Trimble M3 Total Station, M3 User Manual

Version A 1.2.0
Part Number C216E
June 2008

F

USER GUIDE

Trimble® M3 Total Station

Contact Information

Trimble Navigation Limited
Engineering and Construction Division
5475 Kellenburger Road
Dayton, Ohio 45424-1099
USA
800-538-7800 (toll free in USA)
[phone] Phone
[phone] Fax

www.trimble.com

Copyright and Trademarks

© 2007-2008, Nikon-Trimble Co. Limited. All rights reserved. Trimble, the
Globe and Triangle logo, Elta, and Terramodel are trademarks of Trimble
Navigation Limited, registered in the United States Patent and Trademark
Office and in other countries. TRIMMARK, and TRIMTALK are trademarks of
Trimble Navigation Limited. Microsoft and Windows are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

It is prohibited to alter this manual in part or whole without express
permission.

The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice. Although
every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this manual, please
contact your dealer if you find anything in it that is incorrect or unclear.

Release Notice

This is the June 2008 release of the

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

,
part number C216E. It applies to version 1.2x of the Trimble M3 total
station.

Manufacturer

Nikon-Trimble Co., Ltd.
Technoport Mituiseimei Bldg.
16-2, Minamikamata 2-chome, Ota-ku
Tokyo 144-0035 Japan

Notices

USA

FCC 15B Class B satisfied.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B personal computer and peripherals, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on,
the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures:
– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
– Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to

which the receiver is connected.

– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

C

WARNING - This equipment has been certified to comply with

the limits for a Class B personal computer and peripherals,
pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC Rules. Only peripherals
(computer input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified
to comply with the Class B limits may be attached to this
equipment. Operation with non-certified personal computer
and/or peripherals is likely to result in interference to radio and TV
reception. The connection of a non-shielded equipment interface
cable to this equipment will invalidate the FCC Certification of
this device and may cause interference levels which exceed the
limits established by the FCC for this equipment.
You are cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for compliance could void your
authority to operate the equipment.

European Union

EU EMC Directive satisfied.

Authorized Representative in Europe

Trimble GmbH
Am Prime Parc 11
65479 Raunheim, Germany

Canada

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la Class B respecte toutes les exigences du
Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

Recycling
Taiwan Battery Recycling Requirements

The product contains a removable battery. Taiwanese
regulations require that waste batteries are recycled.

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:
Trimble Europe BV
c/o Menlo Worldwide Logistics
Meerheide 45
5521 DZ Eersel, NL

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide iii

Safety and Warnings

For your safety read the safety and warnings and this user guide carefully and
thoroughly before using the Trimble

®

M3 total station.

Although Trimble products are designed for maximum safety, using them incorrectly
or disregarding the instructions can cause personal injury or property damage.

You should also read the instruction manual for the battery charger, and the
documentation for any other equipment that you use with a Trimble M3 total station.

Note – Always keep the manual near the instrument for easy reference.

.1 Warnings and Cautions

The following conventions are used to indicate safety instructions:

C

WARNING – Warnings alert you to situations that could cause death or serious injury.

C

CAUTION – Cautions alert you to situations that could cause injury or property damage.

Always read and follow the instructions carefully.

1.1 Warnings

Before using the instrument, read the following warnings and follow the instructions
that they provide:

C

WARNING – Never look at the sun through the telescope. If you do, you may damage or

lose your eyesight.

C

WARNING – The Trimble M3 total station is not designed to be explosion-proof. Do not

use the instrument in coal mines, in areas contaminated with coal dust, or near other
flammable substances.

C

WARNING – Never disassemble, modify, or repair the instrument yourself. If you do, you

may receive electric shocks or burns, or the instrument may catch fire.

C

WARNING – Use only the battery charger that is attached to the instrument. Do not use

any other charger or you may cause the battery pack to catch fire or rupture. The enclosed
battery pack (BC-65) cannot be used with other chargers, such as a charger with part
number Q-7U/E or Q-7C.

Safety and Warnings

iv Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

C

WARNING – Do not cover the battery charger while the battery pack is being recharged.

The charger must be able to dissipate heat adequately. Coverings such as blankets or
clothing can cause the charger to overheat.

C

WARNING – Avoid recharging the battery pack in humid or dusty places, in direct

sunlight, or near heat sources. Do not recharge the battery pack when it is wet. If you do,
you may receive electric shocks or burns, or the battery pack may overheat or catch fire.

C

WARNING – Although the battery pack (part number BC-65) has an auto-reset circuit

breaker, you should take care not to short circuit the contacts. Short circuits can cause the
battery pack to catch fire or burn you.

C

WARNING – Never burn or heat the battery. Doing so may cause the battery to leak or

rupture. A leaking or ruptured battery can cause serious injury.

C

WARNING – Before storing the battery pack or battery charger, cover the contact points

with insulation tape. If you do not cover the contact points, the battery pack or charger
may short circuit, causing fire, burns, or damage to the instrument.

C

WARNING – The battery BC-65 is not waterproof on its own. Do not get the battery wet

when it is removed from the instrument. If water seeps into the battery, it may cause a
fire or burns.

1.2 Cautions

Before using the instrument, read the following cautions and follow the instructions
that they provide:

C

CAUTION – Use of controls, adjustments, or performance of procedures other than those
specified herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure.

C

CAUTION – The tops of the tripod ferrules are very sharp. When handling or carrying the
tripod, take care to avoid injuring yourself on the ferrules.

C

CAUTION – Before carrying the tripod or the instrument in the carrying case, check the
shoulder strap and its clasp. If the strap is damaged or the clasp is not securely fastened,
the carrying case may fall, causing personal injury or instrument damage.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide v

Safety and Warnings

C

CAUTION – Before setting up the tripod, make sure that no-one’s hands or feet are
underneath it. When the legs of the tripod are being driven into the ground, they could
pierce hands or feet.

C

CAUTION – After mounting the instrument on the tripod, securely fasten the thumb
screws on the tripod legs. If the thumb screws are not securely fastened, the tripod may
collapse, causing personal injury or instrument damage.

C

CAUTION – After mounting the instrument on the tripod, securely fasten the clamp screw
on the tripod. If the clamp screw is not securely fastened, the instrument may fall off the
tripod, causing personal injury or instrument damage.

C

CAUTION – Securely fasten the tribrach clamp knob. If the knob is not securely fastened,
the tribrach may come loose or fall off when you lift the instrument, causing personal
injury or instrument damage.

C

CAUTION – Do not stack objects on the plastic carrying case, or use it as a stool. The
plastic carrying case is unstable and its surface is slippery. Stacking or sitting on the plastic
carrying case may cause personal injury or instrument damage.

C

CAUTION – Make sure the laser is disabled before disposing of the instrument.

C

CAUTION – The system in the instrument may stop functioning in order to avoid any
errors in measurement when the instrument detects strong electromagnetic wave(s). If
this is the case, turn off the instrument and remove the source of the electromagnetic
wave(s). Then turn on the instrument to resume the work.

.2 Laser safety

The Trimble M3 3” and 5” DR total stations are a Class 3R laser instrument.

Trimble M3 total station is a Class 3R Laser Product in accordance with: IEC60825-1,
Am2 (2001): “Safety of Laser Products”

Use of the Laser Class 3R equipment can be dangerous.

Precautions: To counteract hazards, it is essential for all users to pay careful attention
to the safety precautions and control measures specified in the standard IEC60825-1
(2001-08) resp. EN60825-1:1994 + A11:1996 + A2:2001, within the hazard distance *);
particularly on to “User’s Guide”.

Safety and Warnings

vi Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

C

WARNING – Only qualified and trained persons should be assigned to install, adjust and

operate the laser equipment.

C

WARNING – Areas in which these lasers are used should be posted with an appropriate

laser warning sign.

C

WARNING – Precautions should be taken to ensure that persons do not look directly, with

or without an optical instrument, into the beam.

C

WARNING – The laser beam should be terminated at the end of its useful beam path and

should in all cases be terminated if the hazardous beam path extends beyond the limit
(hazard distance *) of the area in which the presence and activities of personnel are
monitored for reasons of protection from laser radiation.

C

WARNING – Laser beam path should be located well above or below eye level wherever

practicable.

C

WARNING – When the laser product is not used, it should be stored in a location where

unauthorized personnel cannot gain access.

C

WARNING – Do NOT turn the class 3R laser beam to mirror like specular surfaces; for

instance, prisms, metal surfaces or windows, even unintentionally. Special precautions
should be taken to ensure eliminating such situations.

*The hazard distance is the distance from the laser at which beam irradiance or

radiant exposure equals the maximum permissible value to which personnel may
be exposed without being exposed to health risk.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide vii

Safety and Warnings

2.1 Specifications for laser emission

2.2 Conforming standards

Wave length 630-680 nm
Laser pointer CW Po ≤ 4.75 mW

Measurement in
Reflectorless mode

Pulse
Pp ≤ 8.75 mW Po ≤ 4.75 mW

1.2 nsec/400 MHz - 1.6 nsec/320 MHz

EU

EN60825-1/Am.2:2001 (IEC60825-1/Am.2:2001), class 3R

USA

FDA21CFR Part 1040 Sec.1040.10 and 1040.11
Except for deviations pursuant to Laser Notice No.50, dated June

24, 2007

Safety and Warnings

viii Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 1

Contents

Safety and Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Warnings and Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii

Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Laser safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Specifications for laser emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Conforming standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

About the Trimble Trimble M3 total station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

System diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Related information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Technical assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Your comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Hardware overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

LCD display and key functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Key functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Adjusting lighting, laser, sound, and contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Status bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Software overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MENU overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

HOT MENU overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Principles of display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Basic Measurement Screen (BMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Input screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Menu screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Inputting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Changing between alphanumeric and numeric input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Stack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

3 Before Going to the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Unpacking and packing the instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Unpacking the instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Packing the instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Charging and discharging the battery pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Safety notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Charging the battery pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Detaching the BC-65 battery pack from the instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Contents

2 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Attaching the BC-65 battery pack to the instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Selecting a language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Changing regional configuration presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Instrument settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Basic measurement settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Configuring data recording and external communication settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Frequently used settings (HOT MENU settings) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

4 Getting Started in the Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Setting up the tripod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Centering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Centering with optical plummet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Leveling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Focusing the telescope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Setting the measurement mode and preparing the target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Measurement with a prism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Measurement in Direct-Reflex mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Turning the instrument on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Turning on the instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Turning off the instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Sleep mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

5 Basic Measurement Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Measurement mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Changing the screen display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Changing the distance unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Taking measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Tracking mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Setting the horizontal angle (HA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Setting target height (th) and instrument height (ih). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Setting the station elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Instrument height (ih) and station-Z coordinate (Zs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Measuring edges and corners using the Intersection program (INTS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Bearing-Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Corner-Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Intersection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Eccentric Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

6 Job Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Creating a new job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Opening an existing job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Deleting a job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Setting the Control Point job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Displaying job information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Editing data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 3

Contents

7 Coordinates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Resection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Known Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Orientation using a known azimuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Orientation using known coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Station elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Measure topo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Confirming the station coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Confirming the backsight point angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Confirming the instrument height and Station-Z coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Sighting new points in the Topo observation screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Stakeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Stake out by coordinates (XY or XYZ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Stakeout by angle and distance (HD or HDh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Stakeout by reference line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Stakeout by dividing line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

8 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Connecting distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Choosing 2D or 3D observation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Start connecting distances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Remote object height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

Recording data from connecting distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Station and offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Shifting the coordinate axes y, x. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Vertical plane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Compute area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

9 Data Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Hardware interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

XON/XOFF Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Downloading internal memory to an office computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Transferring recorded data to the office computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Uploading data from an office computer to the internal memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Nikon data fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Uploading a point name/number list from the office computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Uploading a point code list from the office computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

10 Checking and Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Checking and adjusting the plate level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Checking and adjusting the circular level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Checking and adjusting the optical plummet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Checking the instrument constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Checking and adjusting the compensator (C) and index (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Contents

4 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Vertical index and HA collimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Compensator adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Checking and adjusting the laser pointer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Aligning the laser pointer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Adjusting the laser beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

A Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Settings interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Job Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Stakeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Uploading Point Name / Point Code list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Adjustment C&I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

B Data Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

M5 data format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

The M5 data line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Additional data lines of M5 data format – header/changed setting . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Marking in the M5 format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Value blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Recording data lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Nikon data format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Uploading coordinate data format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Downloading Nikon raw format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Point number/name list and Point code list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

File format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

Data example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

C Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Measurement range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Distance measurement precision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Measurement intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Angle measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Dual-axis tilt sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Clamps/tangent screws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Tribrach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Level vial sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Optical plummet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Display and keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Connections in the base of instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Battery pack BC-65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Environmental performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 5

Contents

Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Softkey glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

Glossary of terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Contents

6 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

CHAPTER

1

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 7

Introduction 1

In this chapter:

Q Welcome

Q About the Trimble Trimble M3 total station

Q System diagram

Q Related information

Q Technical assistance

Q Your comments

1 Introduction

8 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

1.1 Welcome

Thank you for purchasing the Trimble® M3 total station.

