deviation of the line of sight from horizontal

will not cause any measuring error as long as the instr ument
is set up approximately half way between the two points.

3. Subtract b

1

from a1 to get the difference between the points

(d = 0.467 m).

Note: Point B is 0.467 higher than point A because the

difference is a positive number. If point B were lower than
point A, the number would be negative.

15
14

13
12

11
10

AL200 Series

Auto Level

User Guide

www.trimble.com

•

a

1

b

1

A

B

1.259

1.726

0.467

Adjusting the Instrument

Circular Level

1. Set up the instrument.

2. Center the bubble of the circular level using the leveling
screws.

3. Turn the telescope 180° (200 grads).

4 Check to see whether the bubble is still centered in the circle.

If it isn’t, eliminate one half of the error with the leveling
screws and the other half with the two adjustment screws for
the circular level.

5. Repeat the process until the bubble remains centered when
the instrument is turned.

Taking an Angle Measurement

1. Set up the tripod so that it is over a hub.
Note: Make sure the tripod is stable and the tripod head is

relatively level.

2. Hang a plumb-bob from the plumb-bob hook on the tripod.
Note: Make sure the plumb-bob is over the hub.

3. Attach the instrument to the tripod.

4. Center the plumb-bob over the pin in the hub by varying
the length of the tripod legs or by shifting the instr ument
on the tripod.

5. Accurately align the telescope to the first target using the
sighting guides and a horizontal tangent knob.

Note: The first target is a known point.

6. Set the horizontal rotation ring to 0".

7. Accurately align the telescope to the second target and read
the angle.

Line of Sight

Service Request

To locate your local dealer or authorized Trimble Service Center
outside the U.S.A for service, accessories, or spare parts, contact
one of our offices listed below.

Trimble Construction Division
5475 Kellenburger Road
Dayton, Ohio 45424-1099
U.S.A.
[phone] Phone

4

N324

N324

© 2002–2007, Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved.

Reorder PN 1049-0510 Rev. D (01/07)

www.trimble.com

– 9 – – 10 – – 11 –

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– 12 –

North America

Trimble Construction Division

5475 Kellenburger Road

Dayton, Ohio 45424-1099

U.S.A.

[phone]

(Toll Free in U.S.A.)

[phone] Phone

[phone] Fax

www.trimble.com

Africa & Middle East

Trimble Navigation Limited

P.O. Box 17760

Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai

UAE

[phone] Phone

[phone] Fax

Europe

Trimble GmbH
Am Prime Parc 11
65479 Raunheim

GERMANY
[phone] Phone
[phone] Fax

Asia-Pacific

Trimble Navigation

Australia PTY Limited
Level 1/120 Wickham Street
Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006

AUSTRALIA

[phone] Phone

[phone] Fax

Latin America

Trimble Navigation Limited

6505 Blue Lagoon Drive

Suite 120

Miami, FL 33126

U.S.A.

[phone] Phone

[phone] Fax

China

Trimble Beijing

Room 2805-07, Tengda Plaza,

No. 168 Xiwai Street

Haidian District

Beijing, China 100044

[phone] Phone

[phone] Fax

www.trimble.com.cn

4. Move the instrument and reset it up so that it is about 2 m
behind point B.

5. Take another reading at point B (b

2

= 1.462 m).

6. Add b

2

to d to get value c (1.462 + 1.487 = 2.949 m).

7. Take another reading at point A (a

2

).

8. Compare value c (2.949) to a

2

. If the line of sight is correct,
both numbers should be the same. If they differ by more than
4 mm, reset the grade rod on point A and turn the crosshairs
adjustment screws (unscrew the cover to expose them) until
value c (2.949) is centered in the crosshairs.

Caution: The upper and lower adjustment screws are

counter-screws and must not be set too tightly.

9. Repeat the process until the line of sight is correct
(c and a

2

are the same).

1. Set up the instrument half way between two points (A and B)
that are 30 to 40 m apart.

2. Take a reading at point A (a

1

= 2.423 m) and another one at

point B (b

1

= 0.936 m).

3. Subtract b

1

from a1 to get the difference between the points
(d = +1.487 m). Make sure you note whether value d is a
positive or negative number.

Note: Because the distance from the instrument to each of

the points is equal, the difference in elevation is correct even
if the line of sight is out of adjustment.

Specifications

AL220 AL224 AL228 AL232
Dimensions (L x W x H)
Instrument 130 x 190 x 135 mm 130 x 190 x 135 mm 130 x 190 x 135 mm 130 x 190 x 135 mm

(5.1 x 7.5 x 5.3 in.) (5.1 x 7.5 x 5.3 in.) (5.1 x 7.5 x 5.3 in.) (5.1 x 7.5 x 5.3 in.)
Case 170 x 280 x 190 mm 170 x 280 x 190 mm 170 x 280 x 190 mm 170 x 280 x 190 mm

(6.7 x 11.0 x 7.5 in.) (6.7 x 11.0 x 7.5 in.) (6.7 x 11.0 x 7.5 in.) (6.7 x 11.0 x 7.5 in.)
Weight
Instrument 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) 1.6 kg (3.5 lb)
Case 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) 1.1 kg (2.4 lb)
Accuracy
Standard deviation according to DIN +/–2.5 mm +/–2.0 mm +/–1.5 mm +/–1.0 mm

18723 on 1 km of double leveling
Leveling accuracy 3 mm @ 30 m 3 mm @ 46 m 1.5 mm @ 60 m 1.5 mm @ 75 m

(1/8 in. @ 100 ft) (1/8 in. @ 150 ft) (1/16 in. @ 200 ft) (1/16 in. @ 250 ft)
Telescope
Magnification 20x 24x 28x 32x
Aperture 30 mm (1.2 in.) 30 mm (1.2 in.) 36 mm (1.4 in.) 36 mm (1.4 in.)
Telescope image Erect Erect Erect Erect
Field of view angle 1° 20' 1° 20' 1° 20' 1° 20'
Shortest focusing distance 0.60 m (1.97 ft) 0.60 m (1.97 ft) 0.60 m (1.97 ft) 0.60 m (1.97 ft)
Stadia constant 100 100 100 100
Addition constant 0 0 0 0
Automatic Compensator
Type Wire suspension, Wire suspension, Wire suspension, Wire suspension,

air damped air damped air damped air damped

a

2

b

2

a

1

b

1

A

B

a2 = 2.423 b

2

= 1.462

+b1 = 0.936 -d = 1.487

d = +1.487 c = 2.949

Notice to Our European Union Customers

For product recycling instructions and more information,
please go to: www.trimble.com/environment/summary.html

Recycling in Europe

To recycle Trimble WEEE, call: [phone], and ask for the “WEEE

associate,” or

mail a request for recycling instructions to:

T

rimble Europe BV

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orldwide Logistics
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