Cat 2

OPERATOR’S MANUAL
®
Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System for
Grading Applications
Version 11.20
Revision A
F
Part Number 59000-06-ENG
January 2010
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applies to version 11.20 of the GCS900 Grade Control System. provided you retain no copies, you transfer all of the Software
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2 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

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PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TRIMBLE AND ITS Trimble dealer.
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AND CONDITIONS, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY Notices
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GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 3

communication. However, there is no guarantee that interference will Australia and New Zealand
not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause This product conforms with the regulatory requirements of the
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be Australian Communications Authority (ACA) EMC
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged framework, thus satisfying the requirements for C-Tick
to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following Marking and sale within Australia and New Zealand.
measures:
– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Taiwan – Battery Recycling Requirements
– Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver. The product contains a removable Lithium-ion battery.
– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that Taiwanese regulations require that waste batteries are recycled.
to which the receiver is connected.
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Changes and modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer For product recycling instructions and more information, please go to
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Electrical and Electronic Equipment, products that run on
Canada electrical power.), Call +31 497 53 24 30, and ask for the
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise "WEEE Associate". Or, mail a request for recycling
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regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. Trimble Europe BV
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques c/o Menlo Worldwide Logistics
dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de Classe B Meerheide 45
prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par 5521 DZ Eersel, NL
le Ministère des Communications du Canada.
Europe
This product has been tested and found to comply with the
requirements for a Class B device pursuant to European
Council Directive 89/336/EEC on EMC, thereby satisfying the
requirements for CE Marking and sale within the European Economic
Area (EEA). Contains Infineon radio module ROK 104001. These
requirements are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential or
commercial environment.

Safety Information
Most accidents that involve product operation, maintenance and repair are caused by
failure to observe basic safety rules or precautions. An accident can often be avoided
by recognizing potentially hazardous situations before an accident occurs. A person
must be alert to potential hazards. This person should also have the necessary
training, skills and tools to perform these functions properly.
Improper operation, lubrication, maintenance or repair of this product can be
dangerous and could result in injury or death.
Do not operate or perform any lubrication, maintenance or repair on this product,
until you have read and understood the operation, lubrication, maintenance and repair
information.
Safety precautions and warnings are provided in this manual and on the product. If
these hazard warnings are not heeded, bodily injury or death could occur to you or to
other persons.
The hazards are identified by the “Safety Alert Symbol” and followed by a “Signal
Word” such as “DANGER”, “WARNING” or “CAUTION”. The Safety Alert
“WARNING” label is shown below.
C WARNING – This alert warns of a potential hazard which, if not avoided, can cause severe
injury.
The meaning of this safety alert symbol is as follows:

Attention! Become Alert! Your Safety is Involved.
The message that appears under the warning explains the hazard and can be either
written or pictorially presented.
Operations that may cause product damage are identified by “NOTICE” labels on the
product and in this publication.
Trimble® cannot anticipate every possible circumstance that might involve a potential
hazard. The warnings in this publication and on the product are, therefore, not all
inclusive. If a tool, procedure, work method or operating technique that is not
specifically recommended by Trimble is used, you must satisfy yourself that it is safe
for you and for others. You should also ensure that the product will not be damaged or
be made unsafe by the operation, lubrication, maintenance or repair procedures that
you choose.
The information, specifications, and illustrations in this publication are on the basis of
information that was available at the time that the publication was written. The
specifications, torques, pressures, measurements, adjustments, illustrations, and other
items can change at any time. These changes can affect the service that is given to the
product. Obtain the complete and most current information before you start any job.
Trimble dealers have the most current information available.

C WARNING – When replacement parts are required for this product Trimble recommends using
Trimble replacement parts or parts with equivalent specifications including, but not limited to,
physical dimensions, type, strength and material.
Failure to heed this warning can lead to premature failures, product damage, personal injury or
death.
C WARNING – The cutting edge of the machine may move without warning when automatic
controls are on. These sudden movements could cause injury to anyone near the cutting edge,
or damage to the machine. Always put the system in Manual and engage the machine's park
brake before you leave the machine, or when somebody is working near the cutting edge.
C WARNING – When working with a raised blade, if you allow parts of your body to extend under
the cutting edge of the blade or blade attachments, then unexpected movement of the blade
may result in injury or death. Always maintain adequate clearance from the potential path of the
cutting edge or blade attachments.
C WARNING – If you create a ramp or other work platform that is too steep, machines and
vehicles using the ramp or platform could become difficult to control. This could result in harm
to the operator, to others, or damage to the machine. To ensure your safety and the safety of
others, find out what the maximum slope for your site is and make sure you do not exceed it.

Contents
Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1 About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.1 Scope and audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.2 Related information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.3 Trimble training classes and technical assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4 To learn more about Trimble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.5 Your comments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2 Using the Control Box and Lightbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2.1 Control box basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.1.1 Power key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.1.2 The data card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2 Working with control box information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.2.1 Working with menus and dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.2.2 Working with guidance screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.3 Understanding lightbar information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.4 Operating the remote switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.4.1 Auto/Manual switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.4.2 Vertical offset switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.4.3 Raise/lower switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.5 System beeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3 Preparing to Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.1 Pre-power up checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.1.1 Best operating practice for motor grader systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.1.2 Mast orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.1.3 Zero motor grader articulation, circle centershift, and wheel lean . . . . . . 33
3.1.4 Motor grader blade cushioning off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.1.5 Zero bulldozer blade rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.2 Power up checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.2.1 Lightbar power up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.2.2 Control box power up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3 Work preparation checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3.3.1 Machine settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3.3.2 Switch between 2D and 3D guidance systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.3.3 Display brightness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.3.4 Lightbar brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.3.5 Display settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.3.6 Lightbar tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.4 Configuring the machine radio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.5 Sensor calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.5.1 Cross fall sensor group calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.5.2 Blade slope sensor calibration using a digital level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Conte nts
3.5.3 Blade pitch sensor calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

3.5.4 Blade rotation sensor calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.5.5 Mainfall sensor calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.5.6 Electric mast calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.5.7 Linked electric mast calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.6 Minimum elevation mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.7 Selecting a 3D vertical guidance method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.8 Selecting a conventional vertical guidance method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4 Using Conventional Guidance in the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4.1 Prepare conventional sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.1.1 Connect a sonic tracer for lift guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.1.2 Check sonic tracer connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.1.4 Adjust manual mast to get laser strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
4.1.5 Bench laser receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.2 Blade slope or cross slope set up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.3 Check cutting edge guidance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4.4 Check valve speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4.5 Working with conventional guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.5.1 Set vertical offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.5.2 Change vertical offset with the remote switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.5.3 Change target blade slope or cross slope with the remote switches . . . . . 71
4.5.4 Swap guidance ends using the Auto/Manual switches . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
4.5.5 Conventional (elevation/slope) vertical guidance sensor selection . . . . . . 72
4.5.6 Change the target slope direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.5.7 Return masts to bench height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
5 Using 3D Guidance in the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

5.1 Prepare 3D sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.1.1 UTS set up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5.1.2 Starting the UTS system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5.1.3 Benching a UTS target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5.1.4 Set GPS electric mast height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5.1.5 Initialize a machine’s orientation and pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.1.6 Set GPS accuracy mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.1.7 GPS geoid grid support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5.1.8 Survey laser receiver set up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
5.1.9 Turn on laser enhanced elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5.1.10 Benching a survey laser receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5.2 Check blade wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5.3 Check cutting edge guidance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
5.4 Check valve speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
5.5 Load or create a design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5.5.1 Insert a data card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5.5.2 Load a design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Contents
5.5.3 Create a design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

5.6 Working with 3D guidance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
5.6.1 Set working surface lift and/or vertical offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5.6.2 Select horizontal alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
5.6.3 Select blade tip for horizontal guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
5.6.4 Set horizontal offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
5.6.5 Change vertical offset with the remote switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
5.6.6 Automatically control only one blade tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
5.6.7 Changing blade pitch when working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
5.6.8 John Deere EHC valve module and rotation sensor support . . . . . . . . . 111
5.6.9 Komatsu D155AX-6 bulldozer valve module support . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
5.6.10 Point recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
5.6.11 Reacquire UTS lock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
5.6.12 Clear UTS benching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
5.6.13 Turn off UTS guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
5.6.14 Turn off laser enhanced elevation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
6 Troubleshooting in the Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

6.1 System troubleshooting techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6.1.1 General troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6.1.2 Troubleshooting UTS systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6.1.3 Troubleshooting GPS systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
6.1.4 Troubleshooting automatic controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
6.2 Troubleshooting flashing warning messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
6.2.1 General warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
6.2.2 UTS warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
6.2.3 GPS and survey laser (SR300) warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
6.2.4 Conventional laser receiver warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
6.2.5 Sonic tracer warnings messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
6.2.6 Electric mast warnings messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
6.2.7 Angle and rotation sensor warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
6.2.8 Automatic controls warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
6.3 Troubleshooting error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
6.3.1 Software support option errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
6.3.2 Avoidance zone warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
6.3.3 Other selected error messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
6.4 Troubleshooting system components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
6.4.1 Lightbar system status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
6.4.2 GPS receiver status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
6.4.3 ST400 sonic tracer status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
6.4.4 ST300 sonic tracer status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
6.4.5 SNRx10 data radio status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
6.4.6 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet 450 data radio status indicators . . . . . . . 149
6.4.7 LR410 laser receiver status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
6.4.8 MT900 machine target status indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
6.5 Running system diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
6.5.1 UTS diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Conte nts
6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and satellite monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

6.6 Check for laser strike. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
6.6.1 Adjusting electric masts to get laser strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
6.6.2 Adjusting manual masts to get a laser strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
6.6.3 Checking a survey receiver is getting laser strikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
6.7 Before you contact your dealer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
A Caterpillar ARO Bulldozer Restrictions and Extensions . . . . . . . . 163

A.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
A.2 Additional automatic control restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
A.3 Using the ARO bulldozer remote switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
B Towed Scrapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

B.2 Direction indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
B.3 Case remote hydraulic auxiliary auto mode switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
C Mills/Cold Planers and Trimmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

C.1 Configuration options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
C.2 Benching the machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
C.3 Cutting tool wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
C.4 Drum slope sensor calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
C.5 Valve speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

CHAPTER
1
About This Manual 1
In this chapter: Welcome to the GCS900 Grade Control System

Operator’s Manual. This manual provides
Q Scope and audience procedural information for the day to day
Q Related information operation of the Trimble® GCS900 Grade
Control System version 11.20. The system is
Q Trimble training classes and
technical assistance
designed specifically for earthmoving
equipment in the construction industry.
Q To learn more about Trimble
Q Your comments

1 About This Manual
1.1 Scope and audience

This manual is intended for personnel who operate the Trimble GCS900 Grade
Control System on motor graders, bulldozers, and scrapers, including:
• Machine operators
• Dealers
• Installation technicians
• Site supervisors
This manual describes how to use the standard features of the system. To learn about
the underlying concepts of the system, refer to the Trimble GCS900 Grade Control
System Reference Manual.
For information on how to use features not described in this manual, refer to the
Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System Site Supervisor’s Manual.
Even if you have used other machine guidance systems before, Trimble recommends
that you spend some time reading this manual to learn about the special features of
this product.
1.2 Related information

Trimble manuals that are related to this product are available in PDF format on the
GCS900 Grade Control System Software CD. To view or print the manuals, use
Adobe Reader (provided on the CD).
Utilities that do not have an accompanying manual have integrated Help.
1.3 Trimble training classes and technical assistance

Contact your local Trimble dealer for:
• Technical support
• Information notes and other technical notes
• Information about:
– the support agreement contracts for software and firmware
– extended warranty programs for hardware
– training classes
1.4 To learn more about Trimble

For an interactive look at Trimble, go to www.trimble.com.
1.5 Your comments

Your feedback about the supporting documentation helps us to improve it with each
revision. Email your comments to [email protected].

CHAPTER
2
Using the Control Box and Lightbars 2
In this chapter: As you work with the GCS900 Grade Control

System, you need to set up and control the
Q Control box basics guidance system and understand the guidance
Q Working with control box information the system provides.
information
You control the guidance system with, and are
Q Understanding lightbar information given guidance information by, the following
Q Operating the remote switches system components:
Q System beeper • the CB430 control box

• the lightbar(s), if installed
• the remote switches, if installed
• the audible alarm, or beeper
This chapter describes, in general terms, how
these components are used.
For more information on these components,
refer to the Trimble GCS900 Grade Control
System Reference Manual.

2 Using the Control Box and Lightbars
2.1 Control box basics

The CB430 control box is a computer that runs the system software. The control box
has a color LCD screen to display guidance and other information, and push button
controls to operate the system. In addition, the control box has a data card slot for
loading and saving machine and display configuration data, and for loading and
saving designs. See Figure 2.1 and the following table, which describes the items in
the figure.
Softkey label area Softkeys
LCD screen
Next key Escape key

Zoom-in
Beeper
Power
Zoom-out
Data card
slot OK key
Menu key Arrow keys
Figure 2.1 The CB430 control box
Description Function
LCD screen —
Softkey labels See Softkeys and softkey labels, page 17
Softkeys See Softkeys and softkey labels, page 17
Zoom-in key + Zoom in on the machine
Zoom-out key - Zoom out from the machine
Next key N View the next guidance screen or select the next field in a dialog
Menu key M View the Setup Menu – Configuration menu
Data card slot See 2.1.2 The data card
(
)
Arrow keys Pan a guidance view, select an item in a list, or enter data in a field
[
]

Description Function
OK key \ Save changes made in a dialog, and exit the dialog
Escape key = Exit from a dialog without saving changes, or exit from a menu
Power key P See 2.1.1 Power key
Beeper See 2.5 System beeper
2.1.1 Power key

The P key turns the control box on and off.
To turn on the control box and the system, press P. After a brief pause, an opening
screen appears.
Note – If the system reports that there are upgrade files or other system files on the
data card, or that the operating system is out of date, contact your site supervisor
immediately.
To turn off the control box and the system, press and hold P for two to three
seconds, until the control box shuts down. (This delay reduces the risk of you turning
off the power accidentally.) You can turn off the system from any screen or dialog.
2.1.2 The data card
C CAUTION – The contents of a data card, or the data card itself, may be damaged if the card is
removed from the card slot immediately after the card slot door is opened. When there is a data
card in the card slot, and the card slot door is opened, a full screen warning message on a red
background appears. Wait until the warning message disappears before you remove the card.
A data card is a microchip that can store large amounts of data without the need for a
permanent power supply. Figure 2.2 shows a typical data card used in the system.
Use data cards to transfer designs between the office where, the designs are created,
and the system in the field, where the designs are used to generate guidance
information.
Figure 2.2 Typical data card
You can use SiteVision® Office software to view and retrieve the files on a data card.

Data cards also store the following configuration files:

• Machine configuration
• Control box settings
• GPS coordinate system information
• Log files and .zsnap (system snapshot) files
• Mapping files and .tag files
Note – You cannot write to or read from a data card when the data card slot door is
open. For example, if mapping is turned on and the slot door is opened, mapping will
be turned off.
Because of the rugged environments in which the system operates, CompactFlash
cards are exposed to shock, vibration, and wide temperature variations. Most
CompactFlash cards will work in the system but may not survive for long periods in
such a rugged environment.
The Trimble part number for a CompactFlash card is 46551.
2.2 Working with control box information

When you work with the control box, you use a mix of keys, softkeys, menus,
dialogs, and guidance screens. The availability of many of these items is determined
by the following factors:
• The type of machine.
• The sensors installed on the machine. For example, some configuration screens
are only available when particular sensors are installed.
• The availability of automatic controls.
• The guidance configuration of the system. Your selection of guidance method
affects the guidance information available on the display and the guidance
configuration options you get.
• The operator configuration of the system. The menus and screens selected for
you by your site supervisor affect the setup information you can view and
modify. This manual only covers the menu options that are available to
operators by default. Any configuration and guidance options not covered in
this manual are described in the Trimble GCS900 Grade Control System Site
Supervisor’s Manual.
2.2.1 Working with menus and dialogs

Before you can begin work, you must enter configuration and set-up information into
the system, and view the current system state, by using screens called menus and
dialogs. Menus let you select a dialog. Dialogs let you specify set-up and
configuration information, or view information about the state of system components.

