I love my ProMark2 receivers, but, like most everybody else, I’m not at all crazy about the battery consumption or the external battery pack that Ashtech sells. I did a search for ideas and found a ton. However, there were no pictures / schematics, etc.

If anyone has pictures or schematics they can email or FAX me, I’ll get them up on the board with appropriate attributions.

As someone else mentioned, “…I’m somewhat electrically challenged…” when it comes to design of something electrical, but I can damned well make something electrical if I have a picture / idea.

Thanks in advance! And thanks for the tip on the “plug” icon on the receiver screen. I saw one once and couldn’t figure out how I’d managed to get that, but couldn’t get it back.

As someone else mentioned Ashtech guys! You have a problem with your external battery packs. With the quality of your products and the integrity, honesty and resourcefulness of your tech service guys, the abysmal nature of your external battery pack just doesn’t fit with the rest of your image or reputation. Please, let’s get off the stick and get something out to the field that’s more in keeping with the Ashtech program.

Ian Wilson LS CA, dedicated ProMark2 “addict”

Your silver is my gold.

They build a receiver system that is affordable to even the smallest of survey companies. They make it so light weight that the heaviest thing you have to lug around is the tripod to set it up on. They make it small enough to fit in a field bag. And you can get batteries for the thing at most any quick stop in the US.

After years of hauling around a tripod, a heavy receiver, and even heavier batteries I was very happy to learn that they finally developed a system that would run on penlights. Gone are the days of power strips and chargers. No more carrying around spare battery cables. No more long hikes back to the truck for the extra battery.

No more short days because you have to go back to the office to charge up the batteries. No more trying to figure out how to support the battery on the tripod so the antenna can be raised higher. No more worrying about setting the battery on the wet ground.

Yes, there are draw backs. But then how much more are you willing to pay. Those heavy batteries and chargers weren't cheap.

When the demand for something longer lasting was sounded Thales came up with the external battery pack for the ProMark2 fairly quickly and almost as quickly there were complaints about the cost.

As for me I'd rather carry a pocket full of AA batteries and change them after every session then go back to lugging those big batteries.

ss

For all the ongoing power supply complaints that are posted, I don't understand why the system posted by Kelly isn't used more. The price for the battery and connecter is quite reasonable (I didn't keep my receipts). I've been using my units 2 to 6 hours/every other week and have only had to recharge the batteries twice since this spring.

Ed

The system that Kelly sugested is the one we went with for our three recivers. Use them usually every other week, but for long static occupations. Charged them up in March haven't had one go down yet for a recharge. Your milage may vary.

Thanks Kelly for finding these in the first place.

CJ

Ian, it looks like you have found your solution.
Dan

I forgot to post that Hayes has the power cable and batery pack. Just tell them it's for the Promark2

CJ
Modified By C. Joseph Lynge on 10/13/2003 at 9:51 PM

Sharon:

I'm not griping about the ProMark2. I've used "Big Yellow" for years at Caltrans. The first GPS unit I ever ran was Lieca. Big, heavy, bulky!

I think the ProMark2 is a nice slice of heaven. Compact, light in weight but NOT in capability. The data I have collected with my pair have saved me litterally WEEKS over optical systems. I wouldn't be without them. Infact, if you scan for my posts, you'll see me bragging about both ProMark2 and Hayes Instruments.

The draw back is the power situation. It's not good. It's completely the other end of the spectrum from the quality product that ProMark2 is.

Kelly:

Will be searching fopr your post on this issue again. Thanks!

Ian Wilson, LS CA
Dedicated ProMark2 Advocate

Phil, you're right EXCEPT for one thing....Quality.

Period. EOM. Don't waste your time on an answer.

The $99 solution for 4 AA's is cheaply built. Not inexpensive, but Cheap.

When you lose sight of the fact that power supply is the basis for any machine to function reliably, give it up.

Remember this too....Beta testers weren't given the original power packs along with the units to work with. They reported great results, light, blah blah and THEN customers buying them complained about the 1/2 day battery life with standard AA's.

First party line: buy lithiums....

Second party line: Ok, you're the customer, you are always right, we'll get something together.. (A move I still like, knowing where I am now (Hi, Mike!)

Last party line: stop whining, we did something about it....

Customers also are to blame here...After one year of whining, the battery packs have not changed.. Why? Because the original goals of the Promark2 program were met! Light, easy to use, standard batteries.

Again, you will not see more development on this one when a replacement for the Reliance and Zmax had higher priorities.....simple facts, no? Bob Bills, a non Ashtech employee
Modified By Robert Bills on 10/14/2003 at 12:29 AM

Another alternative solution that I can offer is to scrap the 4 AA battery packs and just plug a 9 Volt battery straight into the adapter. This way it's still light, using standard batteries, and fits in the same pouch. I'm not sure just how long they'll last, but I've used them for three or four days with lithium 9 Volts.

Bob, don't be confused. Sharon took my last name but she and I really are two different people. I have been married to Sharon for 32 years and have learned one thing with absolute certainty. The girl has her own mind.

