Total Stations & Accessories

Total Stations and Accessories for Your Complete Surveying Needs

Instead of manually reading angles with a theodolite and physically entering data into a calculator, the computer inside a total station purchased on eBay automatically reads angles and performs trigonometry. Robotic total stations are your built-in field assistant for surveying terrain and construction sites.

With a total station, your job as a surveyor is almost as simple as point and click. You aim the scope toward each reference point, and the computer automatically records data and performs calculations. Variations in accuracy and features include:

• Angle Measurement: Using internal instrument sensors, angles can be measured with an accuracy that varies from .5 arc seconds to 10 arc seconds. Generally, the more expensive the series model, the smaller the potential degree of error.
• Distance Measurement: Standard instruments use infrared emitters and retroreflectors to detect distances up to 1500 meters with an accuracy of 2 millimeters. Reflectorless total stations are also available.
• Coordinate Calculation: Using triangulation systems can identify the location of an unknown point relative to a known point in an x-y-z coordinate system. Stations with GPS allow coordinate determination of points that are out of sight.
• Data Processing: Some stations allow for data to be collected and downloaded, while others have software that processes data internally and displays real-time maps.

Used or pre-owned robotic total stations on eBay provide operational cost savings by removing the need for an assistant. With a robotic total station, you have a handheld device that communicates wirelessly with the total station. This allows for remote control of the total station's movements and remote access of its data collection. With a robotic station, you plant the total station at the reference point, move the retroreflector between each point to be observed, and remotely instruct the module to reorient its theodolite, measure angles and distances, and process data. Depending on the series, robotic stations vary from simply allowing you to take measurements remotely to more advanced stations that can show you a real-time display of terrain mapping.

The affordable total stations available on eBay have these accessories:

• Data Collector: A handheld push-button or touchscreen device which enables you to remotely control the movements of the instrument and view the collection of data.
• Prism: The retroreflector prism reflects the infrared carrier signal emitted by the total station to measure distance.
• Data Cables: Uploads software and downloads data from the module to a computer. Some series offer wireless transmission.