Softkeys and softkey labels

Softkeys are the six physical keys immediately to the right of the CB430 screen. The
function of these physical keys depends on the information displayed on the CB430
screen, and is identified by the softkey label beside the key. See Figure 2.3 for an
example.
Softkey labels are graphical “keys” that appear down the side of the screen.
The text on a softkey label can show the following details:
• A description of the operation that is performed when you press the softkey
once. For example, V. Offset opens the Vertical Offset dialog.
• The setting that is currently selected. The text on the softkey label changes
when you press the softkey to switch between options. The top line of the
softkey label ends with a colon (:) and the bottom line shows the current option
or setting. For example, the softkey labels Blade: Left and Blade: Right show the
end of the blade that is selected for horizontal guidance on 3D systems. The
current end (Left or Right) shows on the bottom line of the label.
Softkey labels
Figure 2.3 Example softkey labels on a guidance screen
Some softkey labels appear in more than one screen, in which case the function of the
softkey they identify is always the same.
As a softkey’s function relates to particular screens or dialogs, that functionality is
only available when the appropriate screen or dialog appears. For example the New
Level function is available only when the Select Design File screen appears, as that
function relates only to that screen.
If a softkey has no function in a screen or dialog, the softkey label is blank.
By convention, this manual refers to a softkey/function combination by softkey label.
Menus
Menus let you choose another menu or dialog from a list. To move up or down the list
of menu items use the ] or [ keys. Once you highlight the item you want to view,
press \ to select it. See Figure 2.4 for an example.

To leave a menu without making a selection, press =.
Highlighted menu
item
Figure 2.4 Example menu
Dialogs
Dialogs let you enter data into the system. Dialogs can contain any of the following
items:
• Text fields. Text fields let you enter text information, such as the name of a
machine. Once you select a field, you can enter data into it. A selected field
appears as white text on a blue background.
• Number fields. Number fields let you enter numerical values, such as the
height of a benchmark. Once you select a field, you can enter data into it. A
selected field appears as white text on a blue background.
• Lists. Lists let you select a single item from a list of items, such as a list of 3D
designs.
• Check lists. Check lists let you select one or more items, or no items, from a list
of items, such as a list of sensors.
• Yes/No fields. Yes/No fields let you enable and disable particular features.
• Information to help you make your selection.
To move between fields in a dialog, press the N key. See Figure 2.5.
Number field
– highlighted
Number field
– not highlighted
Figure 2.5 Example dialog

To enter data into a text or number field, use the arrow keys as follows:
• Press [ or ] to scroll through the upper case alphabet (A through Z),
numbers (0 through 9), the decimal point (.), the negative sign (–), the positive
sign (+), a space ( ), and back to A.
Note – Available values depend on the type of field that is selected. For
example, the only values available for number fields are 0 through 9, the
decimal point (.), –, and +.
When you change a character in a field, the keys ] and [ start stepping
from the existing character.
• ) steps to the next character to the right.
In fields that allow spaces, press ) twice to insert a space.
• ( steps back one character to the left. This deletes the character in the space to
the left.
To select an item from a list, press [ or ] to highlight the item you want to select,
and press \. See Figure 2.6.
When you press

\, this item
is selected.
Figure 2.6 An example of a list in a dialog
To leave the dialog without saving the new data or selection, press =. If you have
made changes to a dialog setting, and you choose to exit without saving those
changes, the following warning appears:
To confirm that you want to abandon the changes you have made to the dialog, press
\.

2.2.2 Working with guidance screens

While you work, you read guidance information from the system using guidance
screens. Guidance screens display a mix of text and graphics that give you
information such as the slope or elevation of the cutting edge or the position of the
machine.
Depending on the configuration of the system you are using, you can view up to six
different guidance screens:
• Plan view
• Cross-section view
• Profile view
• Split screen (profile and cross-section) view
• Text view 1
• Text view 2
To move between guidance screens, press the N key.
The availability of each screen, and the information the screen contains, changes with
the following configuration items:
• The type of machine
• The sensors installed on the machine
• The availability of automatic controls
• The guidance configuration of the system
• The operator configuration of the system
• The type of design currently loaded
Guidance screen components

Figure 2.7 shows the main components of the guidance screens:
Guidance view
area
Optional text
information area
Softkey label
Guidance area
settings area
Figure 2.7 Guidance screen components

The three main areas of a guidance screen are:

• The optional text information area. The text information area lets you view
user-selectable information. In the text screen guidance views, the text
information area uses the guidance view area.
If there are more than three text items selected for display, then the text
information area appears down the right side of the screen.
If there is no text information configured for that view, the text information
area does not appear.
• The guidance view area. The guidance view area displays the machine relative
to the surface being worked. There is no guidance view area in the text screens.
• The guidance settings area. The guidance settings area displays the current
sensors and guidance settings being used to generate guidance information. For
more information, see Guidance settings, page 23.
Machine icons
The system uses a variety of icons to identify the machine in the plan and profile
views. The icon that appears on the screen depends on the machine type that the
system is configured for.
The system uses a simple blade icon to provide information on the blade slope in
cross-section view.
The cutting edge tip in an icon corresponds exactly to the cutting edge tip of the
machine.
As you move the machine and blade, the icon mimics the movements on the screen.
The red square on the blade indicates the horizontal guidance point (the blade focus),
if applicable. The green line on the blade indicates the vertical guidance point(s).
Note – The position of symbols for other parts, in particular the tracks/wheels or rear
corners, are approximate and for indication only.

Table 2.1 lists the icons used for some common machine types. Other machine types
are supported and have their own icon. If the machine you are operating is not shown
in Table 2.1, contact your site supervisor.
Table 2.1 Machine type and icon
Machine type Plan View icon Profile View Icon
Motor grader
Bulldozer - angle blade
Bulldozer - straight blade
Scraper
Gomaco 9000/9500 Trimmer
Wirtgen Milling Machine or Caterpillar

Cold Planer
Generic

Guidance settings
To display guidance settings, the system uses a variety of icons to identify the sensors
being used to generate guidance information, and text to display numerical values.
See Figure 2.8 and Table 2.2.
Vertical offset Required slope

Sonic tracer icon
Slope sensor icon
Figure 2.8 Example guidance setting area for a sonic tracer guided lift-plus-cross slope
system
.
Table 2.2 Guidance setting icons used by the system

Guidance setting icon Meaning
3D vertical guidance information is being generated by one or more

3D sensors.
3D horizontal guidance information is being generated by one or more

3D sensors.
Blade or cross slope guidance information is being generated by a

combination of one or more of mainfall, blade slope, and blade
rotation sensors.
Lift guidance information is being generated by a laser receiver.
Lift guidance information is being generated by a sonic tracer.
No avoidance zone guidance is available.
Machine direction (currently forward), as set by the Direction:

softkey.
(Single 3D sensor systems only)
If automatic controls are installed and activated, the color of the sensor icon indicates
the control state in the following way:
• White. Automatic control is turned off.
• Green. Automatic control is turned on.
• Flashing red. The automatic control switch is turned on, but automatic controls
are deactivated.

2.3 Understanding lightbar information

The system uses LED arrays, called lightbars, to provide the operator with guidance
information. Correctly installed lightbars let you simultaneously view guidance
information, the cutting edge, and the surface being worked.
In each lightbar there are seven sets of LEDs in two colors, as shown in Figure 2.9.
Amber LEDs Green LEDs Amber LEDs
Figure 2.9 LB400 lightbar LEDs
When the cutting edge is within half of the on-grade or on-line tolerance, only the
central green LED is lit. When the cutting edge is within the on-grade or on-line
tolerance, the central green LED and one other green LED are lit. If any LED, other
than a green LED is lit, then the cutting edge is off grade or off line.
Up to three lightbars can be installed on the machine. Each lightbar shows different
information for the blade position:
• One or two vertically-mounted lightbars give cut/fill guidance to each end of
the blade.
• If you are working with a 3D system, a horizontally-mounted lightbar gives
horizontal guidance.
Figure 2.10 shows how the lightbars provide guidance information and relate to the
cross-section view displayed on the control box, using a 3D guidance method with a
road design loaded. The cut/fill information is relative to the road design surface. The
horizontal guidance information is relative to the selected alignment.

Horizontal guidance.
Four amber LEDs lit.
Steer left.
Left tip guidance. Right tip guidance.

Two amber LEDs lit. Only central LED lit.
Cut down. On-grade.
Figure 2.10 Using the lightbars
2.4 Operating the remote switches

The remote switches let you use common automatic control features while keeping
your hands close to the machine controls. The remote switches let you perform the
following operations:
• Switch between Auto and Manual control
• Set an elevation or slope offset
• Raise or lower the cutting edge of a scraper or bulldozer
Figure 2.11 shows typical locations for the remote switch assembly on a motor grader.
Left offset increment switch Right offset increment switch

on Moldboard Roll lever on Articulation lever
Right Auto/Manual switch

Left Auto/Manual switch on right Blade Lift lever
on left Blade Lift lever
Sideshift Auto/Manual switch
Figure 2.11 Typical motor grader remote switch locations

The following image shows typical locations for the remote switch assembly on a
bulldozer.
2.4.1 Auto/Manual switches

For systems installed on motor graders, there are two or three Auto/Manual remote
switches. All other systems have a single Auto/Manual remote switch.
For motor graders, the Auto/Manual switches enable and disable the automatic
controls for their respective blade ends, and for blade sideshift. For other machine
types, the Auto/Manual switch enables and disables the automatic controls for the
blade as a whole.
For motor graders, guidance methods that only provide guidance to one end of the
blade, for example cross slope guidance, behave in the following way:
• Automatic control is given to the end of the blade that the Auto/Manual switch
was put in the Auto position last.
• The other end of the blade returns to manual control, until the Auto/Manual
switch is toggled to Manual and then back to Auto.

3D guidance methods provide guidance to both ends of the blade. Because motor
graders can have automatic controls turned on for each blade tip independently, motor
grader automatic controls behave in the following way:
• If one Auto/Manual switch is in the Auto position, then the behavior of the
blade depends on which tip is under automatic control:
– If the end of the blade under automatic control has focus, then that end of
the blade is automatically controlled to maintain the correct elevation. The
other blade tip is manually controlled to maintain the correct cross slope.
– If the end of the blade under automatic control does not have focus, then
that blade tip is automatically controlled to maintain the cutting edge at
the cross slope of the design. The other blade tip is manually controlled to
maintain the correct elevation.
• If both Auto/Manual switches are in the Auto position, then both blade tips are
automatically driven to design.
• If automatic sideshift is available and turned on, then the blade is automatically
moved horizontally to design.
Note – At least one of the automatic lift switches must also be in the Auto
position for automatic sideshift to operate.
2.4.2 Vertical offset switches

For systems installed on motor graders, there are two vertical offset remote switches.
All other systems have a single vertical offset remote switch.
For systems installed on motor graders, each switch can control the vertical offset
applied to the end of the blade corresponding to the side that the switch is mounted
on.
Toggling a vertical offset remote switch up or down increases and decreases,
respectively, the value of the vertical offset. This is true even if the end of the blade
has its elevation controlled to maintain cross slope, for example the cross slope and
lift plus cross slope guidance methods. For this reason, for certain combinations of
blade slope and blade end being controlled, increasing the offset may decrease the
working cross slope.
The amount the vertical offset or working slope is changed with each remote switch
action is called the vertical offset increment. The vertical offset increment has a
default value of 15 mm (0.6 inches.), or 0.1% if the end of the blade has its elevation
controlled to maintain cross slope. This increment can be changed by your site
supervisor.
2.4.3 Raise/lower switches

Towed scrapers and bulldozers machine types optionally support the installation of a
third 3-position remote switch. If installed, this switch is used to raise and lower the
bowl of a scraper, or the blade of a bulldozer.

2.5 System beeper

In addition to the display and lightbars, the system also uses an audible alarm, or
beeper, to alert you to status changes and other events.
Table 2.3 lists the pattern of sounds generated by the beeper, and the events that cause
them. By default, the beeper will sound for all the events listed in Table 2.3, but alerts
for some events may be turned off by your site supervisor.
Table 2.3 Beeper patterns
Event Sounds when ... Pattern
Inside Avoidance The machine is inside an avoidance zone. Continuous:
Zone 200 msec on,
200 msec off,
400 msec on,
200 msec off
Above Grade the blade is more than the vertical tolerance and Continuous:
less than four times the vertical tolerance above 50 msec on,
grade. 50 msec off
On-Grade the blade is within the vertical tolerance of grade. Continuous:
On
Below Grade the blade is more than the vertical tolerance and Continuous:
less than four times the vertical tolerance below 100 msec on,
grade. 100 msec off
Approach Avoidance The machine is within the warning distance of an Once only:
Zone avoidance zone. 200 msec on,
200 msec off,
400 msec on
No Avoid The No Avoid message appears. Once only:
200 msec on
Warning Message A warning message appears. Once only:
Appears 200 msec on,
200 msec off,
200 msec on
Warning Message A warning message automatically disappears. Once only:
Disappears 200 msec on
GPS Accuracy The GPS accuracy level changes. Once only:
200 msec on
UTS Tracking the UTS loses lock on the machine target. Once only:
200 msec on
Laser Receiver the laser receiver loses strike from the laser Once only:
transmitter. 200 msec on
Sonic Tracer the sonic tracer loses valid measurements. Once only:
200 msec on
Auto/Manual States the guidance mode changes to Auto or Manual. Once only:
200 msec on

Table 2.3 Beeper patterns (Continued)

Event Sounds when ... Pattern
Inactive Auto the guidance mode changes to Inactive Auto. Once only:
500 msec on
Key/Switch Beeps A key or a switch is pressed. Once only:
200 msec on


CHAPTER
3
Preparing to Work 3
In this chapter: Before you begin work with the GCS900 Grade
Control System, you need to check the state of
Q Pre-power up checks the machine and its system components, to make
Q Power up checks sure that the system will provide accurate
guidance.
Q Work preparation checks
Q Configuring the machine radio
This chapter describes how to check the machine
before you turn on the system, what to look for
Q Sensor calibration as the system powers up, and how to check the
Q Selecting a 3D vertical guidance general system setup once the system is running.
method
Q Selecting a conventional vertical
guidance method

3 Preparing to Work
3.1 Pre-power up checks

Before you power up the system, observe the state of the machine to make sure that it
is configured to function correctly. See the following list of basic checks.
Check and set ... When? To learn how, see ...

Mast(s) perpendicular to For motor graders and bulldozers without 3.1.2 Mast orientation
wheelbase mainfall and blade pitch sensors, every
time you change the blade orientation
Motor grader zero articulation Every time you begin a job with a single- 3.1.3 Zero motor grader
and circle sideshift 3D sensor system on a motor grader articulation, circle centershift, and
wheel lean
Turn motor grader blade Every time you want to use automatic 3.1.4 Motor grader blade
cushioning off controls on a motor grader cushioning off
Bulldozer blade square For bulldozers without cross slope 3.1.5 Zero bulldozer blade rotation
sensors, every time you begin a job with a
single-3D sensor system
3.1.1 Best operating practice for motor grader systems

This best operating practice list will assist you to achieve the best results with your
motor grader system:
• Ensure the mast is perpendicular to the wheelbase, or use a blade pitch sensor
• Keep the circle centered under the gooseneck
• Do not lean the wheels
• Do not articulate the machine
• Where possible, move the machine in one direction only; do not turn around
• Where possible, set the blade rotation and leave it in the same position
• Where possible, run with the UTS machine target leading, not trailing
3.1.2 Mast orientation

If you have mast-mounted sensors, and you do not have a mainfall sensor and blade
pitch sensor installed and configured, the mast or masts must be in the “as measured”
position (that is, the position the mast or masts were in during measure up) during
operation. Typically, the mast(s) should be perpendicular to the wheelbase of the
machine.
In some cases, you may be required to alter the angle of the motor grader mast(s). To
do this, move the bolt that secures the rotating mast mount into another hole. See
Figure 3.1. If you change the location of the bolt, you must enter the change into the
system. Contact your site supervisor to make this change.
Note – The angle of a machine’s mast(s) relative to the wheelbase of the machine
changes both when the moldboard is rolled, or the blade pitched, and when the blade
is rotated.