Before you operate the instrument, read this manual carefully. In particular, pay
attention to the warnings and cautions that appear in the Safety section at the front of
the manual, see Safety and Warnings, page iii.

You should also read the maintenance section, see Maintenance, page 14.

1.2 About the Trimble Trimble M3 total station

The Trimble M3 total station is easy to use. The software for the Trimble M3 series has
been designed to make it easy for you to learn to operate one model of instrument and
apply that knowledge to the other models with little additional training.

The Trimble M3 total station offers reflectorless operation, allowing you to take
measurements to points inaccessible with a prism. This manual shows the unique
capabilities and features available in the Trimble M3 total station.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 9

Introduction 1

1.3 System diagram

Figure 1.1 System diagram

1.4 Related information

• Contact your local Trimble dealer for more information about the support

agreement contracts for software and firmware, and an extended warranty
program for hardware.

• Trimble training courses – Consider a training course to help you use your total

station to its fullest potential. For more information, go to the Trimble website
at www.trimble.com/training.html.

Universal charger,
power cord, and adapters

Trimble M3
total station

DTM/PC connecting
cable (9 pin/25 pin

)

Personal computer

battery type

with NiMH

BC-65M

1 Introduction

10 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

1.5 Technical assistance

If you have a problem and cannot find the information you need in the product
documentation, contact your local dealer.

Technical support

If you need to contact Trimble technical support:

1. Go to the Trimble website (www.trimble.com).

2. Click the

Support button at the top of the screen. The Support A–Z list of

products appears.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the list.

4. Click the

submit an inquiry link. A form appears.

Alternatively, you can send an e-mail to [e-mail]

1.1 Your comments

Your feedback about the supporting documentation helps us to improve it with each
revision. E-mail your comments to [e-mail].

CHAPTER

2

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 11

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total
Station

2

In this chapter:

Q Hardware overview

Q Maintenance

Q LCD display and key functions

Q Software overview

Q Principles of display

Q Inputting data

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

12 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

This chapter gives you an overview of the operation and controls of the Trimble M3
total station, as well as the programs which are a special feature.

2.2 Hardware overview

Figure 2.2 and Figure 2.3 show the main parts of the Trimble M3 total station.

Figure 2.2 Trimble M3 total station – Face-1 (control side)

Carrying

handle

Optical sight

(finder)

Telescope

focusing ring

Telescope

eyepiece

Diopter ring

Rectical plate

cover

Plate level

Face-1 display
and keyboard

Tri brach

clamp knob

Battery
mounting button

Battery pack
BC-65

Vertical tangent
screw

Vertical clamp

Horizontal clamp

Horizontal
tangent screw

The laser safety
label shown is

underside of the

keyboard

attached to the

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 13

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

Figure 2.3 Trimble M3 total station – Face-2

Horizontal axis
indication mark

Optical plummet

Tri brach

The laser safety
label shown is

telescope

attached to the

Objective

LASER LIGHT

IS EMITTED

FROM THIS PART

Data output /

external power

input connector

WARNING

Input voltage

7.2 - 11 V DC

Leveling screw

Circular level

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

14 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

2.3 Maintenance

Before using the instrument, read and follow the following maintenance instructions:

• Do not leave the instrument in direct sunlight or in a closed vehicle for

prolonged periods. Overheating the instrument may reduce its efficiency.

• If the Trimble M3 total station has been used in wet conditions, immediately

wipe off any moisture and dry the instrument completely before returning the
instrument to the carrying case. The instrument contains sensitive electronic
assemblies which have been well protected against dust and moisture. However,
if dust or moisture gets into the instrument, severe damage could result.

• Sudden changes in temperature may cloud the lenses and drastically reduce the

measurable distance, or cause an electrical system failure. If there has been a
sudden change in temperature, leave the instrument in a closed carrying case in
a warm location until the temperature of the instrument returns to room
temperature.

• Do not store the Trimble M3 total station in hot or humid locations. In

particular, you must store the battery pack in a dry location at a temperature of
less than 30 °C (86 °F). High temperature or excessive humidity can cause mold
to grow on the lenses. It can also cause the electronic assemblies to deteriorate,
and so lead to instrument failure.

• Store the battery pack with the battery discharged.

• When storing the instrument in areas subject to extremely low temperatures,

leave the carrying case open.

• Do not overtighten any of the clamp screws.

• When adjusting the vertical tangent screws, upper plate tangent screws, or

leveling screws, stay as close as possible to the center of each screw's range. The
center is indicated by a line on the screw. For final adjustment of tangent screws,
rotate the screw clockwise.

• If the tribrach will not be used for an extended period, lock down the tribrach

clamp knob and tighten its safety screw.

• Do not use organic solvents (such as ether or paint thinner) to clean the non-

metallic parts of the instrument (such as the keyboard) or the painted or printed
surfaces. Doing so could result in discoloration of the surface, or in peeling of
printed characters. Clean these parts only with a soft cloth or a tissue, lightly
moistened with water or a mild detergent.

• To clean the optical lenses, lightly wipe them with a soft cloth or a lens tissue

that is moistened with alcohol.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 15

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

• The reticle plate cover has been correctly mounted. Do

not release it or subject it to excessive force to make it
watertight.

• Before attaching the battery pack, check that the contact

surfaces on the battery and instrument are clean. Press
the battery pack into place until the battery mounting
button rises up to the battery pack top surface. If the
battery pack is not attached securely, the instrument is
not watertight.

• Press the cap that covers the data output/external power input connector

terminal until it clicks into place. The instrument is not watertight if the cap is
not attached securely, or when the data output/external power input connector
is used.

• The carrying case is designed to be watertight, but you should not leave it

exposed to rain for an extended period.

• The BC-65 battery pack contains a NiMH battery. When disposing of the battery

pack, follow the laws or rules of your municipal waste system. See also

Recycling, page ii.

• The instrument can be damaged by static electricity from the human body

discharged through the data output/external power input connector. Before
handling the instrument, touch any other conductive material once to remove
static electricity.

2.4 LCD display and key functions

The LCD display and keys on the Trimble M3 total station keyboard are shown below.

Reticle plate cover

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

16 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

24.1 Key functions

Ta bl e 2 .1 summarizes the functions of the Trimble M3 series keys.

Table 2.1 Key functions

Key Function

[Menu] key. Press to display the MENU screen which contains the following

options:

1. Job Manager

2. Adjustment

3. Applications

4. Coordinates

5. Setting Instrument

6. Setting interface

7. Data Transfer

Trimble key. Press to display the

HOT MENU screen which contains the

following options:

1. EDM Settings

2. DR/PR Mode

3. Electronic Level

4. Setting Corrections

5. Point number / Point code

6. Target

7. Edit

Illumination key. Press to display the 4-switch window which
contains the following options:

1. Backlight on/off.

2. Laser pointer on/off

3. Sound on/off

4. Display contrast adjustment
See Adjusting lighting, laser, sound, and contrast, page 17.

[PWR] button. Press to turn the instrument on or off.

See Turning the instrument on and off, page 53.

[ESC] key. Press to return to the previous screen. If you are in numeric or

alpha-numeric mode press this key to delete your input.

[MEAS/ENT] key. Press to do any of the following:

• Proceed to the next step

• Initiate a measurement and record the point

• Confirm the input value/name/code when you are in input mode

[F1] - [F4] Function keys. When softkeys (for example Stack) are displayed at

the bottom of the screen, press the function key beneath the softkey
indication.

Note – The fields at the bottom of each screen relate to the function of the
keys situated below the display. They indicate the next possible setting, not
the current setting.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 17

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

24.2 Adjusting lighting, laser, sound, and contrast

You can adjust the lighting and sound levels from any
screen:

1. Press the illumination key to display the 4-switch
window.

2. To cycle through the settings for the backlight,
sound and laser, press the number beside the
switch. For example, to turn the backlight on or
off, press

[1]. Alternatively, to highlight the switch

that you want to set, press

[^] or [v] and then press

[<] or [>] to change the setting.

3. To adjust the contrast when the 4-switch window
is open:

a. Press

[4], [<] or [>] to display the contrast

adjustment window.

b. Press

[^] or [v] to change the contrast level.

The arrow indicates the current contrast
level.

[<] Left arrow key. Move the highlighted cursor to the left, or delete a

character when you are in the input mode.

[>] Right arrow key. Move the highlighted cursor to the right.

[^] [v] Up and down arrow keys. Move the highlighted cursor up or down in list

and

MENU screens. Also used to move between the BMS screens.

The keypad is used to enter numbers and alphabetic characters.
In this example, press the key to enter

[1] when the instrument is set for

numeric input, and press the key one or more times to enter P, Q, R, or S in
capitals or lower-case characters.

Table 2.1 Key functions

Key Function

LCD backlight on

LCD backlight off

Sound on.

Sound off

Contrast
adjustment
window

Laser pointer off

Laser pointer on

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

18 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

c. To return to the 4-switch window, press [<]

or [>].

4. Press

[ESC] to close the 4-switch window.

20.1 Status bar

The status bar appears on the right side of every screen. It contains indicators that
reflect the status of various system functions:

Laser pointer indicator

When the laser pointer is on, the indicator appears. When the laser pointer is off,
no indicator appears.

The laser pointer indicator appears when the measurement is made in the direct-reflex
mode. In this condition, the laser class is 3R.

Input mode indicator

The input mode indicator only appears when you are entering points or coordinates. It
shows the following data input mode:

Indicator Input mode

Input mode is numeric. Press a key on the number pad to enter the number
printed on the key.

Input mode is alphabetic (capital letters). Press a key on the number pad to
enter the first letter printed above the key. Press the key repeatedly to cycle
through all the letters assigned to the key. For instance, to enter the capital
letter O in alphabetic mode, press

[6] three times.

Input mode is alphabetic (lower case). Press a key on the number pad to enter
the first letter printed above the key. Press the key repeatedly to cycle through
all the letters assigned to the key. For instance, to enter the lower case letter o
in alphabetic mode, press

[6] three times.

Laser pointer indicator
Input mode indicator

DR/PR mode indicator
Backlight on indicator

Battery level indicator

Compensator indicator

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 19

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

DR/PR mode indicator

The mode indicator indicates the current measurement mode. The icon blinks when
you take a measurement.

Backlight-ON indicator

When the backlight is on, the indicator appears. When the backlight is off, no
indicator appears.

