Third Generation Disto-X Progress

[Martin Sluka]

You might opt to use lead-free solder for health and environmental reasons, but it won't have an impact on the operation of the unit.

Do you want to eat it? ;)

[Extremeophile]

You might opt to use lead-free solder for health and environmental reasons, but it won't have an impact on the operation of the unit.

Do you want to eat it? ;)

If things got desperate I would probably dine on my caving companions first.
In all seriousness though, while the risk of exposure to lead in solder is next to zero for the users of consumer electronics, those directly or indirectly involved in the extraction, manufacturing, and eventual disposal may have greater risk. I would definitely consider less toxic alternatives. Also, I realize this is a case of do as I say, not as I do.

[Martin Sluka]

I would definitely consider less toxic alternatives.

"Tetraethyllead (common name tetraethyl lead), abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula (CH3CH2)4Pb. It was mixed with gasoline (petrol) beginning in the 1920s as an inexpensive octane booster that allowed engine compression to be raised substantially, which in turn increased vehicle performance and fuel economy. TEL was phased out starting in the US in the mid-1970s because of its neurotoxicity and its damaging effect on catalytic converters. It is still used as an additive in some grades of aviation gasoline and automotive racing fuels. Innospec has claimed to be the last firm still making TEL, but as of 2013 it appears to also be illegally produced by multiple companies in China."

So we lived in world full of lead many tens years. I believe that to work with lead solder 8 hours per day is not the best idea. But to solder DistoX2 doesn't matter.

[Domi]

Hello,
I am a french caver and i'm writing a web page on my websites (http://souterweb.free.fr/boitaoutils/to ... /disto.htm or http://speleoclpa.free.fr/boitaoutils/t ... /disto.htm) for other french cavers who are interested by the subject.
I have a question : Are you sure that there is a magnet in the transverse part of the endpeice ?
Many thanks.
Best regards.
Domi

[Martin Sluka]

Hello,
Are you sure that there is a magnet in the transverse part of the endpeice ?

Ici:

http://postimg.org/image/o9hbkytc5/

[Domi]

Hy,

OK for this magnet position.

So, not another magnet anywhere into the endpiece ?

Domi

[Martin Sluka]

Hy,

OK for this magnet position.

So, not another magnet anywhere into the endpiece ?

Domi

No, only that one!

[Domi]

Hi,

OK, thanks a lot.

I go to correct my webpage.

Cheers.

[Domi]

Hi,

A last question :

Do you know if the axes of this endpiece are non-magnetic ?
Because if it's true, it would be possible to preserve the endpiece (without his magnet of course).

Thanks.

[Extremeophile]

After calibrating the DistoX today I took some front and back sight readings by rotating the device onto each of its 4 sides with the following results:

Compass FS - 266.9, 267.0, 267.2, 267.1
Compass BS - 87.0, 87.0, 86.9, 87.0

Clino FS - 2.9, 3.0, 3.0, 2.9
Clino BS - -3.2, -3.2, -3.1, -3.2

Awfully good repeatability.

During a survey yesterday up a chimney complex we just set stations wherever it was convenient and had no issues despite many shots being from 50-80 degrees vertically.

[Extremeophile]

I should also mention that these readings were taken between arbitrary stations about 20 feet apart, and the DistoX was hand held. Some folks, like Lynn Brucker, are using non-magnetic brackets and tripods to stabilize instruments to get a better idea of the measurement precision without the influence of human induced hand motion. Some of the very small variation in my measurements is clearly due to hand stability. The new DistoX has a couple of functions that can help improve stability. You can push and release the measurement button and the reading is collected about 2 secs later, you can push and hold the button for 2 secs until the reading is recorded, or you can use the timer button that does a 5 sec countdown before collecting a reading. This gives you some options to reduce the movement sometimes induced by the pressing and releasing of the button. Now that I have a very good calibration (delta was 0.28) I plan to leave that programmed into the device and will go out and do a FS/BS check like this about once a week to determine at what point a recalibration is needed. With an internally mounted, non-magnetic battery, it is expected that the unit should not need recalibration as often as the 1st generation DistoX.

[Martin Sluka]

Do you know if the axes of this endpiece are non-magnetic ?
Because if it's true, it would be possible to preserve the endpiece (without his magnet of course).

Look on my images: I use it with end piece.

[Martin Sluka]

Final solution of parallax error:

[Extremeophile]

I did a few FS/BS readings yesterday without recalibrating the DistoX. This was done 9 days after the original calibration. Readings were taken by rotating the device around the laser axis, i.e. four measurements in each direction. On average there is almost no difference between the frontsight and backsight readings, but the overall variation in the azimuth data is about double what it was immediately after calibration. The variation in the clino data is almost unchanged. Despite the increase in variation, the measurement error for the compass (azimuth) is <0.4 deg, and for the clino it is <0.2 deg. Again, since the instrument is hand-held a significant portion of this error may be due to hand shake.

[Extremeophile]

Here's the data: