Leica TPS 1200
This is in regards to connecting the External TCP27 Leica Robot Radio to the Allegro CX
***PLEASE NOTE: Attached at the bottom of this Article is a PDF document explaining RMTools in detail.
On the total station:
1) using the Y cable, connect one end to the red battery, one end to the TCP27, and one end to the Leica 1200. The LINK
light on the TCP27 should come on.
2) From the TPS1200, go to the main menu. Select 5 for Configure. Select 4 for Interfaces.
3) Scroll until "GeoCOM Mode" is highlighted. Select F4 (EDIT). Select F5 (DEVICE). You should see three tabs at the
top. Hit F6 (PAGE) until you are on the "RADIO" tab. Using the arrows, scroll down until TCP27 is highlighted. Select
F1 (CONT). Make sure Port 1 is selected. Select F1(CONT) again.
4) Now you are back in the interfaces page, and you should see GeoCOM Mode, port 1, device: TCP27.
5) Under the port column, only one interface should be active. If the RCS Mode interface has a port number beside it,
highlight it and select "use" to turn it off. Communication will fail if more than one interface is enabled!
6) Check the channel on the TCP 27. From where you are, hit F4 (CTRL). It will come up and ask you to
disconnect/reconnect the battery then hit OK. Do this. You may have to try a few times to get the timing right.
7) You should now see Link Number and set as. Make note of the link number (channel) and make sure it is "Set As:
BASE".
8) Hit continue until you are back to the main menu. The Leica 1200 is now setup.
On the Allegro:
1) From the desktop, doubleclick the RM_Config_Tool. Make sure COM3 is selected and hit "connect". Once connected to
the allegro radio, change the link number to match that of the TCP27. Make sure Mode is "REMOTE".
2) Device should say "TPS1200 & Allegro". Make note of the baudrate. You can change it if you like, but it will have
to match what you select in SurvCE. Select SAVE, and then close the utility.
On SurvCE:
1) Launch SurvCE. Under Equip, choose 1. Total Station. Make sure current instrument is Leica Robotic Total Station,
TPS 1200.
2) Under the comms tab set Type to Radio. Set Device to "Leica 1200 Remote." Set Port to COM3. Set the baud rate to
match the baud rate you saw on the Config tool. Other comm. Settings are 8N1.
3) Select the green check. The two radios should now be able to connect.
***Advanced Tips and Tricks***
1) Extended Geocom mode must be enabled on the total station for PowerSearch to function. You can click below for
instructions on "Procedure for checking Activation status":
Checking Extended GeoCom status
A simple way to know that the "Extended GeoCOM" option is not activated is to enter the Robotics dialog of SurvCE and
attempt a power search. The instrument will communicate but the power search feature will fail. If you suspect this to
be the case, on the newer firmware you can also check the status using the following steps:
o Power on the instrument.
o Select the "User" button on the keyboard.
o Select the F3 button for "STAT".
o Select list item number 3 for "System Information".
o Use the down arrow key to scroll to the bottom of the "Instrument" page.
o Verify that "Extended GeoCOM" is on.
2) Apparently, the RX1250 and the Allegro CX radio work on different radio bands. The Allegro typically uses a band
called "Leica USA" and the RX1250 uses "Leica Worldwide". You can change this using the RM Config Tool on the Allegro
but you have to modify the shortcut to the tool first.
!!!Follow the steps below to check or Set the "Radio Band"!!!
1) tap and hold the RM config tool icon until the menu comes up and you can select properties. Under properties, click
the shortcut tab and under Target, it has something like "C_DriverCE_RM_TOOL.exe". You have to add "/service" to the end
of that (without the quotations) so that it reads:
"C_DriverCE_RM_TOOL.exe" /service
2) now run the RM_Config_tool. Under the connect button there is a new "service" button. After you connect, you can
click it to change your frequency band.
3) the frequency bands on the two radios you are using must match!
4) the RX1250 can ONLY use the Leica Worldwide frequency band. If you're going to use that radio, the TPS27 radio must
also be on the Leica Worldwide band.
5) The allegro is supposed to be able to handle both, but I found that my radios did not work unless I changed both
radios to "Leica USA". John says he has seen this before. I tried them both on "Leica Worldwide" and it didn't work.
6) The total station firmware does not allow you to change the band on the TPS27. You have to connect it to the
Allegro. Use the 'Y' cable and connect one of the screw-on 9-pin converters to it. Then connect it to Com1 or Com2 of
the Allegro. Run the RM_Config_Tool and select "Com1" at the top. Then you can use this tool to configure the TPS27.
You can use the service button to check/chage the band.
7) I have no idea how you'd go about changing the band on the radio handle, since there is no way to connect it to the
allegro.