Compensator indicator

When the automatic compensator correction is set to on, the indicator appears.
When the automatic compensator correction is off, no indicator appears.

Battery level indicator

The battery level indicator shows the battery voltage level:

If the battery level is critically low, the following
message appears:

Indicator Measurement mode

Current measurement mode is DR-mode (Direct-Reflex mode).

Current measurement mode is PR-mode (Prism mode).

Indicator Battery level

Level 4 (full)

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Battery low

Note – When the Battery low icon starts to blink, the remaining battery level
is less than 10 minutes. Please replace the battery with a fully charged battery
immediately.

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

20 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

2.1 Software overview

There are two software menus, the main MENU and the HOT MENU.

21.1 MENU overview

To access the main MENU screen, press [MENU] and then select options from the menu
using the keypad. Use the MENU screen to access important functions and settings.

Menu item Sub-menu Description

1. Job Manager 1. New Create a new job. See Creating a new job, page 68.

2. Open Open an existing job. See Opening an existing job, page 70.

3. Delete Delete a job. See Deleting a job, page 70.

4. Ctrl Point Set a control point job. See Setting the Control Point job, page 71.

5. Info Show job information (including free space, recorded points). See

Displaying job information, page 72

2. Adjustment C&I Zero point adjustment for vertical scale, horizontal angle
corrections, and compensator. See Checking and adjusting the

compensator (C) and index (I), page 119.

3. Applications 1. Connect Distance See Connecting distance, page 96.

2. Remote Object See Remote object height, page 100.

3. Station + Offset See Station and offset, page 102.

4. Vertical Plane See Vertical plane, page 105.

5. Compute Area See Compute area, page 107.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 21

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

4. Coordinates 1. Resection See Resection, page 74.

2. Known Station 1. Hz - known station setup by BS Azimuth input.

2. YX - Known station setup by XYZ to BS.
See , page 79.

3. Station elevation REM. See Station elevation, page 83.

4. Measure topo Eccentricity (softkey) - In/Out, Right/Left offset distance input,
height and frequency settings. See Eccentric measurement,

page 85.

Input dSD (softkey).
See Measure topo, page 83.

5. Stake Out 1. XY - stakeout by coordinate, 2D. See Stake out by coordinates

(XY or XYZ), page 87.

2. HD - stakeout by angle and distance, 2D. See Stakeout by angle

and distance (HD or HDh), page 89.

3. XYZ - stakeout by coordinate, 3D. See Stake out by coordinates

(XY or XYZ), page 87.

4. HDh - stakeout by angle and distance, 3D. See Stakeout by

angle and distance (HD or HDh), page 89.

5. RefLine 2D - stakeout points from a line defined by Sta and O/S.
See Stakeout by reference line, page 90.

6. DivLine 2D - stakeout points after dividing a line by equal
distances. See Stakeout by dividing line, page 91.

5. Setting - Instrument 1. Angle Set angle accuracy, display unit, VA reference and direction.See

Angle settings, page 34.

2. Distance Set distance accuracy and display unit. See Distance settings,

page 35.

3. Coord. System Set axis type and display order. See Coordinate system settings,

page 36.

4. Units Set temperature and pressure. See Units settings, page 36

5. Turn Off Set auto-power cut-off settings and sleep settings for the main
unit. See Turn Off settings, page 36.

6. Clock Set the built-in clock. See Clock settings, page 37.

7. Miscellaneous Set default input modes in the code and point name fields. See

Miscellaneous settings, page 37.

6. Settings - interface Set the recording format. See Configuring data recording and

external communication settings, page 38.

7. Data Transfer 1. MEM-Periph Download data.See Downloading internal memory to an office

computer, page 111.

2. Periph-MEM Upload data (coordinates).See Uploading data from an office

computer to the internal memory, page 113.

3. Upload Point List Upload point-number list. See Uploading a point name/number

list from the office computer, page 114.

4. Upload Code List Upload point-code list. See Uploading a point code list from the

office computer, page 114.

Menu item Sub-menu Description

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

22 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

21.2 HOT MENU overview

To ac ces s t he HOT MENU, press . In any measurement screen, you can use the HOT

MENU to change the point number and point code and the EDM mode, or check

recorded data.

2.2 Principles of display

The following are typical program screens:

• Basic Measurement Screen (BMS)

• Input screens

• Menu screens

Menu item Sub-menu Description

1. EDM Settings Set distance precision. See Distance measurement settings (EDM),

page 39.

2. DR / PR Mode Select measure mode. See Changing target mode (DR or Prism),

page 40.

3. Elec. level Display the bubble and change tilt correction. See Bubble level

display (electric level), page 40.

4. Sett. Corr. Prism const. Input prism constant. See Configuring error corrections, page 40.

Temperature Input temperature.

Pressure Input pressure.

Scale Input scale factor.

C&R corr. Setting for curvature and refraction correction.

Sea level corr. Select sea-level correction.

5. P/C Input point number and code to prepare for the next recording
point. See Selecting a point name and point code, page 41.

6. Target Select a target set (a combination of target height and measure
mode). See Selecting a target configuration, page 41.

7. Edit Internal Memory See Editing data, point number lists or point code lists, page 42.

Point Number List See Managing your list of point names, page 44.

Point code list See Managing your list of point codes, page 45.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 23

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

22.1 Basic Measurement Screen (BMS)

The BMS is an observation screen. To take a measurement and store the point data,
press

[MEAS/ENT].

The bottom part of the screen is the softkey area. To use the softkeys, press the
function key directly below the softkey command. For example, to reset the horizontal
angle to zero

HA=0, press [F1].

The Status bar, page 18 shows indicators for the laser pointer, the character input
mode, operating mode, backlight and tilt status, and the battery level.

22.2 Input screen

An input screen enables you to enter data.

In an input screen, the status bar displays the current input mode and the softkeys
provide different input options.

In the example shown here, press

• [F1] <ABC> to change the input mode to capital alphanumeric letters

• [F2] List to show the point name list

• [F3] Stack to display the point stack

• [F4] o.k. to complete both the point name and point code input

Status bar area

Softkey area

Softkey area

Currently set to numeric

input mode

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

24 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

22.3 Menu screen

A menu screen gives a list of options. When you have selected a menu item, a
secondary menu screen or input screen appears.

To choose a menu item, use the number keys, or the

[^] or [v] arrow keys.

On a menu screen, a down-arrow on the right bottom corner of the screen indicates
that there are more items in the menu. To see the other menu items, press

[v].

2.3 Inputting data

23.1 Changing between alphanumeric and numeric input

You can enter characters into fields using the
numeric

<123> or alphanumeric <ABC>/<abc>

mode. A

1, A, or a in the sidebar indicates the

current input mode.

The default input mode is numeric.

• To change the input mode from numeric to

capital letter alphanumeric, press

[F1].

• To change the input from capital letter to

lower case alphanumeric, press

[F1].

• To change back to the numeric input mode,

press

[F1] again.

Note – The alphanumeric mode includes the plus and
minus sign.

Down arrow indicator

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 25

Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station 2

23.2 Stack

Use the stack function to input a previously used
string.

1. Press

[F3] Stack when you are in an input

screen. A window appears that contains the
current contents in the stack memory.

2. To select a string from the stack list, press

[^] or

[v] and then press [MEAS/ENT] to insert the selected

string in the input screen.

3. To cancel the process, press

[ESC].

Note – The stack list can hold up to 5 strings used for
recording points.

20.1 List

Use the list function to input a string from the
registered list. The system maintains two lists: one for
the point number (point name), and one for the point
code.

1. Press

[F2] List when you are in an input screen.

A window appears that contains the current
contents in the list memory.

2. To select a list, press

[^] or [v] and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to insert the selected string in the

Point number or Point code field.

3. To cancel the process, press

[ESC].

Note – The lists can hold up to 254 point number or point codes. When you have a large
number of items, you can group them by using the Layer functionality. See Adding a layer,

page 46.

2 Overview of the Trimble M3 Total Station

26 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

CHAPTER

3

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 27

Before Going to the Field 3

In this chapter:

Q Unpacking and packing the instrument

Q Charging and discharging the battery pack

Q Selecting a language

Q Changing regional configuration presets

Q Instrument settings

3 Before Going to the Field

28 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

3.1 Unpacking and packing the instrument

Note – Handle the Trimble M3 total station carefully to protect it from shocks and
excessive vibration.

31.1 Unpacking the instrument

To unpack the instrument, grip the carrying handle and
carefully remove the instrument from the carrying case.

31.2 Packing the instrument

Note – Store the instrument with the battery pack
attached.

To pack the instrument back into the carrying case:

1. Set the telescope in the horizontal face-1
position.

2. Align the storage marks (W + + W) as shown
in the figure right.

3. Lightly fasten the clamp knobs.

4. Place the instrument in the carrying case.

Note – When packing the charger in the plastic carrying
case, make sure that you store it as shown on the sticker
inside the case. Make sure that the battery charger cable
is not pinched when you close the case cover.

3.1 Charging and discharging the battery pack

31.1 Safety notices

Before charging the battery pack, read the following warnings, cautions and notes.

C

WARNING – To charge the battery pack (BC-65), use only the battery charger that is

attached to the instrument. Do NOT use any other charger or you may cause the battery
pack to catch fire or rupture. The enclosed battery pack (BC-65) cannot be used with other
chargers, such as a charger with part number Q-7U/E or Q-7C.

WARNING – Do not cover the battery charger while the battery pack is being recharged.

The charger must be able to dissipate heat adequately. Coverings such as blankets or
clothing can cause the charger to overheat.

Mark

Mark

Mark

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 29

Before Going to the Field 3

C

WARNING – Avoid recharging the battery pack in humid or dusty places, in direct

sunlight, or near heat sources. Do not recharge the battery pack when it is wet. If you do,
you may receive electric shocks or burns, or the battery pack may overheat or catch fire.

C

WARNING – Although the battery pack (part number BC-65) has an auto-reset circuit

breaker, you should take care not to short circuit the contacts. Short circuits can cause the
battery pack to catch fire or burn you.

C

WARNING – Never burn or heat the battery. Doing so may cause the battery to leak or

rupture. A leaking or ruptured battery can cause serious injury.

C

WARNING – Before storing the battery pack or battery charger, cover the contact points

with insulation tape. If you do not cover the contact points, the battery pack or charger
may short circuit, causing fire, burns, or damage to the instrument.

C

WARNING – The battery BC-65 is not waterproof on its own. Do not get the battery wet

when it is removed from the instrument. If water seeps into the battery, it may cause a
fire or burns.

Note – Charge the battery pack indoors where the ambient temperature is between 10 °C
and 40 °C (between 50 °F and 104 °F). If you try to charge the battery when the ambient
temperature is outside this range, the protective circuit will activate and prevent it from
being charged normally.

Note – After charging the battery pack, do not recharge it until it has been fully discharged.
Recharging a fully charged battery pack lowers its performance.

Note – To prevent malfunction, keep the charging plug clean.

Note – If the charger indicator (LED2) blinks orange and green after charging is started,

there could be a problem in the battery pack. Do not use or charge the battery pack any
further. Contact your dealer.

Note – If the ambient temperature drops below 10 °C (50 °F) while the battery pack is
charging, charging stops. When the ambient temperature rises above 10 °C (50 °F),
charging is resumed.

Note – If the charger indicators (LED1 and LED2) remain lit orange for more than three
hours while the ambient temperature was in the normal range (10 °C through 40 °C or
50 °F through 104 °F), there could be a problem in the battery pack. Do not use or charge
the battery pack any further. Contact your dealer.

Note – During the charge, the battery pack and charger will become warm. This is normal.

Note – After charging the battery pack, do not recharge it until it has been fully discharged.

Recharging a fully charged battery pack lowers its performance.

Note – If the battery pack is used at low temperatures (below -20 °C or -4 °F), its capacity is
reduced, and it will allow less operation time than a battery pack used at normal (room)
temperature.

Note – If a battery pack is not used for a long period, it cannot be charged to its full
capacity again.

3 Before Going to the Field

30 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Note – You can use a battery charger with part number Q-70U/E or Q-70C to partially
charge a battery pack with part number BC-65. However, these chargers cannot fully
charge the BC-65 battery pack.

31.2 Charging the battery pack

1. Connect the power plug on the charger to an AC power outlet.

2. Connect the charging plug on the charger cable to the charging connector on
the battery pack.

Both indicators on the charger (LED1 and LED2) turn on to orange, and
charging starts automatically.

When the battery pack is fully charged, the LED2 indicator turns to green.

To AC outl et

Charger for

Air holes

Power cord and

LED2

LED1

adapters

BC-80/65

Connector to
the charger

To BC-65 battery
pack connector

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 31

Before Going to the Field 3

30.1 Detaching the BC-65 battery pack from the instrument

C

CAUTION – Avoid touching the contacts on the battery pack.

1. If the instrument is turned on, press [PWR] to turn it off.

2. Depress the battery mounting button while holding the battery pack.

30.1 Attaching the BC-65 battery pack to the instrument

C

CAUTION – If the battery pack is not attached securely, this could adversely affect the
watertightness of the instrument.

1. Before you attach the battery pack, clear any dust or other foreign particles from
the battery socket.

2. Fit the two projections at the bottom of the battery pack into the concave
sections at the bottom of the socket on the instrument.

3. Hold the instrument steady with one hand and push the battery pack against
the instrument.

4. Make sure that the battery mounting button is securely locked.

1 4

3

2

3 Before Going to the Field

32 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

3.1 Selecting a language

The Trimble M3 total station provides three language
selections, depending on the language pack that you
have installed:

• Language pack 1: English, Russian, and Spanish

• Language pack 2: English, German, and French

Language pack 1 is the default language pack
installed at the factory. To have another language
pack installed, contact an authorized Trimble total
station service provider.

1. To select a different language, power on the
instrument and at the

TILT TELESCOPE

screen, press

[ESC] and then press [3].

The

Language Configuration screen

appears. The screen shows up to three languages
that are currently available.

The current language selection is highlighted.

2. Press

[^] or [v] to highlight the required language

and then press

[ENT].

The instrument reboots and displays the start­up Tilt Telescope screen in the selected
language.

3.1 Changing regional configuration presets

You can quickly configure the Trimble total station to a pre-set combination of default
regional settings. The Regional Configuration screen appears only after the language is
selected.

To change the regional configuration pre-sets:

1. Follow the steps in Selecting a language, page 32.

After the instrument is rebooted and the
telescope is tilted, the

Regional

Configuration screen appears.

2. Press

[^] or [v] to highlight the required regional

settings and then press

[ENT].

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 33

Before Going to the Field 3

3. If you do not want to change the current
settings, press

[ESC]. The instrument will

continue to use the last settings that were
configured.

The settings affected by the

REGIONAL CONFIGURATION screen are:

Table 3.2 Regional configuration pre-sets

Category Setting Europe International United States

Angle Accuracy 0.2 mg - 0.5 mg 1” 1”

Unit gon DMS DMS

VA-Reference Zenith Zenith Zenith

AZ-Zero-Direct North North North

HA Initialize OFF OFF OFF

Distance Accuracy 0.001 m 0.001 m 0.001 f

Unit Meter Meter US-feet

(survey feet)

Coord. System Axis Type X↑ → YN↑ → EN↑ → E

Displ. Order Y, X N, E N, E

Units Temp Centigrade (°C) Centigrade (°C) Fahrenheit (°F)

Press hPa mmHg In Hg

Turn Off Main Unit OFF OFF OFF

Sleep 5 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes

Miscellaneous P Input <123> <123> <123>

C Input <ABC> <ABC> <ABC>

Add PT for S-O 0 0 0

Settings Interface Recording MEM/3 MEM/3 MEM/3

Rec. Mode All All All

Rec. Settings No No No

Format M5 Nikon Nikon

Parity None None None

Baud 4800 4800 4800

Position P 16 16 16

Position C 11 11 11

Position I 1 1 1

EDM Settings Mode PREC PREC PREC

Ave 1 1 1

Settings
correction

Prism constant -18mm -18mm -18mm

Scale 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000

C & R corr. 0.142 0.142 0.142

Sea level corr. OFF OFF OFF

3 Before Going to the Field

34 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

3.1 Instrument settings

The required instrument settings can be divided into the following groups:

• Basic measurement settings – access the basic

measurement setting options from

[MENU] [5]

Settings Instrument. See Basic

measurement settings, page 34.

• Data recording and transfer related settings –

access the basic measurement setting options
from

[MENU] [6] Setting Interface. See

Configuring data recording and external
communication settings, page 38.

• Frequently used settings – the Trimble key is

available in most observation screens and is used
to change the EDM mode, point number/code,
and target and correction settings. You can also
activate bubble indication to check leveling, and
check and edit data from this menu.

See Frequently used settings (HOT MENU

settings), page 39.

31.1 Basic measurement settings

Press [MENU] [5] Settings Instrument to enter or
change the basic measurement settings.

Angle settings

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[1] Angle,

To move from one line to the next, press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 35

Before Going to the Field 3

The angle settings are:

Distance settings

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[2] Distance,

To move from one line to the next, press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

The distance settings are:

Options

Accuracy Tr im bl e M 3 3 "D R

1" / 0.0002° / 0.2mg / 0.01M
5" / 0.001° / 1mg / 0.1M
10" / 0.005° / 5mg / 0.5M

Tri mb le M3 5" DR

1" / 0.0005° / 0.5mg / 0.01M
5" / 0.001° / 1mg / 0.1M
10" / 0.005° / 5mg / 0.5M

Unit DMS

Deg
gon
mil

V-Reference Zenith

Vertical
± Elev

AZ-Zero-Direct North

South

HA Initialize ON

OFF

Note – When HA Initialize is set to ON, the horizontal angle needs to be
initialized (by rotating alidade) every time the vertical index is initialized
(that is, when you turn the instrument on). By doing this, the azimuth
direction will be kept after rebooting the instrument.

Options

Accuracy 0.001 m / 0.001 ft

0.005 m / 0.01 ft

0.01 m / 0.02 ft

Unit Meter

United States foot (U-ft)
International foot (I-ft)

3 Before Going to the Field

36 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Coordinate system settings

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[3] Coord-Syst,

To move from one line to the next, press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

The coordinate system settings are:

Units settings

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[4] Units,

To move from one line to the next, press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

The coordinate system settings are:

Turn Off settings

This option controls power saving.

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[5] Turn Off,

To move from one line to the next, press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

Options

Axis Type X↑ → Y

Y↑ → X
N↑ → E

Displ.Order Y, X

X, Y
N, E
E, N

Options

Temperature Celsius

Fahrenheit

Pressure mmHg

hPa
inHg

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 37

Before Going to the Field 3

The power savings settings are:

Clock settings

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[6] Clock,

To move from one element of the date or time
field ( for example from the year to the month
field), press

[v], [^], or [MEAS/ENT].

2. To change the settings of each date or time
element, press

[<] to select a character and then

use the keypad to enter a number. Press

[v] to

move to the next element.

3. Press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

The clock settings are:

Miscellaneous settings

1. From the

Settings Instrument menu,

select

[7] Misc,

To move from one line to another press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

Options

Main Unit OFF

10 min
30 min

Sleep OFF

1 min
3 min
5 min

Options

Date Enter in the order Year > Month > Day

Time Enter in the order Hour > Minutes (24-hour clock)

3 Before Going to the Field

38 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

The miscellaneous settings are:

30.1 Configuring data recording and external communication settings

1. Press [MENU] [6] Settings Interface to set
up data recording/transfer related settings.

To move from one line to the next, press

[v].

2. To change the settings in each line, press

[<] or [>]

and then press

[MEAS/ENT] to confirm the change.

The setting options are:

Options

P Input 123

ABC
abc

C Input 123

ABC
abc

Note – P Input and C Input are the settings used to define the
default input mode when you enter a point number or name
(P Input) and point code (C Input). For example, if you often use a
point name such as K-101 or T3, you can change the setting to start
entering the point name in alphabetic mode.

S-O Add PT 0 - 999999 (numeric input)

Note – This field is a setting for recoding a point in stakeout
functions. It is used to specify an integer that is added to the point
number being staked to generate a new number for recording the
staked point. The default value is 0. For example, when you stake
out PT3 with an Add Constant of 1000, the default number for
stakeout recording is PT1003.

Options

Rec. Data Type MEM/1 /2 /3 - record data to the internal memory, where:

• /1 records measured values

• /2 records computed values

• /3 records both measured and computed value
V24/1 /2 /3 - output data to external device via the RS232 interface,

where:

• /1 outputs measured values

• /2 outputs computed values

• /3 outputs both measured and computed value
OFF - no data recorded

Rec. Mode All

Confirm

Rec. Settings Yes

No

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 39

Before Going to the Field 3

30.1 Frequently used settings (HOT MENU settings)

Press the Trimble key to access the HOT MENU.

B

Tip – When you hold down the Trimble key for one
second in any observation screen, a shortcut screen
appears that enables you to enter the point, code, target
height, and prism constant.

Distance measurement settings (EDM)

1. Press

[1] in the HOT MENU screen to open the

EDM Settings screen.

2. Press

[<] or [>] to change the Mode setting. The

options are

PREC/STD where:

PREC is precise measurement mode

STD is fast measurement mode

3. Press

[v] to move to the AVE field. AVE is the

number of measurements to average when
computing the measured distance value. Enter a
number between 1 and 99.

4. To return to the

HOT MENU screen, press [ESC].

Format (output format) M5, see M5 data format, page 130

Nikon, see Nikon data format, page 142

Parity None

Even
Odd

Baud rate 1200

2400
4800
9600
19200
38400

Position P (only for M5
format)

1 - 16

Position C (only for M5
format)

1 - 23

Position I (only for M5
format)

1 - 21

Options

3 Before Going to the Field

40 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Changing target mode (DR or Prism)

Press

[2] in the HOT MENU screen to change the current

EDM mode. For example, if you are currently in Prism
measurement mode (

PR), press [2] to change the mode

to Direct-Reflex mode (

DR).

B

Tip – When you change the DR/PR mode, the prism
constant and target height is updated using the setting
value in [6] Target. In DR mode, the prism constant and
target height for DR is used. In PR mode, the values are
the last ones used in PR mode.

Bubble level display (electric level)

1. Press

[3] Elec. Level in the HOT MENU

screen to view the bubble level display.

2. To change the tilt compensation settings, press

[<]

or

[>].

3. To return to the

HOT MENU screen, press [ESC].

Configuring error corrections

1. Press

[4] in the HOT MENU screen to open the

Settings Corrections screen. There are

seven settings related to distance corrections.

2. In the first settings screen

Correction is

updated when you change the temperature
and/or pressure value.

3. Do one of the following:

– To display the next screen, press

[v] when

you are in the

Pressure field.

– To use values from the stack, press

[F3] Stack in any numeric input field.

– To finish the settings, press

[F4] o.k.

4. Press [ESC] to return to the HOT MENU screen.

Table 3.3 Allowable values for error corrections

Setting Input range

Prism constant -999 – 999 (numeric input)

Temperature -40 °C – 70 °C

Pressure 440 hPa – 1460 hPa

Scale 0.995000 – 1.00500

C&R corr. 0.132, 0.142, 0.200, or OFF

Sea level corr. ON/OFF

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 41

Before Going to the Field 3

Selecting a point name and point code

1. Press

[5] in the HOT MENU screen to open the

Point Number/Point Code screen.

2. Do one of the following:

– To change the input mode, press

[F1] <ABC>.