She has grumbled and mumbled about the ProMark2 battery gripes for the two winters they have been an issue. You see, she has been with me lugging those expensive rechargeable batteries around the countryside. She and I both buy penlight batteries in large quantities. She for her Meridian Color and me for my Map 330.

She does not work for Thales. I do and am proud to say so.

I am very much aware of what it is like to use the external power pack. I have helped more than one surveyor figure out how to roll those batteries around to get them to make contact. I also know that when it is babied well enough to make it work it will run a ProMark2 from 6 PM until noon the next day on cheap alkaline batteries.

I also know that two batteries in a ProMark2 will do as much work as I used to be able to do with a battery that weighed a few pounds.

The comments of many customers have been noted in feature requests submitted to the product manager. He is aware of this most recent discussion as well.

I love the fact that the PM2 runs on AA's. It indeed does make the package light, easily portable, and provides for less cabling. What I am talking about are options. If a PM2 is supposed to be the end all of L1 static equipment from Thales, it just seems like good business sense to make it capable of doing most of what L1 users want it to do. If we run into something that requires some battery life, we use the Locus. It will run forever on D cells, so we really haven't had any complaints with the PM2 batteries as we have the Locus option. But seeing ALL of these posts on the subject, with dozens of homemade rigs appearing I have to think that where there is smoke there is fire. If Thales had offered an option for a battery that would power the unit for as long as the very capable memory could record, then I think they could have made money on it. It just seems to be such a waste of potential for the supplier and the customer.

Shawn

I would like to post a cautionary note about the 12v power cable pictured above. It has to be modified to use with the PM2 units because that silver thing in the center of the end that attaches to the back of the receiver is a screw that is used to secure the connection to the back of the MAP330 that this connector is designed to work with.

The screw must be removed and the hole enlarged by drilling it out. The first danger is that the drilling operation may clip one of the leads and then you have a piece of junk that won't work at all. The second and more significant danger is the problems that accrue if the enlargement of the hole is not centered carefully, as well as making sure that the axis of the hole is perpendicular to the external antenna port.

If either of these considerations are not observed, the resulting misalignment can cause the connection between the probe on the external antenna cable and the receiver to be chancey, allowing the receiver to lose the external antenna, thus ending your session. Even worse, over time the wear and tear of making the connection of the antenna cable to the port in the reciever through a misaligned hole can cause breakage to the brass clips that secure the probe in the port. When this happens you have ruined the receiver.

We have seen this happen more than once with these modified cables.

We like the idea of replacing the 4-AA battery clip with one that holds D cells. It still fits in the little pouch (snugly) and provides battery life not unlike what 4 D cells provide with the Locus.

Phil, nothing personal..you should know that by now....I just think Jerry has the right idea, and he articulated it far better than I...4D cells was the way it should have been, and we all know that the project managers know that by now, too...

I am a fat lazy pig and I don't want to carry one more thing than i absolutely need when i am walking or working. I can carry a whole box of AA batteries in the car though. I don't even think of them anymore, I know the crews are taking home what they need for their flashlights and remote controls and stuff and i don't even mind that!

I can go half a day on any kind of AA and still have 'em half full! Change em anyway every 4 hours, why not, it's only a buck! If you have to worry about a $6.00 a day battery habit maybe you should re-examine your fee schedule.

Hey, I seen them flashlights, you know, the ones that have a CRANK on the side. What if you hooked one of those to the external port? I mean, if you're going to leave somebody on the payroll with the thing then.......(kind of like solving a quadratic equation on a Curta?)
Modified By Dave Huff on 10/14/2003 at 7:29 PM

Yes, I think Dave has it. Of course, the poor soul is liable to work up a sweat. Better leave him with some dehydrated water tablets, so he can get a drink from time to time. Or are we looking for a TDD to crank this hummer?

Aaah, I just tossed that out 'cause I don't have a dog in this hunt.
But if I did, I think I'd look into some type of solar power/charging panel at least for your "base" receiver. Maybe if not to totally charge the batteries but just to give them a little more (as we German car guys say) oom-pah-pah to get you a little further.
As for me, the M XII helps me maintain my Manly figure.
Modified By Dave Huff on 10/14/2003 at 8:26 PM

The external power cables we got from Hayes for the 12v system were already modified. We just had to clip them onto the GPS cradle and plug in the antenna and go to work.

CJ

To all who rant, tongue-in-cheek or otherwise:

I agree that the battery life issue is not an issue. I use three units, bought one external pack early on, found the battery holder ONLY to be wanting. Once that was corrected (inexpensively), I don't have any gripes.
A little planning lets me use the external pack on stations which will be left for several sessions, especially if I can't conveniently revisit.
As I move a unit, or visit to do a shut-down and restart for repeat vectors, I can easily monitor the battery life and swap for fresh as needed.
I'd much rather be able to use AA's and just plan my movements a bit more. Heck, you need something to do while you wait!

Norval

Everything is relative. I'll stick with the 12V packs!