Topcon Positioning Systems

You can use a total station to determine the position and height of specific points by measuring angles and distances, which you can do by following these steps:

• Set it up to a known point and configure to the horizontal circle.
• Enter the coordinates of the point you want to stake out.
• Turn the total station until the horizontal circle reads zero.
• Position the reflector at this point (called point P).
• Measure the distance of the point (which will be displayed automatically).

The coordinates of each point you measure can be stored on the device, so it can be transferred to your computer. You can also transfer the known coordinates of each point you need to stake out to the total station.

A total station is a theodolite with a built-in distance meter, which allows you to measure angles and distances so you can determine the position and height of specific points. And some of them come with an electronic distance meter (EDM) with the ability to perform electronic angle scanning, which allows the coded scales of horizontal and vertical circles to be scanned electronically.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) consists of satellites, ground stations, and receivers. So, the term “GPS” refers to a system that consists of these three parts. Satellites take the place of stars and constellations, which was used for navigation in the ancient times. And the ground stations use radar to make sure they're actually where you think they are. The receiver (which can be on a Topcon GPS, a smartphone, or any other device that’s designed for this purpose) listens for the signals that come from these satellites, which it used to determine your location.

Slope can be measured in two different ways — a percentage gradient and a slope angle. But the process is fairly simple. To calculate the slope, you should divide the elevation change by the distance of a straight-line reference (which should use the same unit of measure). This straight-line reference is called the “tangent value” for the slope’s angle.

A pipe laser can be set up in a few different ways. The first one is with an instrument being set up inside the pipe that’s at least 6 inches in diameter, but it can also be set up on a tripod. If you need it to go inside a manhole, you can also set it up on a trivet plate or spreader bar. If you’re looking for a Topcon laser or any other type of surveying tool, be sure to look at what we have at Engineering Supply.