– To select the input from the list, press

[F2] List.

– To select the input from a previously used

point name or code, press

[F3] Stack.

3. Then do one of the following:

– To return to the screen in which you

pressed , press

[F4].

– To return to the

HOT MENU screen, press

[ESC].

Selecting a target configuration

1. Press

[6] in the HOT MENU screen to open the

Set Target screen.

2. Do one of the following:

– To move the cursor in the target list, press

[^]

or [v] or [1] – [5] and then press [MEAS/ENT] to
select the highlighted item.

–Press

[F2] Edit to edit the target settings,

see Editing target settings, page 41.

3. To select the highlighted target, press

[F4] o.k..

Editing target settings

1. Press [F2] Edit in the Set Target screen. The

Edit Target screen appears.

2. Do one of the following:

– Use the keypad to enter a new value.

– To use values from the stack, press

[F3] Stack.

– To return to the previous screen, press

[ESC].

3. To finish the edit, press

[F4] o.k..

Note – Input the value that is shown on the prism into the
Prism const. field.

3 Before Going to the Field

42 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Editing data, point number lists or point code lists

1. Press

[7] in the HOT MENU screen to open the

Edit screen.

2. Do one of the following:

– To view and edit data stored in the memory,

press

[F1]. See Viewing and editing data in

internal memory, page 42.

– To edit the point number list, press

[F2]. See

Managing your list of point names, page 44.

– To edit the point code list, press

[F3]. See

Managing your list of point codes, page 45

3. To return to the

HOT MENU screen, press [ESC].

Viewing and editing data in internal memory

This screen reports the current status of the internal
memory:

• Free memory indicates how many more lines

you can record.

• Last address is the address of the last

recorded line in the internal memory.

Do one of the following:

• To open the view data screen, press [F1] Disp.

See Reviewing stored data, page 43.

• To delete data lines, press [F2] Del. See Deleting

data, page 43.

• To input coordinate data, press [F3] Inp.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 43

Before Going to the Field 3

Reviewing stored data

1. Press [F1] Disp in the Internal memory
screen.

2. Do any of the following:

– To edit point number and code, press

[F1]

C+P.

– To search a point by point name or number,

press

[F2] ?P.

– To search a point by point code, press

[F3]

?C.

– To search a point by address, press

[F4] ?A.

– To display the previous data line in the

internal memory, press

[^].

– To display the next data line in the internal

memory, press

[v].

– To return to the previous screen, press

[ESC].

Deleting data

1. Press [F2] Del in the Internal memory
screen to delete data lines,

2. Do any of the following:

– To delete all points in the current job, press

[F1] All.

– To define the point so that you can delete

by point number, press

[F2] ?P.

– To define the point so that you can delete

by point code, press

[F3] ?C.

– To define the point so that you can delete

by address, press

[F4] ?A.

Note – When the address is specified by ?P, ?C, or ?A,
everything, from the specified data line to the end of the
file, will be deleted.

3 Before Going to the Field

44 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

Searching your data

1. Press [F3] ? in the View data screen to open the

Search from Job screen.

2. Do one of the following:

– To search a point by point name or number,

press

[F2] ?P. When you have selected or

entered a point name or number, press

[MEAS/ENT].

– To search a point by point code, press

[F3] ?C.

– To search a point by address, press

[F4] ?A.

The search result screen appears.

3. Do one of the following:

– To search another point with the same

condition, press

[F3] ?↓.

– To define a new search, press

[ESC] to return

to the previous screen.

Managing your list of point names

This screen shows the current point name list. Press the

[^] or [v] key to select the point name or number, or a

layer that you want to edit or delete.

Do one of the following:

– To delete the highlighted point name or

number, press

[F1] DEL. See Deleting a point

name or number, page 45.

– To edit the highlighted point name or

number, press

[F2] Edit. See Editing a point

name or number, page 45.

– To add a point name or number, press

[F3]

Add. See Adding a point name or number,

page 45.

– To return to the previous screen, press

[ESC].

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 45

Before Going to the Field 3

Editing a point name or number

1. Press [F2] Edit in the point number list screen.
The

Edit Point Number screen appears.

2. Enter the required name or number. Press

[F1]

<abc> to change the input mode.

3. Press

[MEAS/ENT]. A confirmation screen appears.

Do one of the following:

– To return to the list without any change,

press

[F1] No.

– To accept the change and update the list,

press

[F4] Yes.

Deleting a point name or number

1. Highlight an item in the point number list screen
and then press

[F1] DEL. A confirmation screen

appears.

2. Do one of the following:

– To return to the list without deleting the

item, press

[F1] No.

– To delete the item, press

[F4] Yes.

Adding a point name or number

1. Press [F3] Add in the point number list screen.
The

Add screen appears.

2. Do one of the following:

– Use the keypad to enter a new value.

– To change the input mode, press

[F1] <ABC>.

– To return to the previous screen, press

[ESC].

3. Press

[MEAS/ENT] to update the list.

Managing your list of point codes

This screen shows the current point code list. Press

[^] or

[v] to select the point name or number, or a layer that

you want to edit or delete.

Note – A layer is a group of point codes with an arrow
showing at the end of the string.

3 Before Going to the Field

46 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

All the procedures that are used to edit a point name
list, are also used to edit a point code. See Managing

your list of point names, page 44. In addition, you can

add a layer. See Adding a layer, page 46.

Adding a layer

A layer is a folder to categorize a set of point codes.
This is especially useful when you have many codes
and need to quickly find and input the point code that
you want to use in the field.

1. Press

[F4] Layer in the point code list screen.

The

Add Layer screen appears.

2. Do one of the following:

– Use the keypad to enter a new value.

– To change the input mode, press

[F1] <abc>.

– To return to the previous screen, press

[ESC].

3. Press

[MEAS/ENT] to update the list.

CHAPTER

4

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 47

Getting Started in the Field 4

In this chapter:

Q Setting up the tripod

Q Centering

Q Leveling

Q Focusing the telescope

Q Setting the measurement mode and preparing the target

Q Turning the instrument on and off

4 Getting Started in the Field

48 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

4.1 Setting up the tripod

C

CAUTION – The tops of the tripod ferrules are very sharp. When handling or carrying the
tripod, take care to avoid injuring yourself on the ferrules.

Note – Do not carry the instrument while it is attached to a tripod.

1. Open the tripod legs far enough for the instrument to be stable.

2. Locate the tripod directly over the station point. To check the tripod's position,
look through the center hole in the tripod head.

3. Firmly press the tripod ferrules into the ground.

4. Level the top surface of the tripod head.

5. Securely fasten the thumb screws on the tripod legs.

6. Place the instrument on the tripod head.

7. Insert the tripod mounting screw into the center hole of the base plate of the
instrument.

8. Tighten the tripod mounting screw.

4.1 Centering

When you center the instrument, you align its central axis precisely over the station
point. To center the instrument, you can either use the optical plummet or a plumb
bob. The plumb bob is sold separately.

41.1 Centering with optical plummet

Note – If you require high accuracy, check and adjust the optical plummet before you
center the instrument. For detailed instructions, see Checking and adjusting the optical

plummet, page 117.

1. After setting up the instrument on the tripod, look
through the optical plummet and align the reticle with
the station point. To do this, turn the leveling screws
until the center mark of the reticle is directly over the
image of the station point.

2. While supporting the tripod head with one hand, loosen
the tripod leg clamps and adjust the lengths of the legs
until the air bubble is in the center of the circular level.

3. Tighten the tripod leg clamps.

4. Use the plate level to level the instrument. See Leveling, page 49. Look through
the optical plummet to check that the image of the station point is still in the
center of the reticle mark.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 49

Getting Started in the Field 4

5. If the station point is off center, do one of the following:

– If the station point is slightly off center, loosen the tripod mounting screw

and then center the instrument on the tripod. Use only direct movement to
center the instrument. Do not rotate it.

When the instrument is centered, tighten the mounting screw.

– If the displacement of the station point is major, repeat this procedure from

Step 2.

4.1 Leveling

When you level the instrument, you make the vertical
axis of the instrument exactly vertical.

To level the instrument, use the plate level.

1. Loosen the upper plate clamp.

2. Rotate the alidade until the plate level is parallel
with any two of the leveling screws (B and C).

3. Use leveling screws B and C to move the bubble
into the center of the level.

4. Rotate the alidade approximately 90°.

5. Use leveling screw A to move the bubble into the
center of the level.

6. Repeat Step 1 through Step 5 to center the bubble
in both positions.

7. Rotate the alidade 180°.

8. If the bubble in the plate level remains centered, the instrument is level. If the
bubble moves off center, adjust the plate level. For detailed instructions, see

Checking and adjusting the plate level, page 116.

4 Getting Started in the Field

50 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

4.1 Focusing the telescope

C

WARNING – Never look at the sun through the telescope. If you do, you may damage or

lose your eyesight.

When you sight the instrument, you aim the telescope at
the target, bring the target image into focus, and align the
image with the center crosshairs of the reticle.

Note – In DR-mode, the center circle of the crosshair is the
beam passing area. The diameter is about 15 cm at 100 m
distance from the instrument.

To sight the instrument:

1. Adjust the diopter:

a. Aim the telescope at a blank area, such as the

sky or a piece of paper.

b. Looking through the eyepiece, rotate the

diopter ring until the reticle crosshairs are in
sharp focus.

2. Eliminate parallax:

a. Aim the telescope at the target image.

b. Rotate the focusing ring until the target image is in sharp focus on the

reticle crosshairs.

c. Move your eye vertically and laterally to check whether the target image

moves relative to the reticle crosshairs.

If the target image does not move, there is no parallax.

d. If the target image does move, rotate the telescope focusing ring. Then

repeat from Step c.

3. Rotate the tangent screw. The final turn of the tangent screw should be in a
clockwise direction, to align the target accurately on the center crosshairs.

Center

crosshairs

Diopter ring

Telescope
focusing ring

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 51

Getting Started in the Field 4

4.1 Setting the measurement mode and preparing the target

C

WARNING – Observe all other warnings and cautions. See Safety and Warnings, page iii.

The Trimble M3 total station has two measurement modes: Prism mode (Prism) and
Direct Reflex mode (

DR). To change the mode at any time from any observation screen,

press and then press

[2]. See also Changing target mode (DR or Prism), page 40.

The Trimble M3 total station is Laser Class 3R in the Reflectorless mode, is Laser Class
1 in the Prism mode.

Don’t sight the Prism in Reflectorless mode.

Ta bl e 4 .4 describes how to set the measurement mode depending on the target you

want to measure.

41.1 Measurement with a prism

As the Trimble M3 total station is extremely sensitive, multiple reflections on the prism
surface can sometimes cause a significant loss in accuracy.

To maintain the accuracy of your measurements:

• Do not use a prism with scratches, a dirty surface, or a chipped center. Trimble

recommends that you use prisms with thin edges as shown below.

Table 4.4 Measurement modes

Targ et Targ e t s ett i ng s Indicator on status bar

Prism, reflector sheet Prism (Prism mode)

Other, reflective materials DR (Direct-Reflex mode)

✓

✕

✕

Thin edges

Chipped center

Thick edges

4 Getting Started in the Field

52 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

• When measuring a short distance, incline the prism slightly so that the EDM

can ignore unnecessary reflections on the prism surface, as shown below.

Hold the prism securely in place and do not move while taking measurements.

In Prism mode, in order to avoid false measurements on objects other than the prism
or reflector-sheet, targets that are less reflective than the prism or reflector sheet are
not measured. Even if you start a measurement, measured values are not displayed. To
measure less reflective objects, use the Direct-Reflex mode.

41.2 Measurement in Direct-Reflex mode

The intensity of the reflection from the target determines the distance the Trimble M3
total station can measure in this mode. The color and condition of the target surface
also affect the measurable distance, even if the targeted objects are the same. Some
less-reflective targets may not be measured.

Ta bl e 4 .5 describes some examples of targets and approximate measurable distances.

Measurable distances may be shorter or measurement intervals may be longer in the
following cases:

• the angle of the laser against the target is small

• the surface of the target is wet

In direct sunlight, the measurable distance may be shorter. In this case, try to throw a
shadow on the target.

Targets with completely flat surfaces, such as mirrors, cannot be measured unless the
beam and the target are perpendicular to each other.

Make sure there are no obstacles between the instrument and the target when taking
measurements. When you need to take measurements across a road or a place where
vehicles or other objects are frequently moving, take several measurements to a target
for the best result.

Table 4.5 Targets and measurement distances

Targ et You can measure approximately...

Traffic signs, reflectors 500 meters (1640 feet)

Paper (white), veneer (new) 300 meters (990 feet)

Wall (brightly painted), brick 100 to 200 meters (330 to 660 feet)

Not completely square to
the sighting axis

Completely square to

the sighting axis

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 53

Getting Started in the Field 4

4.2 Turning the instrument on and off

42.1 Turning on the instrument

1. To turn on the instrument, press [PWR]. The
start-up screen appears. This screen shows the
version of the program.

2. When you tilt the telescope, current settings of
temperature, pressure, prism constant, and scale
appear for about two seconds.

3. The

Rec Current Settings screen

appears. Do one of the following:

– To skip recording the current instrument

settings, press

[F1] No.

– To record current settings, press

[F4] Yes. If

you select Yes, the Recording to screen
appears.

Note – To initialize the horizontal angle every time you
power on, set the HA initialize setting to ON. Select
MENU/Settings Instrument/Angle.

4. After this, the instrument will automatically1
return to the screen that was showing before the
instrument powered off.

40.1 Turning off the instrument

To turn the instrument off, press [PWR] and then press

[ENT].

Then do one of the following:

Press to...

[ENT] again turn off the instrument

[F2] Reset reboot the program and restart the instrument

Note – If you press the Reset softkey, the software is rebooted and the
Basic Measurement Screen (BMS) appears.

[F4] Sleep put the program into power-saving mode, see Sleep mode, page 54

[ESC]

cancel the power-off process and return to the previous screen

4 Getting Started in the Field

54 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

40.2 Sleep mode

If you press [F4] Sleep in the Press ENT OFF
screen, or enable the Power Save setting (select

MENU/[5] Settings Instrument/ [5] Turn-off),

the instrument goes into sleep mode.

When the instrument is in sleep mode, it wakes up if
any of the following occurs:

• You press any key.

• The instrument receives any remote control

command via the serial interface.

• You rotate the alidade.

• You tilt the telescope.

CHAPTER

5

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 55

Basic Measurement Screen 5

In this chapter:

Q Measurement mode

Q Changing the screen display

Q Changing the distance unit

Q Taking measurements

Q Setting the horizontal angle (HA)

Q Setting target height (th) and instrument height (ih)

Q Setting the station elevation

Q Measuring edges and corners using the Intersection program (INTS)

5 Basic Measurement Screen

56 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

5.1 Measurement mode

The Basic Measurement Screen BMS appears after the

Tilt Telescope screen. The Basic Measurement

Screen displays the current angle measurements and
most recent distance measurement.

The measurement (MEAS) indicators are shown on the
left of the screen. They are:

Table 5.6 Measurement mode indicators

SD

Slope distance

HA

Horizontal angle

Clockwise Counter-clockwise

VA

Vertical angle

Zenith Vertical ± Elev.

HD

Horizontal distance

h

Height

V%

Percent grade

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 57

Basic Measurement Screen 5

5.2 Changing the screen display

There are four BMS screens. To move between
the screens, press

[^] or [v].

The items that will appear in the next screen are
shown in the screen header (upper right corner).

You can also do the following using the Trimble menu
key and function keys:

• To access the HOT MENU screen from any BMS

screen, press .

• From the startup BMS screen, press [F1] to go to

HA=O screen, see Setting the horizontal angle

(HA), page 60.

[v]

[^]

[v]

[^]

[v]

[^]

5 Basic Measurement Screen

58 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

• To change VA to V %, press [F2] in either of the

first two screens.

• To set the target or instrument heights, go to the

th/ih input screen. Press [F2] th/ih in the

third and fourth screens. See Setting target height

(th) and instrument height (ih), page 60.

• To go to the INTS screen (Intersection function

menu), press

[F3] INTS. See Intersection, page 65.

• There are three sets of data. To display a different

set of data, press

[F4] until the required data

appears.

5.3 Changing the distance unit

To change the distance unit:

1. Press

[F4] in the BMS screen. The second set of

data appears.

2. To change the distance unit press

[F1].

– When the unit is set to meters, the softkey

is set to

U-ft.

– When the unit is set to US-feet, the softkey

is set to

I-ft.

– When the unit is set to international feet,

the softkey is set to

m.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 59

Basic Measurement Screen 5

5.1 Taking measurements

To take a measurement in any BMS screen:

1. Press

[MEAS/ENT]. The prism constant value

appears in small characters until the measured
value appears.

Note – When the average count is set to more than one,
the intermediate measurement process is shown in the SD
field by numbers in parentheses. For example if the
average count is set to 5, the following appears on screen
(1/5) (2/5) (3/5) (4/5) (5/5). To set the average count, press

, select

[1] and set the Ave field to the required count.

2. To stop measurement, press

[F1] Stop or [ESC].

3. If the Recording mode is set to Confirm
(

[Menu] / [6]) the Record As screen appears and

you are prompted to record the measurements.
To record the measurements, press

[F4] Yes.

Note – If the Rec. Mode is set to All, the

Recording to

Adr:xxxxx screen appears. See Configuring data

recording and external communication settings, page 38.

50.1 Tracking mode

Tracking mode initiates a continuous measurement
until you stop measurement by pressing

[F4] END.

To initiate tracking mode, press

[MEAS/ENT] for one

second.

Note – To change the EDM mode, press , select

[2] and

select the required mode.

5 Basic Measurement Screen

60 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

5.1 Setting the horizontal angle (HA)

To set or reset the horizontal angle:

1. Press

[F1] HA=0 in any BMS screen. The HA=0

screen appears.

2. Sight the target and press

[MEAS/ENT] to set or reset

the horizontal angle.

5.1 Setting target height (th) and instrument height (ih)

To set the target height and instrument height:

1. Press

[F2] th/ih in the third or fourth BMS

screen.

The

STN Elevation screen appears. The

current values for target height (

th), instrument

height (

ih). and the Z-coordinate of the station

point (

Zs) appear.

2. Do one of the following:

– To activate the station elevation function,

press

[F1] Z. See Setting the station

elevation, page 61.

– To input target height, press

[F2] th.

– To input the instrument height and/or a

new height for station-Z, press

[F3] ih/Zs.

See Instrument height (ih) and station-Z

coordinate (Zs), page 62.

– To confirm the current value and return to

the previous screen, press

[F4] o.k..

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 61

Basic Measurement Screen 5

5.1 Setting the station elevation

The station elevation function defines the Z coordinate
of the station point after you have set up the
instrument by 2D.

To activate the station elevation function, press

[F1] Z in

the

STN Elevation screen.

To set the station elevation:

1. Do one of the following:

– To start the program, press

[F1] Stat.

– To activate the Adjustment C&I program,

press

[F3] CHCK. See Checking and adjusting

the compensator (C) and index (I), page 119.

2. To select a benchmark point, do one of the
following:

– To select the benchmark point from the

internal memory (database), press

[F1].

– To input a new benchmark point, press

[F3].

3. Enter the station

Z coordinate value and press

[MEAS/ENT]. The Input ih screen appears.

Enter the instrument height

ih and press

[MEAS/ENT]. The Input th screen appears.

Enter the target height

th and press [MEAS/ENT].

The

Sight backsight point screen

appears.

Note – You can also pres s

[F3] in any input screen (when

you input Z, ih, or th) to select a previously input value
from the Stack.

4. To go directly to the bearing and distance
function, press

[F4] BeaDist. See Bearing-

Distance, page 63.

5. The

STN Elevation screen shows the result.

Do one of the following:

– To exit the program without saving the

result, press

[F1] No.

– To record the result on the screen and finish

the program, press

[F4] Yes.

5 Basic Measurement Screen

62 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

50.1 Instrument height (ih) and station-Z coordinate (Zs)

To input instrument height (ih) and station Z
coordinates (

Zs):

1. Press

[F3] ih/Zs in the STN Elevation screen.

2. Select a method to input Station height.

– To input from recorded data, press

[F1]

Internal memory.

– To input directly using the keypad, press

[F3]

Input.

3. Input the Zs coordinate. Do one of the following:

– Enter the coordinates using the keypad and

then press

[MEAS/ENT].

– To use previous input, press

[F3] Stack,

select the required value and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

4. Input the instrument height. Do one of the
following:

– Enter the instrument height using the

keypad and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

– To use previous input, press

[F3] Stack,

select the required value and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

5. The STN Elevation screen shows the result. Do
one of the following:

– To exit the program without saving the

result, press

[F1] No.

– To record the result on the screen and finish

the program, press

[F4] Yes.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 63

Basic Measurement Screen 5

5.1 Measuring edges and corners using the Intersection program

(INTS)

To measure edges and corners, especially in DR mode,
Trimble recommends that you use the Intersection
program (INTS).

To access the

INTS screen, press [F3] INTS in a BMS

screen.

51.1 Bearing-Distance

Use this method when you want to shoot to the exact
corner of a pillar or wall, or when it is difficult to place a
target at the point you need to measure. You can first
set the angle by sighting the point and then take a
measurement to the closest point where the distance is
almost the same.

1. Press

[1] to open the Bearing-Dist. screen.

2. Press

[<] or [>] to change the Mode setting. The

options are

OFF/Once/Perm.

If Mode is set to

Perm you can continue using

this offset measurement until you escape from
the function.

3. Press

[F4] o.k..

4. Sight the point you need to record and press

[MEAS/ENT]. The horizontal and vertical angles are

fixed on the screen.

5. Find a target at the closest possible point and
press

[MEAS/ENT].

After taking a distance measurement, the BMS
screen appears from which you entered the INTS
program. The screen shows the new
measurements.

Note – When Record mode (Rec. mode) is set to Confirm,
a confirmation screen appears before you record a point.
See Tak ing mea surem ents, pag e 59.

5 Basic Measurement Screen

64 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

50.1 Corner-Angle

Use this method to measure points, edges, and corners
on vertical planes. Any point of the plane can be
measured and measurements to points A and B can be
repeated.

1. Press

[2] in the INTS menu to open the

Corner-Angle screen.

2. Press

[<] or [>] to change the Mode setting. The

options are

OFF/Once/Perm.

If Mode is set to

Perm you can continue using

this offset measurement until you escape from
the function.

3. Press

[F4] o.k.

4. Sight point A and then press [MEAS/ENT].

5. Sight point B and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

6. Sight point P and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

7. If you want to repeat a measurement:

–Press

[F1] A to return to the point A

measurement screen.

–Press

[F2] B to return to the point B

measurement screen.

After you have completed your measurements,
the

BMS screen appears from which you entered

the

INTS menu. The BMS screen shows the new

measurements.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 65

Basic Measurement Screen 5

50.1 Intersection

Use this method to determine the intersection point of
two vertical planes.

1. Press

[3] in the INTS menu to open the

Corner-Angle. screen.

2. Press

[<] or [>] to change the Mode setting. The

options are

OFF/Once/Perm.

If

Mode is set to Perm you can continue using

this offset measurement until you escape from
the function.

3. Press

[F4] o.k.

4. Sight point A (on the first wall) and press

[MEAS/ENT].

