Using laser distance meters in bright sun
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@gaieus said:
Yeah, that's how a Greek (forget which one) measured the height of the pyramids som 2-2.5 millennia ago. And the pyramids do not have vertical walls either - the point is to take the measurement when the sun is low enough for the pyramid to cast shadow (it will be the point which casts the longest shadow anyway)
@unknownuser said:
I don't quite get how he did that using TIGs "similar triangles" method? TIG uses a vertical corner and 2 similar right-angled triangles, where h/H is proportional to d/D. With a pyramid he would have to know/measure the distance to the center of it, no?
@bjornkn said:
I was just curious if the Bosch lasers come with a level built-in, as I might be interested in buying one.
Mine does not. It's a PLR 30 (rather simple one) and it only measures to some 30 metres altogether.
OK. Strange that its specs doesn't mention that shortest/longest feature, while other Bosch lasers in the DLE series does mention it. I have borrowed a cheap "laser" too, but it apparently is only using the laser for pointing, and ultrasonic sound for measuring distance up to 12m
@tig said:
Alternatively by some decent surveying equipment
Good advice
Or, for more fun, speed and lower cost buy a decent plugin/app like PhotoScan
Although I'm a big PhotoScan fan I can see that a laser distance meter can be a very useful accessory too.
Those "laser glasses", is it just a pair of sunglasses with red glass, or does it have to be specifically made for "laser viewing"? -
Well, mine must be much simpler. It definitely does not have a tripod thread. Anywy, for simple, "quick & dirty" measurements (think of GE modelling for instance), mine is also perfect. Or at home when I can place it against a wall to measure the room.
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Bjorn, regarding the sunglasses or filters, any red will do. However, the closer it is to the red of your laser the better it will work. All you are trying to do is build contrast between your laser dot and the background. The wavelength of most lasers is printed on their safety warning. My distance meter is a 635 nanometer laser. I have a laser pointer labeled between 630-680 nanometer. The distance meter looks slightly more orange than the pointer. However any rich red glass or plastic will work well. A bright sun always implies a rich blue sky. The red glass/plastic will knock down the blue component of your ambient light and continue to pass your red light.
As for tilted walls your argument is incorrect, so I am off to produce an SU diagram to demonstrate.
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@Roger I never said that it couldn't be calculated if you know/measure one angle, the one between the lower and upper measurement.
It is when you don't have any known angle (including the 90 deg vertical wall) the problem arises, because when we don't have a vertical wall (and no angle) we can't know the height because the more the wall slants the lower it will actually be, and still have the same distance - and the smaller the angle gets. -
Slightly related to this topic (barely). I was using "Google" search to locate a store with a cheap angle finder. The map they returned showed Howland Island which was Amelia Earhart's missed refueling stop in the mid Pacific. Now Howland is part of the Phoenix Islands and I live in Phoenix, Arizona so when I am out I will be extra vigilant for anyone resembling miss Earhart.
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@roger said:
Slightly related to this topic (barely). I was using "Google" search to locate a store with a cheap angle finder.
Slightly related, i rest my Bosch on top of my ~18" angle finder to steady my aim but am attracted to the idea of the stick. Probably bigger than you want, the Denali digital was less than $30 at Amazon a few years back.
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@roger said:
Slightly related to this topic (barely). I was using "Google" search to locate a store with a cheap angle finder.
I suppose this implies that the iOS theodolite app didn't work very well then?
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@bjornkn said:
@roger said:
Slightly related to this topic (barely). I was using "Google" search to locate a store with a cheap angle finder.
I suppose this implies that the iOS theodolite app didn't work very well then?
Not at all. I let the project vaporize because I didn't want to head out to the middle of the desert in mid summer. No mad dogs and Englishmen out in the midday sun for me (at least not in Arizona). Should I get my hands on a proper cell phone that can run the app you can be rest assured that I am eager to try it.
However I am even more eager to try out the TFI3D (SP?) product.
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I thought you had an iPhone to test it on?
I did a little test with a similar Android app called GeoCam. It does show pitch/azimuth as well as roll, but it uses no decimals, just integers@unknownuser said:
However I am even more eager to try out the TFI3D (SP?) product.
I suppose that would be Tgi3D? Or could it be something else?
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I just found a suit of tools on Android Market: Smart tools toolbox:
https://market.android.com/details?id=kr.aboy.tools&feature=related_apps
It can measure distance, height, width, slopes/angles, compass (as well as dB and vibration!) etc..
Looks interesting, although I doubt that the precision can be very high..
Guess it's time for my first purchase on that market... -
hey, that looks like a useful compact stick, need to put in my shopping cart.
I have had the DLR165 for a few years, you choose from four locations where the measurement will originate.GLR225 comes with a bubble.
edit: photo switch to actual
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I've been reading this post with interest as I have a Disto and have been looking for a way to add horizontal measurement, but most systems are very buggy and/or very expensive, but some Swiss cavers have added a third-axis upgrade to a Disto A3 http://paperless.bheeb.ch/. Apparently it will work on other lasers, but the Disto has greater accuracy and functionailty (and the Disto A3 has enough room within the case for the upgrade). The device uses the Disto's memory to hold the resulting point cloud prior to Bluetooth transmission to PDA for field-drawing or for building into a drawing later.
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I'm considering getting someone to build me one of these, as it's essentially a poor-man's electronic theodolite, and would revolutionise field work. I understand they cost around 150 Euros to build (and the site has full specifications and construction info for the electronically-minded)
Just thought you might be interested in this.
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