Preparing to Work 3
Bolt
Bolt holes
Figure 3.1 Rotating mast mount
3.1.3 Zero motor grader articulation, circle centershift, and wheel lean
For motor grader systems that rely on the cross slope sensor group for guidance, such
as conventional systems and single-3D sensor systems, you must make sure that the
machine is not articulated and that there is no side shift applied to the circle. The front
wheels must be upright (not leaned).
Wheel lean introduces an error in the reading from the mainfall sensor. Articulation
and circle centershift introduce unmeasured blade rotation. Operating with wheel
lean, circle centershift, or articulation can cause inaccuracy in the cross slope being
cut.
3.1.4 Motor grader blade cushioning off

Using a motor grader’s blade cushioning device at the same time as the blade is being
automatically controlled by the system results in poor automatic controls
performance.
Make sure that blade cushioning, if installed, is turned off before working with
automatic controls.
3.1.5 Zero bulldozer blade rotation

For bulldozer systems that use single-3D sensor systems, and that do not have a blade
rotation sensor installed and configured, you must make sure that the blade is square
to the machine (not rotated).
Operating with a rotated blade can cause inaccuracy in the calculation of the blade tip
location.

3 Preparing to Work
3.2 Power up checks

ATTENTION – When working in cold environments, when you start the machine to warm it up,
C turn on the grade control system as well.
When you power up the system to begin work, observe the system’s start-up sequence
to make sure that all components function correctly. See the following list of basic
checks.
Check For more information, see ...

Lightbar power up 3.2.1 Lightbar power up
CB430 power up 3.2.2 Control box power up
3.2.1 Lightbar power up

Observe the lightbars during start-up and make sure that the lightbars work correctly.
To perform the lightbar start-up check:
1. To turn on the system power, press P on the control box.
2. Immediately observe the pattern of the lightbar LEDs.
The LEDs flash in the following sequence:
LEDs on this lightbar Flash

Left Bottom to top
Center (horizontal) Left to right
Right Top to bottom
All Twice, simultaneously
The following problems may occur when you power up the lightbars:
Problem Action
Lightbars do not illuminate Use the methods described in 3.2.2 Control box power up to check that the
CB430 control box has started successfully. If it has, check the system harness
between the control box and the lightbars. Use the procedure described in
3.3.4 Lightbar brightness to check that the lightbar brightness is not set too low.
Lightbars flash in the wrong The lightbars have probably been installed incorrectly. Consult your site
sequence supervisor.
3.2.2 Control box power up

Observe the control box after the system has powered up. You should see a guidance
screen, softkeys, automatic control status indicators, and optional text items (if
configured).

Preparing to Work 3
If the machine has one or more 3D sensors installed and configured, the following
items appear:
• A plan view guidance screen.
• The correct machine icon for your machine type.
• A site plan, if a data card is inserted, and the card contains a site plan file.
• A design, if a data card is inserted, and the card contains the design loaded
when the system was last powered down.
The following problems may occur when you power up the control box and the
system:
Problem Action
Control box does not start Check that the master disconnect switch and machine power switch
are on.
Check the ignition switched power cable section of the system
harness.
Start-up is interrupted by a request to select Your data card has a firmware upgrade file on it. Consult your site
a firmware upgrade file supervisor.
Start-up is interrupted by the “Error loading The avoidance zone file on your data card is corrupt. Consult your
avoidance zone” error message site supervisor.
Start-up completes but the ST300 Press = to return to a guidance screen. Before you begin work,
Connections dialog appears you must follow the procedure in 4.1.2 Check sonic tracer
connections.
Start-up completes but the Direction dialog The machine direction monitor has failed. Consult your site
appears supervisor.
To continue, press =. A guidance screen appears. Before you
begin work, press Direction: Unknown and set the machine’s
direction.
Start-up completes but the error message A device specified during system configuration is missing or not
“Some of the required devices are not connected. Follow the procedure described in 6.5 Running system
responding” appears diagnostics.
Start-up completes but the error message The system has detected a discrepancy between a configured
“Check Machine Dimensions” appears machine dimension, and an observed one, possibly because an
incorrect machine configuration file has been loaded. Consult your
site supervisor.
Start-up completes but the error message The system has detected a discrepancy between the serial number
“New valve module detected” appears of the valve module used for the current valve calibration and the
serial number of the installed valve module, possibly because an
incorrect machine configuration file has been loaded. Consult your
site supervisor.
Start-up completes but the wrong machine An incorrect machine configuration file has been loaded. Consult
icon appears on the guidance screen your site supervisor.

3 Preparing to Work
3.3 Work preparation checks

As you get ready to begin work, you need to prepare the system for the job. Perform
the following work preparation tasks as and when described below.
Check and set ... When To learn how, see ...

Machine settings As instructed by your site supervisor, or if 3.3.1 Machine settings
an error in machine dimensions is
reported
Mode selection • When you restore machine settings 3.3.2 Switch between 2D and 3D
• When devices have been added or guidance systems
removed
• When you need to switch between 2D
and 3D guidance systems
Display brightness Every power-up 3.3.3 Display brightness
Lightbar brightness Every power-up 3.3.4 Lightbar brightness
Display settings As instructed by your site supervisor 3.3.5 Display settings
Lightbar tolerances As instructed by your site supervisor, or 3.3.6 Lightbar tolerances
when there is a significant change in
material or accuracy requirements
3.3.1 Machine settings

To ensure accurate guidance, you must use the correct machine settings. Machine
settings are typically saved in a machine settings file.
For motor grader and bulldozer systems, saved settings include:
• calibration settings for EM400 electric masts
• valve calibration settings, if a valve module is installed and configured
All saved machine settings are restored, with the following exceptions:
• Calibration settings for AS400 and RS400 sensors are not saved in a machine
settings file, and are not restored when you restore the settings file.
• To learn more about sensor calibration, see 3.5 Sensor calibration.
• Valve calibrations that are older than the currently loaded valve calibration.
To restore a machine settings file:
1. Make sure that there is a data card inserted in the control box.
2. From any guidance screen, press M.
3. Select Restore Settings. The Restore Settings dialog appears.

Preparing to Work 3
4. Select Machine Settings. A dialog similar to the following appears:
5. Select the correct setting file for your machine.

6. To confirm the settings, press \; to exit without saving the changes, press
=.
ATTENTION – Always check the Blade Wear dialog. The machine cutting edge may have worn
C (or been renewed) since the Machine Settings were saved.
When you restore a machine settings file for a 3D system, a dialog warns you
to check the blade wear setting. To learn how to do this, see 5.2 Check blade
wear.
Changes take effect immediately.
The following problems may occur when you try to restore machine settings:
Problem Action
Invalid machine settings file The machine settings file on your data card is corrupt, or is for the wrong
machine type. Consult your site supervisor.
No settings suitable for your You have the wrong machine settings data on your data card. Consult your site
machine supervisor.
New valve module detected The machine settings file contains a valve calibration for a valve module not
currently installed on your machine. Either:
• Restore a machine settings file that contains a valve calibration for the
installed valve module, or
• Recalibrate the valves.
3.3.2 Switch between 2D and 3D guidance systems

You can use a 2D guidance method on a 3D-configured system, even if the sensors
required for the 3D configuration are not detected. Furthermore, you can easily
switch between 3D and 2D, or 3D and 3D, guidance methods as an alternative to
using multiple machine settings files.

3 Preparing to Work
To switch between guidance systems:

The Mode softkey indicates the current guidance mode (2D or 3D), as shown
below:
2. If required, press Mode: <value> to switch between 2D and 3D.

When a new sensor or device is added to or removed from the machine, the
system displays “Detect Sensors” on the Mode softkey.
To allow the system to detect and set up the changed sensor configuration:
1. Press Detect Sensors. The softkey changes to display the optimum guidance
mode for the available sensors.
2. If required, press Mode: <value> to switch back and forth between 2D and 3D.
3.3.3 Display brightness

Use the following key combinations to adjust the brightness of the CB430 control box
display for your working conditions:
• To increase the display brightness, hold down M and press + .
• To decrease the display brightness, hold down M and press -.
Note – You can also set the display brightness using the Display and Lightbar
Brightness dialog from the Setup Menu – Configuration menu.

Preparing to Work 3
3.3.4 Lightbar brightness

If there are lightbars installed, to check and adjust the brightness for your working
conditions:
2. Select Display and Lightbar Brightness. The control box screen of the Display
and Lightbar Brightness dialog appears.
3. Press Lightbar. The lightbar screen of the Display and Lightbar Brightness
dialog appears:
4. Use one of the following tools to set the lightbar brightness:

– Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the value of the External
Lightbar brightness field.
– Press Set Maximum to set the External lightbar brightness field to the
maximum of 15.
5. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving the changes, press
=.
3.3.5 Display settings

Use the display configuration that has been created for you. To restore a display
settings file:
1. Make sure that there is a data card inserted in the CB430 control box.
3. Select Restore Settings. The Restore Settings dialog appears.

3 Preparing to Work
4. Select Display Settings. A dialog similar to the following appears:
5. Select the correct setting file for your use.

=.
3.3.6 Lightbar tolerances

Note – In systems that do not have lightbars configured, you should still check the
on-grade tolerances for the Cut/Fill text items using the On-Grade Tolerance dialog
in the Setup Menu – Configuration menu. The interface is similar to the interface
described in this section.
The lightbar tolerances control not only the way the lightbar LEDs are lit, but also
how far the cutting edge can be from design before the Off Grade message is
displayed.
For example, single-GPS towed scraper systems using lift-only guidance may display
the Off Grade message even if the non-focus tip is manually driven to design. In this
case, you can follow this procedure to increase the tolerance and suppress the
message.
To check and/or set the tolerance thresholds for the lightbars:
2. Select Lightbar Scales. A dialog similar to the following appears:
3. Press either Vertical or Horizontal to view the current vertical or horizontal

tolerance settings respectively.

Preparing to Work 3
Note – Conventional guidance systems do not provide horizontal guidance,

and do not provide an interface for setting horizontal tolerances.
Note – The tolerances for both vertical lightbars are set to the same value.
4. If required, use the following tools to set the off grade distance at which the
two green LEDs are lit. The value must be between 0 m and 12.5 m (41 ft):
– Edit the Vertical Tolerance or Horizontal Tolerance field directly.
– Press Default Set <value> to set the tolerance to the default value.
– Press Half Set <value> to set the tolerance to half of the current value.
– Press Double Set <value> to set the tolerance to twice the current value.
Note – The remaining threshold values are calculated automatically, and
appear in the dialog. The values shown on these softkeys will change,
depending on the current tolerance value.
=.
Any changes take effect immediately.
3.4 Configuring the machine radio

The machine radio communicates with the UTS instrument or GPS base station radio.
The Machine Radio Configuration dialog is available when your system uses one of
the following radio modems:
Use this radio ... With ...

SNR2400 A UTS system.
SNR2410 A UTS or GPS system.
SNR900 or SNR910 An ATS600 and Trimble SNB900 radio, or a GPS system.
SiteNet 450, SNRx10 or 12 volt A GPS system.
To open the Machine Radio Configuration dialog:

1. From any guidance screen, press M. The Setup Menu – Configuration
dialog appears.
2. Press Installation. The Setup Menu – Installation dialog appears.
3. Select Machine Radio Configuration. The Machine Radio Configuration
dialog appears, and the system searches for a radio.
Note – For the SiteNet 450 radio-modem and 12 volt radios it may take some
time before a connection is made.
Use the arrow keys to enter information into the Machine Radio Configuration
dialog. To save the changes, press \; to exit without saving changes,
press=.

3 Preparing to Work
The Machine Radio Configuration dialog displays different fields, depending on your
radio type:
• For a 900 MHz radio on a GPS system:
• For a 2400 MHz radio on a UTS system:
• For a 450 MHz or 12 volt radio on a GPS system:
The Radio Status field can provide the following messages:
This message ... Displays when the ...

Not Found System cannot communicate with the radio.
Configuring Radio is currently being configured.
Configuration failed Radio configuration failed.
Connected Radio connects to the system.
App <version num.> required Radio firmware must be upgraded to the specified version.
Loader <version num.> required Radio firmware must be upgraded to the specified version.
System Error Firmware is not installed correctly.

Preparing to Work 3
This message ... Displays when the ...

This radio type cannot be System connects to an unsupported radio.
configured.
UTS incompatible System connects to a 900 MHz radio for use with an SPSx30
UTS.
GPS incompatible System connects to an SNR2400 radio for use with a GPS
system
The Machine Radio Configuration dialog enables you to set either the network or
channel that both the system and UTS or GPS communicate over. The following table
outlines how to configure your machine radio:
To configure Confirm that you have turned Enter this into the Machine Also configure the same ...
this radio ... on the ... Radio Configuration dialog ...
SNR900 Trimble SNR900 machine radio. A network number between 1-40 Network number on the
SNB900 radio-modem
(through the base station
radio display).
SNR910 Trimble SNR910 machine radio. A network number between 1-40 Network number on the
SNB900 radio-modem
(using the base station radio
display).
SNR2400/ SNR2400/SNR2410. A channel number between: Channel number on the
SNR2410 • 1-12 for the ATS600 internal UTS radio (using the
• 31-60 for the SPSx30 UTS face plate).
SiteNet 450, Trimble SiteNet 450, SNRx10 or A frequency between 0-255.

SNRx10 or 12 volt machine radio. The system configures the same
12 volt frequency in the machine radio
and also programs the radio as a
mobile radio.
Notes – 1. If your site uses both GPS and UTS positioning systems with 900 MHz
radios, then the GPS radios and each UTS radio must be on a different
network.
2. If you have a dual band SNRx10 radio, make sure that both radio
modules are assigned a radio network ID so that you can switch between
radio bands if necessary. For more information, see your site supervisor.
The changes take effect immediately. The network number is uploaded to the
machine radio, and the machine radio is programmed as a rover radio.
For 900 MHz and 2400 MHz radios, the network number is stored in the control box.
Whenever you start the control box, the control box automatically sets the same
network number in the machine radio. For example, if a radio is moved from one
machine to another, the control box automatically sets the same radio network that
was configured for the previous radio.

3 Preparing to Work
3.5 Sensor calibration

The fixed sensors on your motor grader, bulldozer, scraper, or milling machine need
to be calibrated regularly to make sure that accurate guidance information is
generated. Fixed sensors must always be calibrated when a new sensor is added, or
installed sensors are moved to new locations. Fixed sensors can include the
following:
• AS400 mainfall sensor
• AS400 blade slope sensor
• AS400 blade pitch sensor
• RS400 rotation sensor
• EM400 electric mast
Before you carry out a sensor calibration, check the following items:
• Make sure that you have a suitable location to perform the calibrations. The
location must be a hard, flat surface and there must be enough room to turn the
machine around.
• For motor graders, check the following items:
– Make sure that the centershift link bar is in the center hole.
– Remove all articulation, wheel-lean, and circle centershift.
– Check the pressure of all tires.
– Use the sideshift to center the moldboard.
• Rotate the blade so that it is perpendicular to the center line of the machine. For
motor graders, use the chisel marks made during installation to align the blade.
To select a sensor calibration method:
1. From any guidance screen, press M .
2. Select the Calibrate Sensors option. A dialog similar to the following appears:

Preparing to Work 3
The Calibrate Sensors dialog lists the calibration options that are available.
The contents of the list depends on the sensors configured for your machine.
For example, if you have only a mainfall sensor configured, then only the
Mainfall sensor and Mainfall, blade slope and rotation sensors options are
listed.
3. Select the calibration option that you require. Possible options are listed below.
Option Use to … To learn how, see ...

Mainfall, blade slope Accurately calibrate one or more of the 3.5.1 Cross fall sensor group calibration
and rotation sensors following motor grader or bulldozer
sensors:
• mainfall
• blade slope
• blade rotation
Blade slope sensor Quickly calibrate the blade slope 3.5.2 Blade slope sensor calibration using a
sensor of a motor grader or bulldozer digital level
Blade pitch sensor Quickly calibrate the blade pitch 3.5.3 Blade pitch sensor calibration
sensor of a motor grader or bulldozer
Blade rotation sensor Quickly calibrate the blade rotation 3.5.4 Blade rotation sensor calibration
sensor of a motor grader or bulldozer
Mainfall sensor Quickly calibrate the mainfall sensor of 3.5.5 Mainfall sensor calibration
a motor grader or bulldozer
Electric mast(s) Calibrate an electric mast after the 3.5.6 Electric mast calibration
mast has been installed or moved
Linked EM Calibration Calibrate dual electric masts after the 3.5.7 Linked electric mast calibration
masts have been installed or moved
3.5.1 Cross fall sensor group calibration
B Tip – Trimble recommends that you perform a full mainfall sensor calibration when you mount a
blade pitch sensor on a motor grader. The full mainfall sensor calibration is significantly more
accurate than the single point (quick) mainfall sensor calibration.
To carry out a full sensor calibration of a motor grader or bulldozer:

1. If you selected Mainfall, blade slope and rotation sensors, the Welcome screen
of the Sensor Calibration wizard, similar to the following, appears:
Note – A motor grader is used in this example. The icon will change when
calibrating sensors for other machine types.

3 Preparing to Work
2. To prepare the machine for a cross fall sensor group calibration:

a. Rotate the blade so that it is perpendicular to the center line of the
machine. Use the chisel marks made during installation to align the blade.
ATTENTION – As the rotation sensor is calibrated in this step, the more accurately the blade is
C aligned the more accurately the sensor is calibrated.
b. Place the cutting edge of the blade firmly on the ground until the cylinder
sockets are supporting no weight. For motor graders, the cylinder rods
should rotate freely.
c. Mark the position of the blade tips and the center of the front wheels, or
front track rollers, and then mark a line that is about 600 mm (2 ft.) long
running parallel to the front wheels, or front track rollers. Mark the center
of the rear wheel, or rear track rollers, and then mark a line that is about
600 mm (2 ft.) long running parallel to the rear wheels, or rear track
rollers.
3. Press 7. The rotation sensor is calibrated, and mainfall and blade slope
calibration readings are taken.
Note – If the machine moves while the system is calibrating the sensors, an
error message appears. After the machine has been stationary for a few
seconds, you can press 7 to continue the sensor calibration.
4. The Align Blade screen of the Sensor Calibration wizard, similar to the
following, appears:
5. Raise the blade and then turn the machine 180°. For motor graders, do not
articulate the machine or not lean the wheels and do not change the circle
position while executing the turn.
Position the blade on the marks locating the blade tips made in Step 2. You do
not need to align the wheels or rollers on the wheel/roller marks at this stage.
Place the blade firmly on the ground so that the cylinders are supporting no
weight.
Note – If necessary, you can rotate or sideshift the blade to place it on the
marks made in Step 2.
6. Press 7. The blade slope sensor is calibrated.

Preparing to Work 3
7. The Align Wheels (or Machine) screen of the Sensor Calibration wizard,
similar to the following, appears:
Raise the blade and then position the wheels, or rollers, on the marks made in
Step 2. Place the blade firmly on the ground so that the cylinders do not support
any weight.
8. Press 7. The mainfall sensor is calibrated. The Finished screen of the
Sensor Calibration wizard appears:
9. Press Finish to accept the calibration and return to the Installation menu. If you
want to redo all or part of the calibration, press the back arrow softkey to return
to the previous screen. To escape to the Installation menu without saving the
calibration, press =.

3 Preparing to Work
3.5.2 Blade slope sensor calibration using a digital level

To carry out a quick blade slope sensor calibration:
1. If you selected the Blade slope sensor calibration method, the Calibrate Sensor
screen appears:
2. Make sure that the machine is parked and that the blade is square.
3. Use either a digital level or similar levelling device to level the cutting edge of
the blade. The Calibrate Sensor dialog shows the current blade slope reading
from the sensor.
4. Enter the measured blade slope from the digital level into the Measured blade
slope: field.
5. Press Calibrate. The blade slope sensor is calibrated. The Calibrate Sensor
dialog closes. The Calibrate Sensors menu appears.
Before you move the blade, check the blade slope calibration:
1. Reselect the Blade Slope Sensor option. The Calibrate Sensor dialog appears
again.
2. Confirm that the blade slope reading shown in the Sensor reading: field
matches the blade slope measured with the digital level.

Preparing to Work 3
3.5.3 Blade pitch sensor calibration

To carry out only a blade pitch sensor calibration:
1. If you selected the Blade pitch sensor calibration method, the Calibrate Sensor
dialog appears:
2. Make sure that the machine is parked on a level surface and that the blade is
square.
3. Roll the moldboard or blade into its operational position.

4. Adjust the bolt hole used to secure the mast angle bracket so that the mast is as
vertical as possible. If you are calibrating a dual-GPS system, then the left mast
must be adjusted.
5. Using either a spirit level or similar levelling device, roll the moldboard or
blade to make the mast vertical. If you are calibrating a dual-GPS system, then
the left mast must be made vertical. The Calibrate Sensor dialog shows the
current blade pitch reading from the sensor.
6. Press Calibrate. The blade pitch sensor is calibrated. The Calibrate Sensor
Before you move the moldboard or blade, check the pitch sensor calibration:
1. Reselect the Blade Pitch Sensor option. The Calibrate Sensor dialog appears
again.
2. Confirm that the pitch sensor reading shown in the dialog is zero.

3 Preparing to Work
3.5.4 Blade rotation sensor calibration

To carry out a quick blade rotation sensor calibration:
1. If you selected the Blade rotation sensor calibration method, the Calibrate
Sensor dialog appears:
2. Make sure that the machine is parked on flat ground and that the blade is
square.
3. Press Calibrate. The blade rotation sensor is calibrated. The Calibrate Sensor
Before you move the blade, check the blade rotation calibration:
1. Reselect the Blade Rotation Sensor option. The Calibrate Sensor dialog
appears again.
2. Confirm that the blade rotation sensor reading shown in the dialog is zero.
3.5.5 Mainfall sensor calibration
B Tip – Trimble recommends that you perform a full mainfall sensor calibration when you mount a
blade pitch sensor on a motor grader. The full mainfall sensor calibration is significantly more
accurate than the single point (quick) mainfall sensor calibration.
To carry out a quick mainfall sensor calibration:

1. If you selected the Mainfall sensor calibration method, the Calibrate Sensor
dialog appears:
2. Make sure that the machine is parked on flat ground.

Preparing to Work 3
3. Press Calibrate. The mainfall sensor is calibrated. The Calibrate Sensor dialog
closes. The Calibrate Sensors menu appears.
Before you move the blade, check the mainfall sensor calibration:
1. Reselect the Mainfall Sensor option. The Calibrate Sensor dialog appears
again.
2. Confirm that the mainfall sensor reading shown in the dialog is zero.
3.5.6 Electric mast calibration

To carry out an electric mast calibration:
1. If you selected the Electric mast(s) calibration method, the Calibrate Electric
Mast(s) dialog appears:
2. Press 7. The masts are driven to the bottom of their travel range. Once
calibration has finished, the Finished! screen of the Calibrate Electric Mast(s)
wizard appears.
3. To return to the Calibrate Sensors menu, press Finish.
3.5.7 Linked electric mast calibration

To carry out a linked lift mast calibration complete the following steps:
1. If you selected the Linked EM400 Calibration method, the Welcome screen of
the Linked EM400 Calibration wizard appears:

3 Preparing to Work
2. Press 7. The masts are driven to the bottom of their travel range. Once
calibration has finished, the Elevation screen of the Linked EM400 Calibration
wizard appears:
3. Press 7. The mast offset is measured. Once calibration has finished, the
Finished! screen of the Linked EM400 Calibration wizard appears.
4. To return to the Calibrate Sensors menu, press Finish.
The following problem may arise during linked electric mast calibration:
Problem Action
Calibration fails To check that you can get a laser strike on both receivers within the range of
travel of the electric mast, use the procedure in 6.6.1 Adjusting electric masts to
get laser strike.
Check for unwanted laser strikes from reflections or another laser transmitter.
Check Electric Masts and Laser Receivers.
3.6 Minimum elevation mapping

You can constrain Cut/Fill mapping so that swathe data for a cell is only updated
when the latest pass is lower than any previous pass over that cell. This prevents
incorrect data being displayed in jobs that involve cutting down to the design surface.
This support is available on excavator and grading systems.
See your site supervisor for more information.

Preparing to Work 3
3.7 Selecting a 3D vertical guidance method

Note – Systems that use a single cab mounted 3D sensor do not provide an interface
for selecting the vertical guidance method. Cab mounted sensor systems always use
one point center guidance with no overcut protection.
To check and/or select a vertical guidance method:
2. Select the Vertical Setup option. The Vertical Guidance Setup dialog appears.
3. Press Change Method. A dialog similar to Figure 3.2 appears:
Brief
description of
highlighted
guidance
method
List of
available
guidance
methods
Figure 3.2 Example of a 3D Vertical Guidance Method dialog
4. Highlight the vertical guidance method you want to use:
Method To use in the field see...

3D, 1 Point Center Chapter 5, Using 3D Guidance in the Field
3D, 1 Point Focus
3D, 2 Points Tips
=.
3.8 Selecting a conventional vertical guidance method

To check and/or select a vertical guidance method:
2. Select the Vertical Setup option. The Vertical Guidance Setup dialog appears.

3 Preparing to Work
3. Press Change Method. A dialog similar to Figure 3.3 appears:
Brief
description of
highlighted
guidance
method
List of
available
guidance
methods
Figure 3.3 Example of a conventional Vertical Guidance Method dialog
4. Highlight the vertical guidance method you want to use. All possible methods
are listed as follows:
Method To use in the field see...

Blade Slope Chapter 4, Using Conventional Guidance in the Field
Lift + Blade Slope
Cross Slope
Lift + Cross Slope
Lift + Lift, Independent
Lift + Lift, Linked
Lift only
=.

CHAPTER
4
Using Conventional Guidance in the Field 4
In this chapter: Some GCS900 Grade Control Systems installed

on motor graders and bulldozers can measure the
Q Prepare conventional sensors cutting edge’s position relative to a physical
Q Blade slope or cross slope set up reference surface to generate guidance
information. These systems are called
Q Check cutting edge guidance
conventional guidance systems.
Q Check valve speed
Unlike 3D methods, conventional guidance does
Q Working with conventional not rely on knowing the machine’s three
guidance dimensional location, which can make the site
infrastructure much easier to set up.
This chapter describes how to set up
conventional guidance systems, and use them in
the field.
For more information about conventional
guidance systems and their sensors, refer to the
GCS900 Grade Control System Reference
Manual.

4 Using Conventional Guidance in the Field
4.1 Prepare conventional sensors

Common tasks that you must perform before you can use sonic tracers and laser
receivers are shown below.
Task When To learn how, see ...

Connect a sonic tracer When you need lift guidance in a motor 4.1.1 Connect a sonic tracer for lift
grader system and there is no lift sensor guidance
installed
Check sonic tracer connection Every time you connect a sonic tracer to a 4.1.2 Check sonic tracer
motor grader system connections
Bench a sonic tracer The first time you use a sonic tracer on a 4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer
motor grader system, or if you swap
between sonic tracers of different types
Check for laser strike The first time you use a laser receiver on a 4.1.4 Adjust manual mast to get
manual mast after it has powered up laser strike
Bench a laser receiver The first time you use a laser receiver after 4.1.5 Bench laser receivers
it has powered up, or when you change
from independent to linked lift guidance
4.1.1 Connect a sonic tracer for lift guidance

If a job requires lift guidance, you can add a sonic tracer to any motor grader system
that supports any conventional guidance method, other than lift plus lift, using dual
laser receivers.
To install a sonic tracer so that it can be used by the system:
1. Start the control box and make sure that you are in a guidance view.
2. Attach the sonic tracer to the mounting bracket. To do this, fit the circular
mount on the rear of the tracer into the bracket and then use the ratchet handle
assembly to tighten it.
3. Use a 10-pin quick disconnect to 6-pin Amphenol cable to connect the sonic
tracer to the system harness, as shown in Figure 4.1.

System harness
nose connector
on gooseneck
Sonic tracer
Figure 4.1 Connecting a sonic tracer to the system harness
B Tip – If you are working in very dusty conditions, place the sonic tracer up-wind. Dirt and dust
will be blown away from the sonic tracer. This reduces the interference between the sonic
tracer and the reference surface.
If you installed a sonic tracer, after a few seconds an ST400 Connections dialog
appears. The dialog shows you the sonic tracer mounted at the end of the blade it was
last configured for.
To check a sonic tracer configuration follow the procedure in 4.1.2 Check sonic tracer
connections.
4.1.2 Check sonic tracer connections

Every time you power up the system, or when you install a sonic tracer, you must
confirm the configuration of any sonic tracer installed on the system.
On start up, or when the system detects that one or two sonic tracers are installed, the
system displays an ST400 Connections dialog.
B Tip – In some cases, it is most convenient to exit from this dialog without doing anything. To do
this, press =. If you escape from the ST400 Connections dialog, you must access it later
to check the sonic tracer configuration.
To check the sonic tracer configuration:

1. If required, access the ST400 Connections dialog using one of the following
methods:
– Disconnect a sonic tracer for approximately 15 seconds and then
reconnect it.

– If required, ask your site supervisor to enable the ST400 Connections

menu item in the Setup Menu - Configuration menu. From any guidance
screen press M. The Setup Menu - Configuration menu appears. Select
ST400 Connections.
2. If there is only one sonic tracer installed on the system:
a. Check that the ST400 Connections dialog shows the sonic tracer on the
correct end of the blade. If the sonic tracer is not shown mounted on the
correct end of the blade, press Set <end> (for example, Set Right). The
dialog changes, to show the sonic tracer on the other end of the blade.
b. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes,
press=.
3. If there are two sonic tracers installed on the system:
a. Observe the number and position of the sonic tracers shown in the ST400
Connections dialog. If the dialog shows a single sonic tracer on one end of
the blade, go to Step d in this list.
Otherwise, disconnect either one of the sonic tracers. The dialog changes
to show a single sonic tracer on the blade.
Check that the connected sonic tracer is shown on the correct end of the
blade. If the sonic tracer is in the correct location, go to Step f in this list.
b. Press Set <end>. The dialog changes, to show the sonic tracer on the other
end of the blade.
c. Disconnect the sonic tracer you just configured and then reconnect the
other sonic tracer. Go to Step e in this list.
d. Disconnect the sonic tracer on the end of the blade shown in the dialog.
For example, if there are two sonic tracers installed, but the dialog shows
only one on the left end of the blade, disconnect the left sonic tracer.
e. Press Set <end>. The dialog changes, to show the sonic tracer on the other
end of the blade.
f. Reconnect the disconnected sonic tracer. The dialog changes to show a
sonic tracer on each end of the blade.
g. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes, press
=.
4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer

Note – Although you can use only one sonic tracer at a time to generate guidance
information, you can have two sonic tracers connected to the system. You must bench
each sensor when the sensor is first used to provide guidance.

To bench a sonic tracer:

1. Adjust the rotation and roll of the moldboard, so that the moldboard is in its
working position.
2. Position the sonic tracer over the reference surface (for example, a curb) or
stringline by adjusting the L-shaped support tube. Adjust the support tube so
that:
– The sonic tracer is between 400 mm (16 inches) and 1 m (40 inches)
horizontally from the blade tip
– The tube is perpendicular to the wheelbase of the machine
– The sonic tracer is centered directly over the elevation reference surface
3. Adjust the sonic tracer on the support tube so that its distance above the
reference surface is one of the following:
– Between 200 mm and 1300 mm (8 inches and 51 inches) for a curb or
design surface
– Between 200 mm and 900 mm (8 inches and 36 inches) for a stringline
B Tip – For ease of use, set the height of the sonic tracer so that the distance between the sonic
tracer and the reference surface is kept close to the maximum distance. The greater the
distance between the sonic tracer and the reference surface, the larger the sonic tracer’s
operating radius is, and the easier it is for you to maintain sonic guidance.
4. Adjust the sonic tracer in its mount so that it is approximately vertical.

5. Set the design cross slope, using the procedure in 4.2 Blade slope or cross slope
set up.
6. If automatic controls are fitted, enable automatic control of the slope controlled
tip (typically the trailing tip) of the blade, and allow the cutting edge to drive to
the design slope. Otherwise, manually drive the cutting edge to the design
slope.
7. Adjust the height of the lift controlled tip (typically the leading tip) of the
blade, until the blade tip is at one of the following elevations:
– the design elevation
– at a benchmark elevation
– at a suitable position on the existing surface to begin working towards the
design surface
8. If you are manually controlling the cross slope, check that the cutting edge is
still on-grade. If the cross slope is controlled automatically, set the automatic
controls to Manual.

9. From any guidance screen, press and hold down \.

Note – Alternatively, to access the Bench dialog, press M and then select
Bench from the Setup Menu - Configuration menu.
If there is more than one device that can be benched, then a menu similar to the
following appears:
Otherwise, the Bench Sonic Tracer dialog appears.

10. Select the sonic tracer to be benched. A dialog similar to the following appears:
Measured
cross slope
Automatic
control status
Figure 4.2 Example sonic bench dialog
11. Edit the Reference elevation field as required. The reference elevation is
calculated as follows:
– If you are benching with the blade tip on the design surface or at the
elevation to which you want guidance, the reference elevation is zero.
– If you are benching against a benchmark, subtract the design elevation
from the elevation of the benchmark.
– If you are benching over a stringline or curb, add the vertical distance
from the blade tip to the stringline or curb, to the vertical distance from the
stringline or curb to the design elevation under the blade tip. See
Figure 4.3.

Curb
a
Design surface
Figure 4.3 Measurements for benching a sonic tracer over a curb
In Figure 4.3, the reference elevation is a+b. If the blade tip is below the
stringline or curb, then a is negative, and the reference elevation is b–a.
Note – When you calculate the reference elevation in this way, as you
work you increase or decrease the vertical offset so that the value of the
vertical offset approaches zero as the cutting edge approaches the design
surface.
12. To begin benching, press\. When benching finishes, the Vertical Guidance
Setup dialog appears.
4.1.4 Adjust manual mast to get laser strike

Before you can bench laser receivers mounted on manual masts, you must adjust the
masts so that they receive laser strikes. To adjust the height of a single or dual laser
system using manual masts:
1. Manually adjust the cross slope of the blade so that the cutting edge is parallel
to the laser plane.
2. From any guidance screen, press Laser. The Laser dialog for a manual mast
appears:
Strike indicator
Figure 4.4 Laser strike indication in the Laser dialog for a manual mast

3. At the blade, adjust the height of the mast so that the laser receiver’s status
LEDs indicate that a strike is registered in the approximate center of the
receiver. For more information, see 6.4.7 LR410 laser receiver status
indicators.
If you move the mast through its full range of movement and are unable to
register a laser strike, ask your site supervisor to reposition the laser
transmitter.
4. In the cab, check the Laser dialog to make sure that the strikes are being
reported to the system.
5. To return to the guidance screen, press\ or =.
4.1.5 Bench laser receivers

When benching a laser receiver on an electric mast, pay attention to the mast height.
The maximum extension of an electric mast when loaded with a laser receiver is
1.2 m (4 ft).
In general, electric masts should be extended the minimum amount, consistent with
operating requirements. If you need to extend a mast beyond the recommended
height, ask your site supervisor to reposition the laser transmitter.
To prepare to bench one or two laser receivers:
1. Check with your site manager that the mainfall and cross slope of the laser
plane matches the design mainfall and cross slope.
2. If required, adjust the rotation and roll of the moldboard, so that the moldboard
is in its working position.
3. Set the design cross slope, using the procedure in 4.2 Blade slope or cross slope
set up.
4. If automatic controls and cross slope sensors are configured, enable automatic
control of the slope controlled tip (typically the trailing tip) of the blade, and
allow the cutting edge to drive to the design slope. Otherwise, manually drive
the cutting edge to the design slope.
5. Adjust the height of the lift controlled tip (typically the leading tip) of the
blade, until the blade tip is at design height or at a known benchmark elevation.
This is the laser receiver that will be benched.
6. If the cross slope is being manually controlled, check that the cutting edge is
still on-grade.

If the cross slope is being automatically controlled, set the automatic controls
to Manual.
7. If required, and if the masts are mounted on angle brackets, adjust the pitch of
the masts so that they are perpendicular to the laser plane.
ATTENTION – If you change the bolt hole used to secure the mast in the angle bracket, you
C must ask your supervisor to change the bolt hole setting in the Setup Menu - Configuration
menu.
8. If you are using a manual mast, check that the laser receiver is receiving laser
strikes. For more information, see 4.1.4 Adjust manual mast to get laser strike.
9. From any guidance screen, press and hold down \.
Note – Alternatively, to access the Bench dialog, press Laser and then press
Bench from the Laser dialog, or pressMand then select Bench from the
Setup Menu - Configuration menu.
If you have a dual-laser receiver system or one or more sonic tracers are
connected, then a Bench menu similar to the following appears:
The contents of the Bench menu will vary depending on the number of laser
receivers and sonic tracers being used by the system.

Bench a laser receiver in a single laser receiver system

To bench a single laser receiver on an electric or manual mast:
1. If the Bench menu is displayed, select the laser receiver to be benched. A
Bench Laser Receiver dialog similar to the following appears:
Measured
cross slope
Automatic
control status
Figure 4.5 Single laser bench dialog

– If you are benching with the blade tip on the design surface or at the
elevation to which you want guidance, the reference elevation is zero.
– If you are benching against a benchmark, subtract the design elevation
from the elevation of the benchmark. See Figure 4.6.
Laser plane
Design surface
Figure 4.6 Measurements for benching a laser receiver over a benchmark
In Figure 4.6, the reference elevation is a. If the benchmark is below the

design surface, then a is negative, and the reference elevation is –a.

Note – When you calculate the reference elevation in this way, as you work you
increase or decrease the vertical offset so that the value of the vertical offset
approaches zero as the cutting edge approaches the design surface.
3. To begin benching, press \. When benching finishes, a guidance screen
appears.
Bench a survey laser receiver

To bench a survey laser receiver:
1. A Bench Laser Receiver dialog similar to the following appears:
Measured
cross slope
Automatic
control status
Figure 4.7 Survey laser bench dialog

– If you are benching against the design surface, the reference elevation will
be zero.
– If you are benching against a benchmark, subtract the elevation of the
design surface from the elevation of the benchmark.
3. To begin benching, press\.
4. If the laser receiver detects only a single laser transmitter, benching begins
immediately. Otherwise, the Select Laser Strike dialog appears:

Note – By default, laser strikes must be at least 10 cm (4 inches) apart to be

distinguished as coming from separate laser transmitters. It may take a few
seconds for the system to gather enough data to distinguish between clusters of
laser strikes from different transmitters. For this reason, there may be a short
delay between pressing \, and the appearance of the Select Laser Strike
dialog.
The Select Laser Strike dialog lets you choose which laser transmitter to bench
to. Use the arrow keys to select the strike height of the laser transmitter you
want to use and then press \.
5. When benching finishes, a guidance screen appears.
Note – Once a survey laser receiver has been benched, the laser strike must remain
within ±10 cm (±4 inches) of the bench position. If the strike moves outside this
window, the Laser Outside Bench Window flashing warning message appears. If this
warning appears, move the blade up or down to move the strike back into the window.
If the system is in Auto mode, the Increment/Decrement offset switches moves the
bench window as the offset is increased or decreased.
Bench a laser receiver for linked lift guidance

To bench a laser receiver for linked lift guidance:
1. You need to bench only one laser in a linked lift laser system. Select the laser
receiver to be benched. A Bench Laser Receiver dialog similar to the following
appears:

– If you are benching against the design surface, the reference elevation is
zero
– If you are benching against a benchmark, subtract the elevation of the
design surface from the elevation of the benchmark
3. To begin benching, press\. When benching finishes, a guidance screen
appears.

Bench laser receivers for independent lift guidance

Typically, independent lift laser systems are used with dual-blade machines such as
towed scraper trains.
The setup and benching procedure for independent lift systems is the same as that for
linked lift systems described in Bench a laser receiver for linked lift guidance,
page 66, with the following exceptions:
• Both laser receivers must be benched, one after the other.
• The laser receivers, not the blade tips, are placed over the bench mark during
benching.
4.2 Blade slope or cross slope set up

To set up blade slope or cross slope guidance:
1. From any guidance screen, press M. The Setup Menu - Configuration
dialog appears.
2. Select Vertical Setup. A Vertical Guidance Setup dialog similar to the
following appears:
Brief
description of
guidance
method
Target slope
value
Automatic slope
swap select
Figure 4.8 Example cross slope setup dialog
3. To enter the target slope value, use one or more of the following tools:
– Edit the target slope field directly.
– Press Level to set the target slope to 0%.
Note – To change the direction of the slope, press S when you return to the
guidance screen.
4. To toggle Automatic swap on or off, use the arrow keys. For more information,
see 4.5.6 Change the target slope direction.
5. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving settings, press
=. A guidance screen appears.

4.3 Check cutting edge guidance

Before you start work, always check the accuracy of the system. To check cutting
edge guidance, either compare previous passes or prepare and compare a test surface.
To prepare and compare a test surface:
1. Cut a short stretch of test surface at the target slope, with a known, preferably
zero, vertical offset.
2. Measure the slope of the test surface with a digital level and then compare the
slope with the target slope.
3. If required, measure the elevation of the edge of the test surface under the lift
sensor and then compare the elevation to the design elevation.
4.4 Check valve speed

Motor graders with single or dual laser and slope configurations
Correct valve speed settings in the automatic control system depend on the type of
material that you are moving (for example, sand, hard rock, or dirt) and the tasks you
are doing (for example, base grade or finished grade).
Note – A temporary design surface is created for adjusting the valve speeds. The
lightbars provide guidance to the temporary design surface only while the Valve
Speed dialog is open.
To adjust the valve speeds:
1. Make sure that the system is generating cutting edge position information
consistent with the job you are to work on.
2. Make sure that the valves are calibrated.
3. Adjust the throttle so that the machine is at operating revs.
4. Using the automatic controls, cut a test pass in the material you are working, so
that you can judge the current performance of the automatic controls. If the cut
surface shows long period waves (wave lengths greater than about 2 m or 6 ft)
the valve speed may be too low. If the cut surface shows the blade is “jittery”,
the valve speed may be too high.
5. Set the Auto/Manual switches to Manual.
6. From any guidance screen, press M. The Setup Menu - Configuration
dialog appears.
7. Select Valve Speed. A full screen message appears telling you to raise and
center the blade to allow enough movement in all directions.
8. Raise and level the blade of the machine. This is the elevation at which the
temporary design surface is created. Press \. The temporary design surface
is created, and the Valve Speed - Select Valve dialog appears.
9. Select the valve to adjust. Press \. A warning message appears.

10. Press \. A dialog similar to the following appears:
11. Do one of the following:

– To increase or decrease the valve speed, move the slider.
– To set the speed to the default value, press Default Set 50.
The valve speed is immediately updated.
12. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes, press
=.
13. Repeat Step 4 through Step 12, making incremental changes to the valve speed
until the surface cut during the test passes meets your requirements.
Possible problems that may occur when you try to set the valve speed are as follows:
Problem Action
Insufficient conventional If you are using lasers or sonic tracers to generate lift information, check
position accuracy that they are benched. To bench a sonic tracer or laser, follow the
procedures in 4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer or 4.1.5 Bench laser receivers,
respectively.
Insufficient 3D position Even if you are using a conventional vertical guidance method, if the
accuracy system is receiving 3D position information, it must be high accuracy.
If you are using a UTS system, check that the UTS is turned on and
locked on the target.
If you are using a GPS system, follow the procedure in 6.5.2 GPS
diagnostics and satellite monitoring.
Valves not calibrated Ask your site supervisor to calibrate the automatic control valves.
B Tip – You can also adjust the elevation and slope valve speed settings on motor graders with
single or dual laser and slope configurations.
4.5 Working with conventional guidance

ATTENTION – The system assumes that the mainfall of the machine is measured in the
C direction of travel of the machine. Some machine configurations, such as an articulated motor
grader, will result in the mainfall sensor and the direction of travel of the machine being
misaligned. This will produce guidance errors.

Common tasks that you can perform while you work with a conventional guidance
method are as follows:
Task When … To learn how, see ...

Set a vertical offset from a design you need to work towards the design 4.5.1 Set vertical offset
surface surface in a number of passes
Change the vertical offset using you are not carrying enough material, or 4.5.2 Change vertical offset with
the remote switches when you are carrying too much material the remote switches
Change the target slope using the you are not carrying enough material, or 4.5.3 Change target blade slope
remote switches when you are carrying too much material or cross slope with the remote
switches
Use the remote switches to swap you need to quickly swap guidance types 4.5.4 Swap guidance ends
the guidance used at each end of between blade ends, for example, when using the Auto/Manual switches
the blade. you turn around at the end of a pass
Use a softkey to swap the you need to quickly swap guidance types Swap sensors and guidance
guidance used at each end of the between blade ends, for example, when methods using a softkey,
blade. you turn around at the end of a pass, but page 73
the machine does not have remote
switches installed
Change the direction of the target you need to quickly change the direction of 4.5.6 Change the target slope
slope the target slope, while maintaining the direction
slope’s magnitude, for example, when you
turn around at the end of a pass
Return mast(s) to bench height you need to quickly return the electric masts 4.5.7 Return masts to bench
to the laser receiver’s benched height height
4.5.1 Set vertical offset

For lift guidance methods, the vertical offset is first set when you specify the
reference elevation during lift sensor benching.
To change the vertical offset:
1. From any guidance screen, press V. Offset. A dialog similar to Figure 4.9
appears:
Increment offset
Decrement offset
Figure 4.9 Vertical offset dialog
2. Use the following tools to set the vertical offset value:

– Edit the Sonic or Laser offset: field directly.
– To change the offset sign, press o.

– To increase or decrease the offset by 15 mm (0.05 ft), press +0.015 or

-0.015 respectively.
Note – The increment and decrement softkeys change the vertical offset by
an amount equal to the vertical offset increment. By default, the vertical
offset increment is 15 mm (0.05 ft.), but your site supervisor can change
this.
– To set the offset to the reference elevation, press Set Ref. Elev..
3. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes,
press=. A guidance screen appears.
4.5.2 Change vertical offset with the remote switches

To change the vertical offset value, for lift guidance methods on all machine types,
toggle the vertical offset remote switch, or toggle the vertical offset remote switch for
the end of the blade receiving lift guidance. If automatic controls are turned on, when
you toggle the remote switch to the increment position, the end of the blade receiving
lift guidance moves upward.
For bulldozer systems, the target cross slope will also be incremented/decremented. If
you don’t want the target cross slope to change when the increment/decrement switch
is toggled, ask you site supervisor to set the target cross slope increment to 0 (zero).
Note – For systems using a survey laser for lift guidance, once a survey laser receiver
has been benched, the laser strike must remain within ±10 cm (±4 inches) of the
bench position. If the strike moves outside this window, the Laser Outside Bench
Window flashing warning message appears. If this warning appears, move the blade
up or down to move the strike back into the window. If the system is in Auto mode, the
Increment/Decrement offset switches move the bench window as the offset is
increased or decreased.
4.5.3 Change target blade slope or cross slope with the remote switches
To change the target slope value, for slope guidance methods on motor graders, toggle
the vertical offset remote switch for the end of the blade receiving slope guidance. If
automatic controls are turned on, when you toggle the remote switch to the increment
position, the end of the blade receiving slope guidance moves upward. In some cases,
this causes the target slope value to decrease.
For slope guidance on bulldozers, toggle the increment/decrement offset switch. The
target vertical offset will also be incremented/decremented. If you don’t want the
target vertical offset to change when the increment/decrement switch is toggled, ask
you site supervisor to set the target vertical offset increment to 0 (zero).

4.5.4 Swap guidance ends using the Auto/Manual switches

To swap the slope guidance from one end of the blade to the other, for the slope
guidance method on motor graders, move the Auto/Manual switch of the unguided
end of the blade in one of the following ways:
• If the switch is in the Manual position, move it to Auto.
• If the switch is in the Auto position, toggle it to Manual and then back to Auto.
If automatic controls are in use, they remain in the Auto state.
Note – If the machine has a 3D system installed, swapping the end receiving guidance
is the equivalent of pressing Blade: Left or Blade: Right. In this case, the blade focus
also changes ends.
4.5.5 Conventional (elevation/slope) vertical guidance sensor selection

The sensor selection softkey (Sensors:) is available for conventional guidance
methods on bulldozer and motor grader systems.
Table 4.1 Sensor icon functions
Sensor icon Functionality
Laser lift guidance on the left blade tip to maintain a constant elevation
Laser lift guidance on the right blade tip to maintain a constant elevation
Laser lift guidance on both blade tips - independent
Laser lift guidance on both blade tips - linked
Maintain a constant left cross slope
Maintain a constant right cross slope
Laser lift guidance on the left blade tip while maintaining a constant cross slope
Laser lift guidance on the right blade tip while maintaining a constant cross slope
Sonic tracer lift guidance on the right side of the machine

The Sensors: softkey is used to swap between available conventional sensors.

Figure 4.10 shows an example of the Sensors: softkey.
Sensor selection softkey with

lift left and cross slope selected
Figure 4.10 Sensors: Lift left + cross slope selected
To access the Vertical Guidance Method dialog from a guidance screen, press and
hold the Sensors: softkey.
The following dialog shows the Vertical Guidance Method dialog for a Lift + Cross
Slope system:
At least one vertical guidance method must be selected. If all the options in the above
dialog are unticked, when you exit the dialog a full screen warning message appears:
Swap sensors and guidance methods using a softkey

For any system configuration that includes blade slope or cross slope sensors, you can
change the sensors, and in some instances the guidance method, used at each blade
tip.

Use the Detect Sensors softkey to detect and register new sensors added to the
system. The new sensors are then available for selection in the Vertical Guidance
Method dialog.
If automatic controls are in use, they remain in the Auto state.
Blade slope or cross slope sensors configured

If a slope guidance method is selected, the end of the blade receiving slope guidance
is changed, and the direction of the design slope is reversed, when you press Sensors:.
If a lift plus slope guidance method is selected, and sonic tracers are used, the
Sensors: softkey cycles through the guidance and sensor combinations shown below.
Sonic tracer installation Available guidance methods

One – on any end of the • Lift (sonic tracer) to sonic tracer tip plus slope to opposite tip
blade • Slope to sonic tracer tip
Two • Lift (sonic tracer) to either tip plus slope to opposite tip
Single laser receiver and blade or cross slope configured

If a slope guidance method is selected, the end of the blade receiving slope guidance
is changed, and the direction of the design slope is reversed, when you press Sensors:.
If a lift plus slope guidance method is selected, and sonic tracers are not used, the
Sensors: softkey cycles through the guidance and sensor combinations shown below:
• Slope to laser tip.
• Slope to opposite tip.
• Lift (laser) to laser tip plus slope to opposite tip.
If a lift plus slope guidance method is selected, and sonic tracers are used, the
Sensors: softkey cycles through the guidance and sensor combinations shown below
Sonic tracer installation Available guidance methods

One – at the opposite end of the • Slope to opposite tip
blade to the laser receiver • Lift (sonic tracer) to opposite tip plus slope to laser tip
(opposite tip) • Lift (laser) to laser tip plus slope to opposite tip
One – at the same end of the blade • Slope to opposite tip
as the laser receiver • Lift (sonic tracer) to laser tip plus slope to opposite tip
(laser tip) • Lift (laser) to laser tip plus slope to opposite tip
Two • Lift (sonic tracer) to laser tip plus slope to opposite tip
• Lift (sonic tracer) to opposite tip plus slope to laser tip
• Lift (laser) to laser tip plus slope to opposite tip

4.5.6 Change the target slope direction

There are three ways to change the direction of the design slope:
• Manually
• Automatically, using the automatic slope swap feature
• Automatically, by performing a sensor swap
If the automatic slope swap feature is turned off, you can manually change the
direction of the design slope. To do this, from any guidance screen press S. If
automatic controls are in use, they remain in the Auto state.
4.5.7 Return masts to bench height

Sometimes you may need to lower the laser mast(s), for example, when you move the
machine around the site. To lower the mast(s) press the Lower Mast(s) softkey in the
Laser dialog.
If you are working to the same bench height, and the laser transmitter’s elevation has
not changed, press Return to bench in the Laser dialog to return the masts to their
benched height.


CHAPTER
5
Using 3D Guidance in the Field 5
In this chapter: Some GCS900 Grade Control Systems store a

three dimensional (3D) digital map of the design
Q Prepare 3D sensors surface in the control box. Using 3D sensors, the
Q Set GPS accuracy mode system fixes the location and elevation of the
machine and its cutting edge on this surface. The
Q Check blade wear
system then calculates the difference between
Q Check cutting edge guidance the cutting edge elevation and the design
Q Check valve speed elevation. Systems that have this capability are
called 3D guidance systems.
Q Load or create a design
The system supports the following types of 3D
Q Working with 3D guidance
sensors:
• GPS and GLONASS receivers.
• ATS (Advanced Tracking Sensors).
• UTS (Universal Total Stations), a type of
robotic total station.
This chapter describes how to set up 3D
guidance systems and use them in the field.
For more information about 3D guidance
systems and their sensors, refer to the GCS900
Grade Control System Reference Manual.

5 Using 3D Guidance in the Field
5.1 Prepare 3D sensors

Common tasks that you must perform before you can use a UTS system are as
follows:

Set up the UTS instrument Every time the instrument is 5.1.1 UTS set up
moved or when a new job is
started
Start UTS positioning When you need to use UTS 5.1.2 Starting the UTS system
position information for
guidance
Initialize a single-3D sensor Every time you turn on the 5.1.5 Initialize a machine’s
system’s direction and pitch system, when a single-3D orientation and pitch
sensor machine has been
moved with the system
turned off
Bench a UTS machine Every time you set up a 5.1.3 Benching a UTS target
UTS instrument and do not
know the instrument
elevation, or if you want to
use a benched elevation in
preference to a measured
elevation
Note – In this manual the generic term UTS is used when a procedure, dialog, or
flashing message applies to both ATS600 ATS (Advanced Tracking Sensor) and
SPSx30 UTS (Universal Total Station) instruments. Similarly, the generic term GPS is
used to refer to both the GPS and GLONASS positioning systems.
Common tasks that you may need to perform before you can use a GPS receiver
system are as follows.

Set a single-GPS receiver’s When the GPS receiver is 5.1.4 Set GPS electric mast
mast height on an electric mast, and the height
mast extension must be
altered to improve reception
(raised) or reduce vibration
(lowered)
Set GPS accuracy requirements Every time you begin a new 5.1.6 Set GPS accuracy mode
job
Set up a survey laser receiver Every time the laser 5.1.8 Survey laser receiver set up
for enhanced elevation transmitter is set up
accuracy
Turn on laser-based elevation Every time you need to use 5.1.9 Turn on laser enhanced
measurement a laser receiver to improve elevation
elevation accuracy
Bench a survey laser receiver Every time the laser 5.1.10 Benching a survey laser
transmitter is set up receiver

5.1.1 UTS set up

To learn how to set up your UTS instrument for machine control, talk to your site
supervisor or refer to the Trimble SCS900 Getting Started Guide.
5.1.2 Starting the UTS system

To start the UTS instrument, and connect the UTS instrument to the system:
1. From any guidance screen, press UTS. The UTS start-up dialog appears:
UTS status
Battery charge
MT900 target ID
Elevation datum
Figure 5.1 SPSx30 instrument start up dialog
2. Press Raise Mast(s) and/or Lower Mast(s) to position the mast so that the cab
does not “shadow” the target, while at the same time keeping the mast low
enough to minimize mast vibration. The maximum operating extension for an
electric mast carrying a UTS target is 0.9 m (3 ft). In general, electric masts
should be extended the minimum amount, consistent with operating
requirements.
3. For SPSx30 instruments only, set the target ID. To do this:
a. Press the Target ID softkey. The Machine Target ID dialog appears:
Note – The Target ID softkey is only available when the UTS is stopped.
b. Enter the selected target ID into the Target ID: field. By convention, target
IDs of 9 through 16 are used for machine control applications, with IDs of
1 through 8 reserved for surveying applications. Ask your site supervisor
which target ID you should use. To set the default value of 9, press the
Default softkey.

c. To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes,

press=. The UTS start-up dialog appears.
4. Set the Auto search status as required.
If Auto search is turned on (Yes) and the UTS loses lock on the target, it will
automatically attempt to locate and lock onto the target again by searching the
area bounded by the search window defined during UTS set-up.
If Auto search is turned off and the UTS loses lock, follow the steps in
5.6.11 Reacquire UTS lock, to reacquire lock.
5. Press Start. The UTS system starts and the UTS instrument automatically
searches for the target in the area bounded by the search window defined
during UTS set-up.
When the target is acquired, the UTS dialog changes to its “Tracking” layout,
shown below:
Tip – If the UTS takes too long to find the target, press = to stop the search and the UTS
B start-up.

B Tip – For ATS600 systems, the ATS dialog lets you remotely check the state of the ATS600
instrument’s power supply. To do this, press Get Battery. Tracking is briefly suspended while
the ATS600 instrument performs the check. The result is displayed in the ATS Battery: field.
B Tip – For SPSx30 systems, the instrument’s power supply is automatically measured and
displayed in the UTS Battery: field. If an external battery is used to power the UTS instrument,
the UTS battery status is not available.

Some common UTS set up problems are as follows.
Problem Action
No Start softkey in UTS dialog. The machine data radio has not synchronized with the UTS
instrument data radio. Follow the procedure described in
6.5 Running system diagnostics, to check that the UTS
components are connected and running.
Check that the UTS instrument data radio is turned on.
Check the instrument battery.
UTS fails to start Ask your site manager to check that the radio channel, and
network if applicable, are compatible with the instrument radio.
Follow the procedure described in 6.5 Running system
diagnostics, to check that the UTS components are connected
and running.
See Table 6.12 on page 153 for a description of the UTS dialog UTS status: field
values.
5.1.3 Benching a UTS target

You must bench the target if the UTS instrument was set up with northing and easting
values, but no elevation was specified.
You may bench the target even if the UTS instrument’s location was specified with an
elevation value, in which case the benched elevation is used to calculate the target
location, not the entered elevation of the UTS.
The Height from field in the UTS dialog displays the origin of the UTS height. The
contents of the Height from field are shown below. If the Height from field displays
“No heights”, you must bench the UTS target before you can use the UTS system.
Height from field Description

Benching The machine has been benched. Heights are in terms of the
benchmark the machine was benched over.
UTS The machine has not been benched. Heights are in terms of UTS
height. UTS setup has station elevation and instrument height
entered.
No heights The machine has not been benched. No height information
entered during UTS set up.
To bench the target:

1. From any guidance screen, press and hold down \. A full screen warning
message appears, telling you to make the mast vertical.
Note – Alternatively, to begin benching, select Bench from the Setup Menu –
Configuration menu.
2. Plumb the mast to make sure that it is vertical.

Note – If you are benching a system on a bulldozer that does not have an
optional blade pitch sensor for benching installed, and that cannot roll its
blade, the mast must be in the measure up position. Typically, the mast will
have been measured when the blade was in the plane of the tracks. This means
that the bulldozer should be level and that the benchmark used for benching is
in the same plane as the tracks.
Press \ to continue benching. The Bench UTS dialog appears:
3. Enter the elevation of the benchmark into the Blade elevation field.
4. Level the blade. You can monitor the blade slope in the Current blade slope
field.
B Tip – If you turn automatic controls on, the system levels the blade for you. You do not need to
have a level design loaded.
5. Position the focus of the blade over the control point.

6. Press either Bench Left or Bench Right to begin benching.
Note – You need to bench only one blade tip.
When benching finishes, the Setup Menu - Configuration menu appears.
7. Return the mast to its operating position. Typically, this is perpendicular to the
wheelbase of the machine.
5.1.4 Set GPS electric mast height

Single-GPS receiver systems can have the GPS receiver installed on an EM400
electric mast. This lets you quickly and easily swap between GPS and UTS position
sensors to meet changing job requirements.

ATTENTION – If you swap out a GPS receiver for a UTS target, the GPS coil-cable strain relief
C bracket at the top of the mast is no longer used. However, it is good practice to leave the
bracket on the mast. If you remove this bracket, you will introduce a 4.5 mm error into the
calculated height of the UTS target.
The value of the maximum extension of an electric mast is set by the system. The
maximum extension for a UTS system is higher than the maximum extension for a
GPS system. For this reason, if you have the mast at maximum extension for a UTS
system and then reconfigure the machine to use a GPS position sensor, the system
prompts you to lower the mast with the Lower Left EM or Lower Right EM flashing
warning message.
To set the electric mast height:
1. From any guidance screen, press GPS. The GPS dialog appears.
2. Press Raise Mast(s) and/or Lower Mast(s) to position the mast so that the cab
does not “shadow” the receiver, and so that the receiver does not receive
reflected signals off the cab windows, while at the same time keeping the mast
low enough to minimize mast vibration. The maximum operating extension for
an electric mast carrying a GPS receiver is 0.6 m (2 ft). In general, electric
masts should be extended the minimum amount, consistent with operating
requirements.
5.1.5 Initialize a machine’s orientation and pitch

If a machine without a pitch or mainfall sensor is moved more than 10 m (33 ft) with
the system turned off, when the system starts up it discards the old pitch information
and the Low Accuracy (Move) flashing warning message appears in the guidance
screens.
If the Low Accuracy (Move) flashing warning message appears, move the machine in
a straight line for a short distance (a few meters) until the Low Accuracy (Move)
message disappears.
5.1.6 Set GPS accuracy mode

If you are using one or more GPS receivers as position sensors, make sure that the
selected GPS accuracy mode is appropriate for the work you are about to do.
To check and/or set the GPS accuracy mode:
1. From any guidance screen, press GPS. A dialog similar to Figure 5.2 appears.
Note – GPS accuracy mode can also be set from the GPS Accuracy dialog in
the Setup – Configuration menu.

