Locus Not Connecting
Posted By Matt Menard on 3/20/2006 at 7:39 AM

Hello, hopefully this is not redudnant of the other locus threads that I have read but here goes...

I recently had my Leica RTK units sent off to another office in the company I work for and in return I got three Promark 2's and two Locus units. Been using the Promarks and there have been no problems with them, but one of the Locus units will not connect in the download manager. I applied the downgrade that was reccomended in one of the other threads and got one of them connecting fine. However, one of them is still being stubborn... Is there anything quirky I should know about the Locus or do I have a new paperweight since its EOL? Any input for a novice GPS guy would be great. Thanks in advance,

Matt Menard



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By J. T. Strickland on 3/20/2006 at 7:55 AM

I can make a couple of suggestions. One is turning the locus on and letting it "warm up" before attempting to connect & download data.

Sometimes mine are stubborn, also. I recently turned the ir port up on it's side and appeared to do better. Sometimes just turning it over will do the trick.

Also, You should periodically clean the ir port and the locus screen, especially if you or others smoke in your office.

hope this helps.



Re: on another note
Posted By J. T. Strickland on 3/20/2006 at 8:07 AM

Something about the locus that birds like to perch on and take a dump. I've returned often to find a bird deposit on the locus. It will really affect the transmission if it gets on the face of it.
If you look closely at the raw data, you can tell when the bird made the deposit..



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By John Francis on 3/20/2006 at 8:11 AM

I was once told that the lighting could be an issue.



JT, has got it!
Posted By Nate Dearyan on 3/20/2006 at 8:57 AM

Seriously, (I like his answer...)

If you take a soft cotton cloth, and some alcohol, and slowly and carefully clean the face of the locus, it will help. I seem to do mine about once or twice a year.

Also, set the IR device on a square whiskey bottle, so that it lines up a little better with the port that can help.
Also, fiddle with the angle that the ir device hits the red window.

Also, jiggle the connection of the ir device to the serial port.

IF all else fails, send them to me, and I can do it!

N





Nate?
Posted By Lawrence Paul Lopresti on 3/20/2006 at 9:40 AM

Should that bottle be full, half full, half empty or empty?

Also is JD preferred or required?

Paul in PA



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By John Francis on 3/20/2006 at 10:08 AM

did he say port . . . port wine?

So now . . . a full bottle of Port Wine, drink the wine and put the bottle and and IR, and jiggle, IR jiggle . . . jiggle in the fiddle, IR a little better with a little port, but my nose is red . . .

if all else fails, get an angle, eat a little serial, call me red square and connect me in the morning. . .

hiccup . . . what port?

IR gone



Empty is better
Posted By Nate Dearyan on 3/20/2006 at 10:09 AM

At least you feel better, regardless of the download!

N



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By Matt Menard on 3/20/2006 at 12:58 PM

Well, i have tried different angles, cleaning both the screens, setting the cable on top of somthing to even the height differences (whiskey bottles at work...) and letting it "warm up". The other Locus unit works fine, first try every time so I am led to believe that the IR port on one is broken. Is there any way to troubleshoot the IR port on the locus unit without the HP handleld? Also, I read the thread about opening up the Locus unit and was wondering if anybody might have had any better luck getting one open since then. I dont think my boss would like the "metric hammer" idea too much.



I hate to ask this
Posted By Nate Dearyan on 3/20/2006 at 1:06 PM

But have you tried changing the batteries?

And, if all else fails, do an all reset?

N



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By Matt Menard on 3/20/2006 at 1:23 PM

Tried different batteries and an all reset too... Looks like I do have a paperweight.



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By Robert Bills on 3/20/2006 at 2:17 PM

Lets make sure the simple stuff is covered. The white part of the Locus with the 3 radial lines sits on the table...unit is upside down.....this keeps it flat and the ir port at the correct height when the serial/ir cable is lying flat on the table.

I assume the unit is working....are their any lights on and are they blinking or solid?

If you take it outside does the unit start finding sats? Have you collected any files since your reset...

Did you do a FULL reset or just the partial one?

How many papers will it hold down? Are you yelling loudly or just exhaling in frustration?



Re: Robert
Posted By J. T. Strickland on 3/20/2006 at 3:04 PM

I didn't know that. You mean, after all of these years, I was supposed to be downloading it upside down?
Well, I learnt somethin new today.



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By James Webb on 3/20/2006 at 4:50 PM

JT...me too !!
all these years and nary a failure except now I find all my data is upside down !!

:-)

jimbo



Bob
Posted By J.D. Billings on 3/20/2006 at 10:57 PM

dang....we got thousands of vectors backwards


thanks alot Bob. Now we will have to derive new coordinates for POST since our entire ORGI project here was done upside down :-)


jd

incidentally, either me or Shawn needs to have a bit of email correspondence with you some time regarding some sca-12 type questions.






Re: JD
Posted By J. T. Strickland on 3/21/2006 at 7:50 AM

I need to 'ax' you sumthin, too. couldn't find your address. Shoot me an email from my profile, please, I'm looking for a small item that I wuz told you knew where one wuz..
thanks,
terry

PS how you gonna screw a locus on your post upside down? That's kinky, your "post" may get removed...



Terry
Posted By J.D. Billings on 3/21/2006 at 9:36 AM

sent




Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By Matt Menard on 3/21/2006 at 9:51 AM

Thanks Robert, but I seem to have tried everything you mentioned. When I take the non-working unit outside it appears to be working fine. The lights blink as to indicate that its tracking sat's and logging data.

I was not yelling loudly or exhaling in frustration. Would that help?

I would say that it could hold down quite a few papers. Unfortunatly I have the cleanest cube in the office so i dont have much use for a paperweight.

In any case, thanks for the help. I might try and get my boss to let me open it up and see if there is anything I can do to fix the IR myself.



Re: Locus Not Connecting
Posted By Alden Smith on 3/21/2006 at 10:28 AM

I'd try another computer, maybe with win 98. even thou the other unit worked with your existing computer. try another IR cable, anything to not risk killing it by opening it up. imho Bob



TSOP gnisu snoisses IGRO
Posted By Robert Bills on 3/22/2006 at 8:34 AM

.shtumiza htuos esU

yawa eriF
Modified By Robert Bills on 3/22/2006 at 8:35 AM


Go look at this:
Posted By Nate Dearyan on 3/23/2006 at 9:44 AM


http://www.i-boards.com/bnp/pobtha/messages.asp?MsgID=20320&ThreadID=3430#20320

I had a locus failure. I sent it to thales, and paid 500.00 + shipping, and got a refurb unit back. But, they are out of them, I hear.

When the internal battery dies, the unit looses it's sense. Look at the above link. Complete with diagram etc.

IF you could find someone able to reload the firmware, you could probably open it yourself, and replace the battery, and reload the firmware, and seal it up with your favorite glue, and get it back again.

My 2 cents.

Nate