5. Sight point B (on the same wall) and press

[MEAS/ENT].

6. When you have taken two measurements, sight
point C (on another wall) and press

[MEAS/ENT].

7. If you want to repeat a measurement:

–Press

[F1] A to return to the point A

measurement screen.

–Press

[F2] B to return to the point B

measurement screen.

After you have completed your measurements,
the

BMS screen appears from which you entered

the

INTS program. The BMS screen shows the

new measurements.

5 Basic Measurement Screen

66 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

50.1 Eccentric Object

Use this method to determine the radius and the center
point of a vertical round object.

1. Press

[4] in the INTS menu to open the Ecc.

Object screen.

2. Press

[<] or [>] to change the Mode setting. The

options are

OFF/Once/Perm.

If

Mode is set to Perm you can continue using

this offset measurement until you escape from
the function.

3. Press

[F4] o.k.

4. Sight point A and press [MEAS/ENT].

5. Sight point B and press

[MEAS/ENT].

6. If you want to repeat a measurement, press

[F1] A

to remeasure to point A.

The calculated radius appears.

7. Do one of the following:

– To record the result, press

[F4] o.k.

– To change the point name or code before

you record the point, press .

– To return to the first screen without

recording data, press

[ESC].

CHAPTER

6

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 67

Job Manager 6

In this chapter:

Q Creating a new job

Q Opening an existing job

Q Deleting a job

Q Setting the Control Point job

Q Displaying job information

Q Editing data

6 Job Manager

68 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

The Trimble M3 total station is equipped with an intelligent data management system
called Job Manager. You can record survey data into a folder (a job) and categorize data
by day, by site, or zone-independent.

Up to 32 jobs can be created in the internal memory.

Use the Job Manager to open, create, delete, and manage jobs.

Note – The Trimble M3 total station can also operate without creating a job. In this case,
the system automatically creates a job called NONAME using the current instrument
settings.

To open the Job Manager, select

MENU [1].

6.1 Creating a new job

1. From the Job Manager menu, select [1] New.

2. In the

New Job screen, enter a job name and

press

[MEAS/ENT].

3. Enter the other job settings (11 settings
presented in three screens) by doing one of the
following:

– enter values using the keypad

– press

[<] or [>] to change settings

4. In the third screen, press

[F2] CREATE to create

the job.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 69

Job Manager 6

The job settings are:

Setting Options

Job name Consists of the date and a unique letter or number

Angle Unit DMS

Deg
gon
mil

VA-Reference Zenith

Vertical
±Elev.

AZ-Zero-Direct North

South

Dist.Unit Meter (m)

US feet (U-ft)
International feet (I-ft)

Coord.System YX

XY
NE

Coord.Display Y, X

X,Y
N,E
E,N

Temp.Unit Celsius

Fahrenheit

Press.Unit mmHg

hPa
inHg

Scale 0.995000~1.005000 (numeric input)

C&R Correction 0.132

0.142

0.200
OFF

Sea Level Correction ON

OFF

6 Job Manager

70 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

6.1 Opening an existing job

1. From the Job Manager menu, select [2] Open.

A list of all jobs stored in the internal memory
appears in descending date order.

A star (*) appears next to the job that is currently
open.

An arrow indicates the control-point job (if
specified).

Note – For more information on control point jobs, see

Setting the Control Point job, page 71.

2. Press

[^] or [v] to select a job from the job list and

then press

[MEAS/ENT] to open the highlighted job.

Note – When you open a job, all job settings are
automatically imported to the instrument.

6.1 Deleting a job

C

CAUTION – There is no undelete function in the Job Manager. Before you press [F4] Yes on
this screen, make sure that the selected job is the one that you want to delete.

1. From the Job Manager menu, select [3]

Delete.

A list of all jobs stored in the internal memory
appears in descending date order.

2. Press

[^] or [v] to select the job that you want to

delete and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

3. A confirmation message appears. Press

[F4] Yes

to delete the selected job.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 71

Job Manager 6

6.1 Setting the Control Point job

Especially for stakeout or station setup work, a Control Point job can be used as an
independent coordinate file when you have a list of coordinate data on your office
computer.

Before you go to the field, upload or input the list of coordinate data to a Control Point
job. See also Uploading data from an office computer to the internal memory, page 113.

In the field, create a working job and set the Control Point job by the process described
below.

If you search for a point when the Control PT job is specified, and the system cannot
find the point in the current job, the Control PT job is also searched. If the point is
found in the Control PT job, it is copied to the current job.

A control job has the same format as a standard job. You can open and modify it like
any other job, and you can use it to record any measured data when you open it as a
current job.

To identify the Control Point file, do the following:

1. From the

Job Manager menu, select [4] Ctrl

Point.

A list of all jobs stored in the internal memory
appears in descending date order.

2. Press

[^] or [v] to select the job to which you want

to assign a control point and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

3. A confirmation message appears. To assign the
control point job, press

[F4] Yes.

4. To cancel the assigned control point job, open
the job list again, select the currently assigned
control point job, and press

[MEAS/ENT].

5. A confirmation message appears. To cancel the
assigned control point job, press

[F4] Yes

6 Job Manager

72 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

6.1 Displaying job information

1. From the Job Manager menu, select [5] Info.

A list of all jobs stored in the internal memory
appears in descending date order.

2. Press

[^] or [v] to select the job for which you want

to display job information and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

3. The following fields appear:

4. Press

[MEAS/ENT] again to return to the Job

Manager menu.

6.1 Editing data

To access the editor, press and then select [7] Edit. See Editing data, point number

lists or point code lists, page 42.

Field Description

Lines Lines of currently stored records.

Free memory Number of records that can be stored additionally.

Created The date on which this job was created.

Modified The date on which the latest changes to the job where made.

CHAPTER

7

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 73

Coordinates 7

In this chapter:

Q Resection

Q Known Station

Q Station elevation

Q Measure topo

Q Stakeout

7 Coordinates

74 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

7.2 Resection

A resection sets up the station using angle/distance measurements to known points.

If it is not possible to occupy a point with a known position in order to sight the points
to be surveyed or set out, you can carry out a free stationing (or resection). If all
backsight points have a known height, the Z coordinate can be determined
simultaneously.

A maximum of 10 points can be measured. Measurements can be distance and angle,
or angle only. Calculations starts automatically when enough measurements are taken.

At least two sets of distance and angle measurement are required to determine the
station coordinate. After at least two measurements are taken, approximate
coordinates are calculated and residuals are displayed.

You can delete poor observations and recalculate if necessary. You can also select the
backsight (BS) point.

To go to the 3D station setup, press

[F1] with. To go to the 2D station setup, press [F3]

without press [ESC] to return to the Coordinates menu.

Note – The “3-D station setup” is also referred to as "known height" and "Z-coordinate".

Known point 1

Known point 2

Instrument
height

Station point

Z

Y

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 75

Coordinates 7

When you select [1] Resection in the

Coordinates menu screen, you are prompted to

select 2D setup

without or 3D setup with before

starting the resection function.

1. Press

[F1] with in the Stationing of

elev. screen. You are prompted to input the

instrument height (ih).

2. Use the number keys to input the

ih value and

then press

[MEAS/ENT].

3. The Record as screen appears. Press [F4] Yes.

4. The

Resection screen appears.

A and B are backsight points with known
coordinates. S is the station. The coordinates of S
will be calculated after the measurement is
completed.

5. Press

[F1] A to take a measurement to Point A.

6. Sight point A and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

7. Do the following:

– The previously set target height will be used

with this measurement. If you need to
change the height of the target, in the

Backsight Point A screen, press [F2]
th.

– Alternatively, open the bearing and

distance screen, press

[F4] BeaDist. See

Bearing-Distance, page 63.

B

Tip – To change the point name, press .

After you have taken the measurement to point A, the
box for point A changes to a black box, which means
that the measurement is done.

7 Coordinates

76 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

8. You can now either proceed with point B
measurement, or remeasure point A. Do one of
the following:

– To take a measurement to point B, press

[F2]

B.

–To remeasure point A, press

[F1] A.

After at least two measurements, approximate
coordinates are calculated and the deviation to
the current measurement appears:

–

vy: residual in Y-direction

–

vx: residual in X-direction

–

vz: residual in Z-direction

Based on the quality of your residual data, you
may want to add more points to the resection, or
remeasure your last point (point B).

Note – If the angle between known point A and known
point B (measured from the station point) is extremely
acute or extremely oblique, the resulting solution will be
less reliable geometrically. For geometric reliability, select
known point locations (or station point locations) that are
widely spaced.

9. Do one of the following:

– To remeasure to point B, press

[F1] B.

– To measure to the next point, press

[F2] C.

– To finish observation and proceed to the

Residual screen, press

[F4] END.

After completing the observation, the solution
residuals for each point are displayed for review. You
can delete points from the solution, add more points to
the calculation, or accept the current points.

10. In the Residuals check screen, do one of the
following:

– To show the previous or next point

observation result, press

[^] or [v].

– To add more points to the observation,

press

[F1] More.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 77

Coordinates 7

– To delete the point shown in this screen

( for example because of large residuals),
press

[F3] Del.

– To accept the current points and proceed to

the next screen, press

[F4] o.k..

11. The

Station Coordinates screen displays

the current station solution.

B

Tip – From the Station Coordinates screen or Scale screen,
you can change a point name or code or verify data by
pressing .

12. To accept the computed station coordinates,
press

[F4] o.k. in the Station

Coordinates screen.

The

Resection screen shows a quality

summary. These values indicate how good your
computed station coordinates fit with the points
used in the resection. For example, if your are
using ground coordinates, and your scale value,
m, is close to 1, you have established good
control in your station setup.

13. In the

Resection screen, do one of the

following:

– To return to the observation screen, press

[F1] Rept.

Note – If you decide to go back and remeasure the
corresponding points, the observed points data after the
point you are going to remeasure is lost. Trimble
recommends that you complete the measurement after
three backsight points, and then delete and re-measure
the corresponding direction. New measurements are
added at the end. As a result, the assignments of the point
codes (A, B, etc.) are shifted.

– To change the scale, m, press

[F2] (m), where:
m - calculated scale
Om - orientation unknown
sO - standard deviation of the weighting

unit (mean point error)

– To record the station data and finish the

setup, press

[F4] o.k.

If the scale is outside the permissible range, an
error message appears. If you edit the scale value
the

corr. field is updated when you press [ENT].

7 Coordinates

78 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

When you press [F2] in the previous screen, a
scale input screen appears.

14. To display a previously used scale value, press

[F3]

Stack.

After the scale has been confirmed, the station
coordinates are recalculated. When this has been done,
the residuals can be evaluated again.

Stored resection data

The following resection data is stored in internal memory and is available for
download:

• Mode designation

• Point numbers and code

• Backsight points A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J

• Y, X, and Z coordinates

• SD, HA, and VA readings

• vy, vx, and vz backsight point residuals (M5 format only)

• Y, X, and Z coordinates of the station point (S)

• Scale and circle orientation, m, Om (M5 format only)

• Standard deviation of the weight unit, s0 (M5 format only)

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 79

Coordinates 7

7.1 Known Station

If you set up an instrument on a known point, use the known station function.

Set up the instrument on a known point (point S). By measuring to a known backsight
(point A), the instrument will calculate the circle orientation Om and the scale m.

1. From the

MENU screen, select [4] Coordinates

and then select

[2] Known Station.

2. Do one of the following:

– To input the station coordinates or to select

them from internal memory, press

[F1] S.

If the input point number or name is an
existing point, its coordinates are displayed.
If the point is new, select

Internal

Memory

to select coordinates from an

existing job, or select

Input to enter

coordinates in the input screen.

– To activate the Adjustment C&I program,

press

[F3] CHCK.

3. After you have input or selected the station
coordinates, do one of the following:

– To return to the station coordinate input,

press

[F1] S.