Current accuracy
setting
Error limit
Automatic control
availability
Figure 5.2 GPS accuracy mode dialog
2. To swap between fine, medium, and coarse accuracy modes, press B. For
each mode, your site supervisor has specified if automatic controls are
available or not.
Note – When coarse mode is selected, your site supervisor can enable the use
of low accuracy corrections broadcast from satellites (SBAS). If you use SBAS
GPS, check with your site supervisor that you have a suitable GPS
configuration file loaded into the GPS receiver(s).
press=.
5.1.7 GPS geoid grid support

A small embedded geoid grid can be placed in a GPS receiver configuration file. The
geoid grid is used to determine the GPS receiver elevation.
This gives the user more accurate elevations, especially in highly mountainous areas
where the geoid cannot be easily approximated with an inclined plane adjustment.
To load a geoid grid into the GPS receiver configuration file, see your site supervisor.
When the GPS position is out of the range of the loaded geoid grid, a flashing
message appears on the guidance screen, as shown below:

When this flashing message appears:

• The positions that the GPS receiver generates are flagged as:
– not having a valid GPS coordinate system.
– out of range from the geoid.
• The design and the current machine position are still drawn on the plan view.
• All height information and values generated from that height information (such
as cut/fill values) are marked invalid, and appear as N/A if they are text items.
• The machine does not appear on the profile or cross section view or any other
view that would show the relative height of the machine to the design.
Move the machine until the flashing message disappears, or contact your site
supervisor.
5.1.8 Survey laser receiver set up
ATTENTION – In dual GPS systems, the cross slope of the cutting edge is calculated from the
C relative positions of the two GPS receivers. Even if one GPS receiver gains improved elevation
accuracy through the use of a survey laser receiver, the other GPS receiver will still be subject
to normal GPS errors. For this reason you must be using high accuracy GPS positions to
benefit from laser-enhanced elevation accuracy.
To use a survey laser receiver (SR300 laser receiver) to improve elevation accuracy
(laser-enhanced elevation), you must perform the following tasks:
1. Specify the characteristics of the laser plane.
2. Turn on laser-based elevation measurement.
3. Bench the laser receiver.
These tasks are described in the following sections.

Specifying the laser plane

To check and, if required, specify the laser plane:
1. From any guidance screen, press GPS. The GPS dialog appears:
2. Press Laser Setup. A Laser Transmitter dialog similar to Figure 5.3 appears.
Laser plane slope in direction of

transmitter’s “grade” axis
Laser plane slope in direction of

transmitter’s “cross slope” axis
Direction of transmitter’s
“grade” axis
Figure 5.3 Example Laser Transmitter dialog
3. Confirm that the location of the laser transmitter you will use is approximately
correct, and that the grade, cross slope, and mainfall direction are correct. If
you need to change any of these values, press New Laser. The first screen of the
New Laser Transmitter wizard appears.
“Next Screen”
softkey
Figure 5.4 New Laser Transmitter wizard - screen 1
4. The position of the laser transmitter must be accurate to approximately 2 m

(6 ft). Use any of the following tools to enter the position of the laser
transmitter:
– Edit the Northing and Easting fields directly.

– To use the current position of the cutting edge focus point, press Here.
– To change the cutting edge focus point, press either Blade: Left or Blade:
Right.
– Press Plan View. A dialog similar to the one below appears:
Use the arrow keys to move the cross-hairs around the screen. As the
cross-hairs move, the distance from the focus point on the cutting edge to
the position indicated by the cross-hairs appears.
To zoom the current view in or out, press + or -. To resize the
current view to the immediate area around the cross-hairs, press Zoom
Target. To view all of the linework, press Zoom All.
To select the position of the cross-hairs as the position of the laser

transmitter, press Select. To clear the currently selected position and
choose a different position, press Deselect.
To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes,
press=. The first screen of the New Laser Transmitter wizard appears.
5. Press 7. The second screen of the New Laser Transmitter wizard appears:
6. Use any of the following tools to enter the laser plane grade and cross slope:
– Edit the Laser Grade and Laser cross slope fields directly.
– To set both the grade and cross slope to zero, press Level.
7. Press 7:
– If you specified a level laser plane, the final screen of the New Laser
Transmitter wizard appears. Press Finish. The GPS dialog appears.

– If you specified a sloping laser plane, the third screen of the New Laser
Transmitter wizard appears:
8. Use either of the following tools, to enter the direction of the laser plane grade
axis:
– Edit the Direction field directly.
– Press 2 Points. A dialog similar to the one below appears:
This dialog lets you specify the direction of the “grade” axis by defining a
line segment that runs parallel to, and in the same direction as, the “grade”
axis.
Edit the location of the start point and end point of the line directly.
Alternatively press Start Pt. Here and/or End Pt. Here to set the locations of
the start and end points respectively to the location of the cutting edge
focus point.
To change the cutting edge focus point, press either Blade: Left or Blade:
Right.

press=. The third screen of the New Laser Transmitter wizard appears.
10. Press 7. The final screen of the New Laser Transmitter wizard appears.
Press Finish. The GPS dialog appears.

Some common laser set up problems are as follows:
Problem Action
No Start Pt. Here or End Pt. You may be using low accuracy GPS positions.
Here key. No machine icon in Change your GPS Accuracy Mode.
the New Laser Transmitter plan Check the data radio and radio cable.
view screen.
Ask your site supervisor to adjust the accuracy limits.
5.1.9 Turn on laser enhanced elevation

Before the system can use the elevation information generated by a survey laser
receiver, you must enable the laser receiver. To do this, press Laser: Off from any
guidance screen. The softkey label changes to Laser: On.
Note – The Laser: Off softkey is also available in the GPS dialog.
The plan view guidance shows the location of the laser transmitter, as shown in
Figure 5.5.
Laser transmitter
symbol
Figure 5.5 (Active laser transmitter in the plan view guidance screen
Press Laser: On from any guidance screen to disable a survey laser receiver as a
source of elevation information. The softkey label changes to Laser: Off.
Note – The Laser: On softkey is also available in the GPS dialog.
If the system receives no laser strikes for a period of more than one second, the No
Laser flashing error message appears. An arrow appears in the Laser Strike text item.
The arrow shows which direction the last laser strikes were received from. Move the
blade of the machine in that direction in order to regain laser strikes.
To maintain accurate information from a laser transmitter:
• Do not operate lasers at dawn or dusk, or when conditions are foggy or raining.
• Make sure that the laser transmitter is regularly serviced and in good operating
order before using it in the machine control environment.

5.1.10 Benching a survey laser receiver

You must bench a survey laser receiver every time the laser transmitter is set up.
When the laser receiver needs benching, the Bench Laser flashing warning message
appears.
To bench a survey laser receiver:
1. From any guidance screen, press and hold down \. The Bench Laser
dialog appears:
Note – Alternatively, to access the Bench dialog press M and then select
Bench from the Setup Menu - Configuration menu.
2. To prepare for benching:
a. Plumb the left mast to make it vertical.
b. Level the blade. You can monitor the blade slope in the Current blade
slope field.
B Tip – If you turn on automatic controls, the system levels the blade for you. You do not need to
have a level design loaded.
c. Position the end of the levelled blade that you want to bench on or beside
the benchmark.
B Tip – For best results, bench the end of the blade that is under the laser receiver. If you are
benching a laser receiver mounted at the center of a bulldozer blade, the laser receiver is
typically considered to be on the left end of the blade. In this case, place the edge of the blade
below the laser receiver on the benchmark and bench the left end of the blade.
3. Enter the elevation of the benchmark into the Blade elevation: field.
4. Check that a height is displayed in the Current laser strike height: field. If the
field shows N/A, the laser receiver is not detecting any laser strikes.

Note – If the machine does not have a blade pitch sensor installed, the blade
pitch is assumed to be 0°.
5. To begin benching, press Bench Left or Bench Right, depending on the end of
the blade that is on the benchmark.
6. If the laser receiver detects only a single laser transmitter, benching begins
immediately. Otherwise, the Select Laser Strike dialog appears:
Note – By default, laser strikes must be at least 100 mm (4 inches) apart to be

distinguished as coming from separate laser transmitters. It may take a few
seconds for the system to gather enough data to distinguish between clusters of
laser strikes from different transmitters. For this reason, there may be a short
delay between pressing the Bench Left or Bench Right softkey, and the
appearance of the Select Laser Strike dialog.
The Select Laser Strike dialog lets you choose which laser transmitter to bench
to. Use the arrow keys to select the strike height of the laser transmitter you
want to use and then press \.
7. When benching finishes a guidance screen appears.
8. Return the mast to its operating position. Typically, this is perpendicular to the
wheelbase of the machine.
Some common laser benching problems are as follows:
Problem Action
Not enough laser strikes during Check that there is a clear line of sight between the receiver and
bench the transmitter, and that the receiver is within range. Adjust the
elevation of the laser transmitter so that the laser strikes half way
up the laser receiver when the blade is at bench height.
The benchmark height you Check that the value entered in the Blade Elevation field agrees
entered does not agree with the with the elevation of the focus point of the blade, as measured by
measured height the GPS receiver, and the elevation of the benchmark.
The allowable difference is 30 mm more than the GPS accuracy
limit (25 mm in Fine mode).
There is a mismatch between Check the set up of the laser transmitter, particularly the direction
the measured height of the laser and slope if you are using a sloped laser plane.
plane and the calculated height

Problem Action
The laser signal is too noisy to Check the stability of the laser transmitter platform.
complete the benching If there is more than one laser transmitter being used on the site,
operation check that the elevations of the laser transmitters are separated
by more than 100 mm (4 inches).
Low accuracy GPS You must be receiving high accuracy GPS Easting and Northing
positions in order to use the laser enhanced elevation feature.
5.2 Check blade wear

You must check the changes in the cutting edge measurements caused by blade wear
regularly, or as instructed by your site supervisor. To check and/or set the blade wear
compensation:
1. Measure the cutting edge height to the center of the bolt holes as shown below:
If the blade wears unevenly, use an average value. However, guidance will
never be better than the range of the differences in cutting edge height.
3. Select the Blade Wear option. A dialog similar to the following appears:
4. If required, edit the Cutting Edge Height field.


press=.
The changes take effect immediately.
5.3 Check cutting edge guidance

ATTENTION – Any movement of the blade (for example sideshifting, rotating, raising, or
C lowering the blade) when a motor grader, bulldozer, or scraper is stationary causes errors in the
estimated orientation and pitch of the machine. These errors remain until the machine is moved
with the blade in a fixed position, and contribute to errors in the calculated position of the blade
tips. When you bench a 3D sensor, you can use sideshift to help position the focus tip over the
benchmark; however, if you do use sideshift, you can only bench for elevation, not eastings
and northings. When you check 3D guidance using a control point, you must place the focus
tip at the control point without sideshifting, rotating, raising, or lowering the blade.
Before you start work, always check the accuracy of the system. Compare the
coordinates of the cutting edge focus shown on the control box with the known 3D
coordinates of a survey control point.
To check accuracy:
1. Check that the current coordinates (easting, northing, and elevation) of the
cutting edge focus point are displayed on one of the guidance screens, typically
in one of the text view guidance screens. If the focus point coordinates are not
available in one of the guidance screens, ask your site supervisor to configure a
screen for you.
2. If you are using GPS for guidance, select Fine accuracy mode.
3. Use one of these possible techniques to get a focus position:
Note – For motor graders, bulldozers, and scrapers, make sure that the system
has an accurate estimate of the blade pitch by moving the machine at least 5 m
(16.4 ft) with the blade in the position it will be checked in.
– For bulldozers, using a fixed control point: Move the machine at least 5 m
(16.4 ft) away from the control point. With the blade in the “measure up”
position (typically, level with the tracks), drive up to the control point.
Without raising the blade, place the cutting edge focus point on the control
point.
Note – When checking bulldozer guidance using a fixed control point, the
control point must be within 100 mm (4 inches) of track level.
– For motor graders, using a fixed control point: Position the cutting edge
focus point on the control point and then roll the blade so that the mast or
masts are perpendicular to the wheelbase of the machine. Without moving
the blade, move the machine at least 5 m (16.4 ft) away from the control
point and then return to the control point, positioning the blade focus over
the control point.

– For motor graders, bulldozers, and scrapers, using surveying techniques:

Cut a level surface at least 5 m (16.4 ft) long. Use a total station or a GPS
rover to measure the position of the cutting edge focus at the end of the
cut.
4. Compare the position on the display with the known position of the cutting
edge focus point.
B Tip – Trimble recommends that you regularly check the accuracy of the system. This helps
determine the wear on the cutting edge. Always check the system accuracy after you restore a
display or machine configuration.
5.4 Check valve speed

For machines fitted with automatic controls, correct valve speeds depend on the type
of material that you are moving (for example, sand, hard rock, or dirt) and the tasks
you are doing (for example, base grade or finished grade).
The system creates a temporary level surface design for adjusting the valve speeds.
The lightbars provide guidance to the temporary design surface only while the Valve
Speed dialog is open.
Note – Conventional system valve speeds are NOT affected by 3D system valve speed
settings.
To adjust the valve speeds:
1. Make sure that the system is generating cutting edge position information that
is consistent with the job you are to work on. For example, if you are using
GPS sensors, and are optimizing the valve performance for fine grade work, set
the GPS accuracy mode to Fine.
2. Make sure that the valves are calibrated.
3. Adjust the throttle so that the machine is at operating revs.
4. Using the automatic controls, cut a test pass in the material you are working, so
that you can judge the current performance of the automatic controls. If the cut
surface shows long period waves (wave lengths greater than about 2 m or 6 ft),
the valve speed may be too low. If the cut surface shows the blade is “jittery”,
the valve speed may be too high.
5. Set the Auto/Manual switches to Manual.
6. From the Setup Menu - Configuration menu, select Valve Speed. A full screen
warning message appears, telling you to raise the blade and, if you have a
machine with sideshift, to center the blade.
7. Raise and, if required, center the blade. This is the elevation at which the
temporary design surface is created. Press \. The temporary design surface
is created and the Valve Speed - Select Valve dialog appears.

8. Select the valve to adjust. Press \. A dialog similar to the following

appears:

– Move the slider to increase or decrease the valve speed.
– To set the speed to the default value, press Default Set 50.
The valve speed is immediately updated.
10. Move the blade until the lightbars indicate that the blade is above or below the
on-grade position.
11. Set the Auto/Manual switches to Auto.
12. Watch how quickly or slowly the blade moves to the on-grade position:
– If the blade moves slowly, but with no overshoot and correction, the valve
speed may be too low.
– If the blade moves quickly, but with overshoot and correction, the valve
speed may be too high.
Note – The behavior of the automatic controls when they are not loaded by
material does not by itself provide enough information to tune the valve speed.
Always use this information in conjunction with the results of a test pass.
13. Set the Auto/Manual switch to Manual.
press=.
15. Repeat Step 4 to Step 14, making incremental changes to the valve speed until
the surface cut during the test pass meets your requirements.
Some problems that may occur when you try to set the valve speed are as follows.
Table 5.1 Valve speed settings problems
Problem Action
Insufficient 3D position accuracy If you are using a UTS system, check that the UTS is turned on
and locked on the target.
If you are using a GPS system, follow the procedure in
6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and satellite monitoring.
Valves not calibrated Ask your site supervisor to calibrate the automatic control valves.

5.5 Load or create a design

Before you can receive cutting edge guidance, you must have a design loaded into the
system. You can load a design supplied on a data card by an engineer in the office, or
you can create a design while you are working in the field.
5.5.1 Insert a data card

To insert a data card:
1. To access the data card slot, depress the catch below the card slot door. The
card slot is in the bottom left corner of the CB430 control box.
2. Insert a data card. The data card can only be fully inserted in one orientation:
– One edge of the data card has two rows of sockets that mate with pins in
the card slot. Insert this edge first.
– Two edges of the data card have longitudinal slots with a notch on one
edge. Insert the card with the notched edge down.
The first three quarters of the card slides easily into the slot. Once you feel
some resistance, continue to press gently to engage the sockets on the card with
the pins in the card slot.
3. Close the card slot door.
Note – You cannot write to or read from the data card when the data card slot
door is open. If a design is loaded from a data card, and the slot door is
opened, then the design will be unloaded.
5.5.2 Load a design

Most design types are loaded using a few simple key presses. However, if you are
loading a 3D lines design file, once the file is loaded, you must select the 3D line you
want to work with.

Load the design file

To select and load a design:
1. From the Setup Menu – Configuration menu, select Select Design. The Select
Design File dialog appears:
2. Highlight the design you want to load.

