Below are frequently asked questions (FAQs) sorted by category. Please contact us with any additional question, comment, or suggestion.

Expertise:

Can RenaiSys provide technical service and support for my BC system?

Yes. In fact, one of our members built the first production AC1 systems at the factory in 1980 and has been servicing and supporting the systems ever since. AC1 systems were the predecessors of the BC1, BC2, and BC3 systems. As a factory field engineer, he has been installing, relocating, and maintaining BC systems since they were introduced.

Maintenance:

The system does not initialize. What should I do?

Turn the system (including all computers) off. The following procedures are meant for you to try on you own risk. We shall not be held liable for the correctness of the procedure nor any damage to the system, loss of data, incidental damage or anything else. If at any point during the following procedure anything unexplained happens, please contact us or an other organization with the necessary expertise.

Manually position the carriages in the middle of their traveling ranges. Check that all cables are undamaged and properly connected. It often helps to disconnect cables and check the plugs and sockets. After that, reconnect the cables again. In addition, reseat the circuit boards in the electronics rack by pulling them out about an inch or two centimeters and pushing them back in, to make sure that they are seated firmly.

Turn on the power to the instrument. Do the lights come on? If not, check circuit breakers and fuses. If they are ok, a power supply could be broken. To verify this, you would need a voltmeter and the knowledge how to operate the instrument. Warning, not everyone should be allowed to work inside the instrument due to the presence of electrical danger!

If the lights are on, do you notice anything unusual (for example a dark display, noise, or smoke) at this point? If not and if you have access to a voltmeter, check the voltage of the power supplies in the power rack. From our experience, many problems, including intermittent problems, can be traced to faulty power supplies. So, please check the power supplies one more time!

If everything looks good so far, continue with the initialization by turning on the computer and entering the initialization command if needed. Watch the carriages very carefully. You might need to restart at the beginning of the procedure a couple times. Do all carriages start moving? Do they move in the proper direction? Do they move at the same speed? Once they hit the limits, do they reverse direction? Do they stop in the middle (even for a very short moment)? Do they move into the opposite limit? If one of the carriages moved into an opposite limit, stop monitoring, because anything from here on usually makes no sense and is only confusing.

If no carriage behaves any different than the others, a common problem could be suspected. Triple check the power sources. One of the unique circuit boards in the electronics rack, a computer problem, connection problem, or a software problem could be the culprit.

If one carriage behaves differently than the other three, a problem could be suspected with the one carriage system. Rotating the Digital Feedback Boards could reveal a change. Rotating the Amplifier Boards might change something too. Checking the limit and end switches while the instrument is off, might point us in the right direction. Swapping motors and checking drive systems and carriages while the motors are out might reveal something.

Encoder Interpolator Boxes could be swapped as well. If handled very very carefully, the encoders could be swapped too. We do not recommend this, but it can be done as a last resort.

After a successful repair, the components need to be returned to their original location. Adjustments might be needed. A diagnostics program should be used to test the system. Calibration might be needed as well before it is used again in a production environment.

Can we replace a power supply ourselves?

First some warnings. The following procedures are meant for you to try on you own risk. We shall not be held liable for the correctness of the procedure nor any damage to the system, loss of data, incidental damage or anything else. Not everyone should be allowed to work inside the instrument due to the presence of electrical danger! If at any point during the following procedure anything unexplained happens, please contact us or an other organization with the necessary expertise.

Several organizations have successfully replaced the power supplies themselves. However, pre-adjustment and electronics adjustment have to be considered:

1. The power supply has to be carefully pre-adjusted to the voltages that are needed in the system. As they are sent out, the voltages might not be adjusted and might even damage the instrument (for example: 24V where there should be 15V).

2. Changing the power supply has an influence on the whole electronics of the instrument. Servo adjustments as well as other adjustments depend on the power supply. From experience, we have been able to replace the power supply without readjusting the rest of the electronics if the instruments were carefully installed and well maintained.

With a pre-adjusted power supply but without adjusting the rest of the electronics, most systems seem to work fine. Occasionally the systems "hang" and continue to work after a slight vibration (for example a carriage got touched). This could indicate the need to adjust the rest of the electronics. We recommend alerting a qualified technician during the next visit about the change of the power supply.

What does RenaiSys do during a preventative maintenance visit?

Below is a copy of our checklist:

1. Check with operator about backup, expectations, and known problems
2. If software maintenance is included, check on backup and install updates
3. Initialize system and run diagnostics program for instrument and its peripherals
4. Check optics (oculars, doves, zooms, POS/NEG, ortho/pseudo, and measuring marks)
5. Check illuminations
6. Check limit and end switches
7. Check MMA, PFKB, Table, Digitizer, Printer, and other connected peripherals
8. Repair any reported problem
9. Remove covers
10. Check magnets and moving cables
11. Check and if needed tighten screws and nuts (zoom, rheostats, ...)
12. Clean and lubricate bearings and running surfaces
13. Clean optics, image carriers, and covers
14. Check and if needed adjust power supply and electronics
15. Install covers
16. Clean work area, monitor, keyboard, and other external components
17. Initialize system and run diagnostics program for instrument and its peripherals
18. Check calibration and if needed recalibrate instrument
19. Ask operator to readjust optics, illuminations, peripherals, check calibration, and to resume work
20. Write service report
21. Review report with operator to ensure correctness, completeness, and satisfaction

Relocation:

How much does it cost to move the system?

To answer this question as accurately as possible, we would have to ask six additional questions:
1. Where is the system currently located?
2. Where is the new location going to be?
3. How about access at the two locations (are the doors as wide as the complete system, is everything on the first floor, do we have to use elevators or stairs)?
4. Should we include the help needed to lift the heavy items?
5. Should we include the transportation and packing materials?
6. Should we include insurance?

First, if you plan on moving the system within a building without having to de-assemble anything and without the need to tilt it, you might consider doing this without our presence. While keeping it leveled, the system can be carefully lifted and moved. After the move, we recommend to check the level and adjust the legs if needed. In addition, diagnostics programs make it possible to check the functions and the calibration of the instrument.

If our presence is requested, we typically apply the current time and materials rates. For a general estimate, we would calculate with one day (8 hours) work to dismantle the system and with two days to assemble, adjust, and calibrate the system. Depending on your answers to the questions, if you add travel cost and all the other costs, you end up with the total estimated cost for the move.

We have estimated costs for $2'000 and more. For a quotation that fits your requirements, please consider the questions and contact us.

Spare Parts:

Can you furnish the spare parts?

RenaiSys sells spare parts only if needed as part of a service. We focus on service and support. If part of a service, we forward any product (equipment, software, parts, ...) at the same cost and condition as they are sold to us. We stock no products. With good relations to the manufacturers, we use original parts when needed.

For BC parts, we suggest you contact Vickie Acord at Leica (Vickie.Acord@gi.leica-geosystems.com) with the serial number of the instrument, part numbers if known, and the description of the parts.

What are the most commonly used spare parts?

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