X

X

A

X

s

Circle

Hz=0

A (backsight)

Known station

Om

A

A

Y

s

Y

A

Y

Given: (Y,X)

S,A

Meas:

(SD,Hz)

S,A

or (Hz,V)

S,A

Requ: Om,m or Om

S

7 Coordinates

80 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

– To input the azimuth value of the backsight

point, press

[F3] Az. See also Orientation

using known coordinates, page 81.

– To input coordinates of the backsight point,

press

[F4] XY. See also Orientation using a

known azimuth, page 80.

70.1 Orientation using a known azimuth

When you press [F3] (Az) in the Backsight Point
screen, you are prompted to input the azimuth to the
backsight point.

1. To input the azimuth do one of the following:

– Input the azimuth value.

–Press

[F3] Stack to select from previously

input values.

2. Sight the backsight point and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

Note – To change the point name, point code, or target
height, press .

When you have taken a measurement to the
backsight point, the calculated station
coordinates and orientation appear.

3. Do one of the following:

– To return to the

Backsight Point

screen, press [F1] No.

– To record the result and complete the

station setup, press

[F4] Yes.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 81

Coordinates 7

70.1 Orientation using known coordinates

When you press [F4] YX in the Backsight Point
screen you can select to input coordinates of the
backsight point.

1. In the

Backsight Point screen, press

[F3] Input to input coordinates of the backsight

point.

2. To sight the backsight by entering coordinates do
one of the following:

– Input the coordinate values directly

–Press

[F3] Stack to select from previously

input values.

–Press

[F4] o.k. to accept new or existing

coordinates.

3. After you have input the coordinates, you can do
one of the following:

– To measure distance and angle, press

[F1].

– To measure angle only, press

[F3].

4. Sight the backsight point and then press

[MEAS/ENT].

Note – To change the point name, point code, or target
height, press .

When you have taken a measurement to the
backsight point, the calculated station
coordinates and orientation appear.

5. Do one of the following:

– To return to the

Backsight Point

screen, press

[F1] No.

– To record the result and complete the

station setup, press

[F4] Yes.

7 Coordinates

82 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

6. When distance and angle measurements are
taken to the backsight (press

[F1] in the

Backsight Point screen), the Scale screen

appears. Do one of the following:

– To return to the select backsight point input

method

screen, press [F1] Rept.

– To keep the old value for the scale and

record the station setup, press

[F2] old.

– To show the

Scale Correction input

screen, press

[F3] Inp.

– To replace the scale with a new value and

record the station setup, press

[F4] new.

Stored known station data

The following known station data is stored in internal memory and is available for
download:

• Mode designation

• Point numbers and code

• Y and X coordinates of the station point

• Y and X coordinates of backsight point A

• SD, HA, and VA readings for backsight point A

(according to selection)

• Scale, and circle orientation (according to

selection)

• Set direction Az

• V (vertical angle) at Az

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 83

Coordinates 7

7.1 Station elevation

In a conventional survey, use the station elevation function to determine the elevation
of the instrument point by making observations to points with known elevations. It is
also known as the remote benchmark function.

Note – The Station Elevation function can also be accessed from the

BMS screen.

From the

MENU screen, select [4] Coordinates and

then select

[3] STN elevation.

For a detailed description of this function, see Setting

the station elevation, page 61.

7.2 Measure topo

After you have set up the station, you can calculate the
coordinates and heights of new points using distance
and angle measurements. This section will describe
how to measure topographic points.

From the

MENU screen, select [4] Coordinates and

then select

[4] Meas. topo.

The Station Coordinates screen appears.

72.1 Confirming the station coordinates

This screen enables you to confirm the station
coordinates.

Do one of the following:

• To terminate the program, press [F1] No.

• To show the Scale edit screen, press [F2] m.

• To accept the station coordinates and proceed

to the reference direction confirmation screen,
press

[F4] Yes.

72.2 Confirming the backsight point angle

This screen enables you to confirm the reference
direction.

Do one of the following:

• To terminate the program, press [F1] No.

• To accept the backsight point angle and proceed

to the instrument height and station-Z
coordinate screen, press

[F4] Yes.

7 Coordinates

84 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

72.3 Confirming the instrument height and Station-Z coordinates

This screen enables you to confirm the instrument
height and station coordinates.

Do one of the following:

• To terminate the program, press [F1] No.

• To input the instrument height and station

coordinates, press

[F3] ih/Zs,

• To accept the instrument height and station Z

coordinates and proceed to the Topo
observation screen, press

[F4] Yes.

72.4 Sighting new points in the Topo observation screen

This screen enables you to sight new points.

1. Sight new points and press

[MEAS/ENT].

2. Do one of the following:

– To take a tracking measurement, hold press

[MEAS/ENT] down for one second.

–To access the

HOT MENU, press the key

from any Topo observation screen.

– To go to the eccentric measurement screen,

press

[F1] ECC, see Eccentric measurement,

page 85

– To activate the INTS program press

[F2]

INTS, see Measuring edges and corners

using the Intersection program (INTS),
page 63.

– To run the Adjustment C&I program press

[F3] CHCK, see Checking and adjusting the

compensator (C) and index (I), page 119.

– To change the screen to show the job name,

point number, code, height of target and
recording mode, press

[F4] 2.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 85

Coordinates 7

Eccentric measurement

If points cannot be measured directly, the eccentric measurement option can provide
the solution. This may also be called "taped offset measurement". You can select the
direction you are going to input the offset value.

Spatial eccentric target measurements are very helpful, especially for indoor surveys.

To enter offset distance values before you record the
point, in the

Topo observation screen, press [F1] ECC.

1. In the

ECC measurement screen, do one of

the following:

– To move the cursor to a different field, press

[v] or [^].

– To change the setting in the

Prism field,

press

[<] or [>].

– To change the setting in the

Ofs. field, use

the keypad.

– To change the setting in the

Mode field,

press

[<] or [>].

Note – If the mode is set to Once, the offset value will be
applied for only one measurement after the ECC setting. If
mode is set to Perm the offset will be applied until you
change the setting to OFF.

Tv

Th

TI

Tr

Position eccentricities

Ts

Spatial eccentricity

7 Coordinates

86 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

–Press [F4] o.k. to finish the setting for

eccentricity. The

Measusre Topo screen

appears.

Note – The last two characters in the screen name
indicate the prism direction.

2. Press

[MEAS/ENT] to take a measurement and

record the point with offset values.

7.1 Stakeout

You can search points or stake out points in a given system of coordinates.

1. From the

MENU screen, select [5] Stake out.

2. The

Stake Out menu screen appears. Do one

of the following:

– To stake out points using 2D coordinates,

press

[1] XY, see Stake out by coordinates (XY

or XYZ), page 87.

– To stake out points using 2D angle and

distance, press

[2] HD, see Stakeout by angle

and distance (HD or HDh), page 89.

– To stake out points using 3D coordinates,

press

[3] XYZ, see Stake out by coordinates

(XY or XYZ), page 87.

X

X

s

N2

P (set out point)

-dc

dx

dy

N1 (1st appr. point)

Station

-Hz

dr

dl

Y

s

Y

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 87

Coordinates 7

– To stake out points using angle, distance,

and height, press

[4] HDh, see Stakeout by

angle and distance (HD or HDh), page 89.

– To stake out points using reference line,

press

[5] RefLine 2D, see Stakeout by

reference line, page 90.

– To stake out using division line, press

[6] DivLine 2D, see Stakeout by dividing

line, page 91.

70.1 Stake out by coordinates (XY or XYZ)

1. From the Stake out menu, select [1] XY or

[3] XYZ. A confirmation screen appears enabling

you to verify the current station coordinates.

2. Do one of the following:

– To terminate the program, press

[F1] No.

– To show the Scale edit screen, press

[F2] m.

– To accept the station coordinates and

proceed to the reference direction
confirmation screen, press

[F4] Yes.

The

Reference Dir screen enables you to

confirm the reference direction.

3. Do one of the following:

– To terminate the program, press

[F1] No.

– To accept the backsight point angle and

proceed to the

Stake Out screen, press

[F4] Yes.

Note – When you select

[3] XYZ, the station elevation

confirmation screen appears when you confirm the
reference direction.

4. In the

Stake Out screen, press [F3] Input to

input coordinates of the backsight point.

7 Coordinates

88 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

5. To input the coordinates do one of the following:

– Input the coordinate values

–Press

[F3] Stack to select from previously

input values.

–Press

[F4] o.k. to accept new or existing

coordinates.

6. To take a measurement to the point. sight the
point and press

[MEAS/ENT].

Note – If you are in the 3D coordinate stakeout screen
(

[3] YXZ from the Stakeout menu), press [F2] to input the

target height.

The stake out results appear on screen.

7. Do one of the following:

– To open the Verification screen, press

[F2]

Verify, see Verification screen, page 88.

– To change the screen display, press

[F3] DSP.

– To record the point and return to the new

point input screen, press

[F4] o.k..

Note – While a tracking measurement is taken, the softkey
shows DSP and END. To stop measurement, press

[F4]

END. The Verify and o.k. softkeys appear.

Verification screen

In the S-O Results screen, press

[F2] Verify.

Do one of the following:

• To return to the S-O Results screen, press [F3] S-

O

.

• To go to the Bearing Distances screen, press

[F4] BeaDist.

Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide 89

Coordinates 7

70.1 Stakeout by angle and distance (HD or HDh)

1. From the Stake out menu, select [2] HD or

[4] HDh. A confirmation screen appears enabling

you to verify the current station coordinates.

2. Do one of the following:

– To terminate the program, press

[F1] No.

– To show the Scale edit screen, press

[F2] m.

– To accept the station coordinates and

proceed to the reference direction
confirmation screen, press

[F4] Yes.

The

Reference Dir screen enables you to

confirm the reference direction.

3. Do one of the following:

– To terminate the program, press

[F1] No.

– To accept the backsight point angle and

proceed to the

Input HD & Az screen,

press

[F4] Yes.

Note – When you select

[4] HDh, the station elevation

confirmation screen appears when you confirm the
reference direction in the horizontal angle.

4. In the

Input HD & Az screen, do one of the

following:

– Input the coordinate values.

– To select from previously input values, press

[F3] Stack.

– To accept new or existing values and move

to the observation screen, press

[F4] o.k..

Note – If you press

[F4] without having entered any value

in the field, the current HA reading will automatically be
set as AZ.

5. Sight the point and press

[MEAS/ENT] to take a

measurement to the point.

Note – The th softkey appears only when you have
selected

[4] HDh.

7 Coordinates

90 Trimble M3 Total Station User Guide

70.1 Stakeout by reference line

The RefLine StakeOut function enables you to stake
out a point (P) based on the distance (x) from the base
point A and the offset value (y) from the line AB.

1. If you select “Global Coordinate System”, you can
use the reference point from the internal
memory (database), or the hand input.

2. From the

Stake Out menu, select [5] RefLine

2D. The RefLine S-O screen appears.

3. Do one of the following:

– To open the Measure Point A screen, press

[F1] A.

– To activate the Adjustment C&I program,

press

[F3] CHCK.

4. In the Measure Point A screen, do one of the
following:

– To define A as the station point, press

[F3]

A=S.

– To measure the target height, press

[F2] th.

5. In the

Point A - Station? screen, do one

of the following:

– To return to the

RefLine screen, press

[F1] No.

– To input the instrument height, press

[F2] ih,

– To define A as the station point (S), press

[F4] Yes.

6. To take a measurement to point A, press

[MEAS/ENT]. The measurement is recorded, and the

next measurement screen appears.

7. You can now define and measure point B in the
same way, and then proceed to point P input.

8. Do one of the following:

– To stake out point A or B again, press

[F1] A

or

[F2] B.

–To define point P, press

[F3] P.