3. If the design you highlighted is a road design with sideslopes defined, make
sure that the Side Slope: <value> displays either Cut or Fill:
– Cut, if you are cutting down to the design surface.
– Fill, if you are filling up to the design surface.
press=. If the loaded design specifies only a single design surface, the plan
view guidance screen appears.
Select a 3D line
If the loaded design is a 3D Lines design, which may specify multiple design
surfaces, the Select 3D Guidance Line dialog appears:
To select a 3D line for guidance:

1. From the Select 3D Guidance Line dialog, move the cross-hairs to the 3D line
that you require. Use any of the following tools to move the cross-hairs:
– To move the cross-hairs around the screen, use the arrow keys.
– To zoom the current view in and out, press + and -.

– To resize the current view to the immediate area around the cross-hairs,
press Zoom Target.
– To view all of the linework, press Zoom All.
– To view the extents of the selected 3D line, press Zoom Selection.
All linework for the design, including the site map and any avoidance zones, is
shown in this dialog. You can only select a line that is a 3D line.
B Tip – If several lines are grouped closely, press Zoom Target to zoom in for easier selection.
Alternatively, move the cross-hairs to an area where the lines are more easily seen. To move
the cross-hairs large distances across the screen, zoom out and then hold down an arrow key.
This lets you move rapidly across the design.
2. To select the 3D line for horizontal and vertical guidance, press Select. The line
closest to the center of the crosshairs is selected. The selected 3D line appears
as a thick red line. See Figure 5.6.
B (finish)
A (start)
Figure 5.6 Selected 3D line
3. Press Set Width. The Set Design Width dialog appears:
4. If required, use one or more of the following tools to specify the width of the
design:
– Edit the Design Width field directly.
– To add or subtract 10 mm (0.4 inches) to or from the current width, press
+0.010 or -0.010.
– To set the width to 2.0 m (6.5 ft), press Default 2.000.


press=. The Select 3D Guidance Line dialog appears.
5. Press Extend Length. The Extend 3D Line dialog appears:
6. If required, to extend the line at one or both of the A and B ends, use one of the
following tools:
– Edit the Extend A and/or Extend B fields directly.
– To add or subtract 500 mm (20 inches) to or from the current extension,
press +0.500 or -0.500.
– To reset the extension to zero, press Set 0.000.
press=. The Select 3D Guidance Line dialog appears.
press=. The plan view guidance screen appears.
5.5.3 Create a design

There are two simple design surfaces you can create in the field:
• Level designs
• Sloping designs

Create a level design surface

To create a level surface design file:
1. From the Select Design File dialog, press New Level . The New Design: Level
Surface dialog appears:
2. Use any of the following tools to specify the design elevation:

– Edit the Design Elevation field directly.
– To use the current elevation of the cutting edge focus point, press Here.
Right.
3. To confirm the settings, press \. The Design Name dialog appears:
The system gives the design a default name.

4. If required, edit the default name and press \ . The Select Design File
dialog appears. The design just created is highlighted.
5. To load the new level surface design, press \. The Setup Menu –
Configuration menu appears.
Create a sloping design surface
C WARNING – If you create a ramp or other work platform that is too steep, machines and
vehicles using the ramp or platform could become difficult to control. This could result in harm
to the operator, to others, or damage to the machine. To ensure your safety and the safety of
others, find out what the maximum slope for your site is and make sure you do not exceed it.
10 0 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

Note – To learn more about the elements that make up a sloping surface refer to the
GCS900 Grade Control System Reference Manual.
To create a sloping surface design file:
1. From the Select Design File dialog, press New Slope. The New Design: Sloping
Surface dialog Point 1 screen appears:
By default, the dialog shows the softkeys and fields needed to define a sloping
surface using the 2-Points method. If you want to define the surface by using
the Point-and-Direction method, go to Step 5.
2. Use any of the following tools to specify Point 1:
– Edit the Northing, Easting, and Elevation fields directly.
– To use the current northing, easting, and elevation of the cutting edge
focus point, press Here.
Right.
3. Press Point 2 . Use the procedure outlined in Step 2 to specify Point 2.
B Tip – When both points are entered, the system calculates the direction and grade values. To
view the calculated values, press Method: 2 Points.
The 2 Points and Pt / Dir dialogs update each other with information. The Point 1 and
Cross Slope values are always the same in both dialogs. Enter Point 2 values and then change
to the Pt/Dir dialog to see the calculated direction and grade. Check that the calculated
direction and grade are within design limits. If you change the Direction setting or change the
Grade setting in the Pt / Dir dialog, the change clears the value of Point 2 in the 2 Points dialog,
as there is not enough information to calculate the new position.
4. To continue with the 2-Points method, go to Step 10.

5. To use the Point-and-Direction method, press Method: 2 Points. The softkey
changes to Method: Pt / Dir and the Point 1 position fields are shown.
6. Use one or more of the following tools to specify Point 1:
– Edit the Northing, Easting, and Elevation fields directly.
– To use the current northing, easting, and elevation of the cutting edge
focus point, press Here.
GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 1 01

Right.
7. Press Direction. The Direction screen appears:
8. Edit the Direction field to specify the direction of the master alignment relative
to Point 1.
9. Use any of the following tools to specify the grade of the master alignment:
– Edit the Grade field directly.
– To set the grade to 0%, press Level.
10. Press Cross Slope . The Cross Slope screen appears:
11. Use the following tools to specify the left and right cross slope:
– Edit the Left and Right fields directly.
– To set the cross slope to 0%, press Level.
– To change the direction of the cross slope, press S. The symbols beside
the cross slope fields indicate the direction of slope, as seen from the
operator’s position.

12. To confirm the settings, press \. The Design Name dialog appears:
The system gives the design a default name.

13. If required, edit the default name and press \ . The Select Design File
dialog appears. The design just created is highlighted.
14. To load the new sloping surface design, press \. The Setup Menu –
Configuration menu appears.
Modifying level and sloping design surfaces

Once a level or sloping surface design is created, you can complete the following
steps to change the design parameters:
1. From the Setup Menu – Configuration menu, select Select Design. The Select
Design File dialog appears:
2. Highlight the level or sloping surface design that you want to modify.
3. Press Edit. The Edit Design:<Design name> dialog appears.
– To modify a level design, follow the procedure described in Create a level
design surface, page 100.
– To modify a sloping design, follow the procedure described in Create a
sloping design surface, page 100.
Note – If the surface design was already loaded, the edited design is automatically
reloaded. This happens whether or not you press \ or = to exit the Select
Design File dialog.

Design creation problems

Common design creation problems are as follows:
Problem Action
No Here button A high accuracy position is not available. Use the procedure
described in 6.5 Running system diagnostics, to check the GPS
receiver status.
5.6 Working with 3D guidance

Common tasks that you may perform while you work with 3D guidance methods are
as follows:

Select a working surface and set Every time you begin a new 5.6.1 Set working surface lift
the vertical offset for vertical job or load a new design. and/or vertical offset
guidance
Select an alignment for Every time you begin a new 5.6.2 Select horizontal alignment
horizontal guidance job, load a new design, or
need to use a different
horizontal alignment.
Select the blade tip given Every time you select a new 5.6.3 Select blade tip for
horizontal guidance horizontal alignment, or horizontal guidance
when you finish a pass, turn
around, and want to swap
the end given horizontal
guidance.
Set an offset from the horizontal Every time you select a new 5.6.4 Set horizontal offset
alignment horizontal alignment, or you
want to work a new section
of design surface using the
same alignment.
Record the location of a 3D When you need to record a 5.6.10 Point recording
point specific point for map
recording data collection.
Increase or decrease the When you are not carrying 5.6.5 Change vertical offset with
vertical offset while working enough material, or when the remote switches
you are carrying too much
material.
Automatically control only one When you are working a 5.6.6 Automatically control only
blade tip for elevation or slope, long way from the design one blade tip
while retaining manual control of surface, for example when
the other you are roughing-in, or to
lower or lift the cutting edge
at the beginning or end of a
pass.
Roll the moldboard or blade When you need to adjust 5.6.7 Changing blade pitch when
during a pass the pitch of the moldboard working
or blade during a pass.
Reacquire UTS lock Every time you lose UTS 5.6.11 Reacquire UTS lock
lock during a pass.


Clear a UTS benching value When you want to use the 5.6.12 Clear UTS benching
measured elevation of the
UTS instrument in the
guidance calculations.
Stop using UTS data for Every time you finish using 5.6.13 Turn off UTS guidance
guidance guidance information from a
UTS system.
Stop using a survey laser When you want to use 5.6.14 Turn off laser enhanced
receiver for enhanced elevation elevation data from the GPS elevation
accuracy system for guidance.
5.6.1 Set working surface lift and/or vertical offset

To change the vertical offset:
1. From any guidance screen, press V. Offset. If your site supervisor has selected a
working surface other than the design surface for you to work to, a dialog
similar to Figure 5.7 appears.
“Increment Offset”
softkey
“Decrement Offset”
softkey
Figure 5.7 Vertical offset dialog
Note – If the design surface is the working surface, value B (the Working
surface field) is unavailable.
2. If required, use any of the following tools to set the vertical offset value:
– Edit the A) Vertical offset field directly.
– To change the sign of the offset, press o.
– To set the offset to zero, press Set 0.000.
– To increase or decrease the offset, press +0.015 or -0.015.
Note – The increment and decrement softkeys change the vertical offset by
an amount equal to the vertical offset increment. By default, the vertical
offset increment is 15 mm (0.6 inches), but your site supervisor can
change this value.
3. If required, and if the dialog field is available, use one or more of the following
tools to set the working surface lift value:
– Edit the B) <working surface> field directly.

– To change the sign of the offset, press o.

– To set the offset to zero, press Set 0.000.
– To increase or decrease the offset, press +0.015 or -0.015.
Common lift and offset problems are as follows:
Problem Action
Unable to lift or drop a layered The allowable offset direction of a layered lift working surface
lift working surface from a design surface is determined by the setting of the Side
slope: <value> softkey that appears in the Select Design File
dialog when a .dc road design is selected. For example, if Side
slope: Fill is shown, the layered lift working surface must be
below the design surface, and so the offset of the layered lift
must be negative.
Note – This restriction does not apply to road files that have
been exported from SiteVision Office to support dynamic layered
lifts.
5.6.2 Select horizontal alignment

In most cases, use the Guide to Horizontal Alignment dialog to select a design feature
to use as a horizontal alignment. The exceptions are:
• If the only possible alignments in the loaded design are Site Map or
Background Plan features, the Guide to Horizontal Alignment dialog is
skipped, and the graphical selection screen appears.
• If you require guidance to side slopes in a road design.
To select a feature to use as a horizontal alignment:
1. From any of the guidance views, press H. Offset. The Horizontal Offset dialog
appears: .
Note – If you have map recording turned on, then the H. Offset softkey is not
available. Instead, use the Horizontal Offset item in the Setup Menu –
Configuration menu.

2. Press Alignment: <value> . The Guide to Horizontal Alignment dialog appears.

The following example shows the choices available in a .dc road design:
3. Highlight the required alignment option. The following options may be

available in the Guide to Horizontal Alignment dialog, depending on the type
of design loaded:
To select ... Choose ...

A road alignment in a road design The alignment by name
A road alignment in an .svd road design automatically [Auto Select Road Alignment]
A layered lift alignment in a .dc road design One of the Layered Lift Alignment
options
A dynamic layered lift alignment in a .dc road design One of the Dynamic Lift Alignment
options
The master alignment in a sloping surface design Master Alignment
The design boundary or linework in the Site Map or [Plan Line]
Background Plan
No alignment [None]
4. If you selected a plan line or a 3D line for horizontal alignment, either the
Guide to Horizontal Alignment or the Select 3D Guidance Line dialog appears.
The Guide to Horizontal Alignment dialog is shown below:
Use any of the following tools to move the cross-hairs in the Guide to
Horizontal Alignment dialog:
– Use the arrow keys to move the cross-hairs around the screen.
– To zoom the current view in and out, press + and -.

– To resize the current view to the immediate area around the cross-hairs,
press Zoom Target.
– To view all of the linework, press Zoom All.
All linework for the design, including the site map and any avoidance zones, is
shown in this dialog.
Note – For more information on using the Select 3D Guidance Line dialog, see
Select a 3D line, page 97.
B Tip – If several lines are grouped closely, press Zoom Target to zoom in for easier selection.
Alternatively, move the cross-hairs to an area where the lines are more easily seen.To move
the cross-hairs large distances across the screen, zoom out and then hold down an arrow key.
This lets you move rapidly across the design.
5. To select the line for horizontal guidance, press Select. The line closest to the
center of the cross-hairs is selected. The selected line appears as a thick red
line.
To deselect the current horizontal alignment without selecting another line,
press Deselect.
press=. A guidance screen appears. If in use, automatic controls are in the
Inactive Auto state.
5.6.3 Select blade tip for horizontal guidance

To set or change the blade tip that is given horizontal guidance (the focus):
1. If you have not already done so, select an alignment as described in
5.6.2 Select horizontal alignment. Until an alignment is specified, no horizontal
guidance is given.
2. To change the blade tip point, press either Blade: Left or Blade: Right.
If in use, automatic controls remain in the Auto state.
Note – A lift-only towed scraper system assumes that the cutting edge is level when
the cut/fill values are calculated. If you need to work with a sloping cutting edge, or if
the design cross slope is not level; minimize the errors in the calculated cut/fill values
by selecting the cutting edge focus to match the location of the GPS receiver. For
example, if the receiver is mounted at the left tip of the cutting edge, set the blade
focus to “Left”. Automatic lift-only towed scraper systems use the cut/fill value under
the cutting edge focus to determine how the blade is driven when automatic controls
are tuned on.

5.6.4 Set horizontal offset

To set an offset from the horizontal alignment:
1. If you have not already done so, select an alignment as described in
5.6.2 Select horizontal alignment. Until an alignment is specified, any
horizontal offset has no effect.
2. From any of the guidance views, press H. Offset . The Horizontal Setup dialog
appears. The example below shows the Horizontal Setup dialog when a road
alignment has been chosen for horizontal guidance:
Note – If you have map recording turned on, then the H. Offset softkey is not
available. Instead, use the Horizontal Offset item in the Setup Menu –
Configuration menu.
3. If required, use one or more of the following tools to set the horizontal offset
value:
– To select the side of the alignment the offset is applied to, press Left /
Right.
– Directly edit the Right of alignment number field.

– To set a horizontal offset that is half the blade width, press Half Blade
Width.
– To reset the offset value to zero, press Set 0.000 .

– To increase or decrease the offset by 10 mm (0.4 inches), press +0.010 or
-0.010.

press=. A guidance screen appears. If in use, automatic controls are in the
Inactive Auto state.
5.6.5 Change vertical offset with the remote switches

To change the vertical offset value in an automatic system, do one of the following
actions:
• In motor grader systems, toggle either of the vertical offset remote switches.
• In bulldozer systems, toggle the vertical offset remote switch.

If automatic controls are turned on, toggle the remote switch to the increment position
to move the blade upward.
5.6.6 Automatically control only one blade tip

For motor graders, toggle one Auto/Manual switch to the Auto position. That blade
tip is automatically controlled in the following way:
• If the automatically controlled blade tip has focus, the elevation of that tip is
controlled to match the design elevation. The other tip must be manually
controlled to maintain design slope.
• If the automatically controlled blade tip does not have focus, the cross slope of
the blade is controlled to match the design slope. The other tip must be
manually controlled to maintain design elevation.
B Tip – Because automatic control of at least one lift ram must be activated before automatic
control of the sideshift ram is activated, you can leave auto-sideshift turned on and activate the
automatic control of both the lift ram and the sideshift ram using just the lift Auto/Manual
switches.
5.6.7 Changing blade pitch when working
ATTENTION – If you are using an SR300 survey laser receiver to improve elevation accuracy,
C make sure that you do not pitch the blade so far that the laser receiver output becomes
unreliable. An SR300 laser receiver should not be operated more than 10° out of vertical.
Certain motor grader and bulldozer system configurations let you roll the blade while
you are working with automatic controls turned on, and still create an accurate
surface. By default, this feature is enabled on machines that support it.
To check if the feature is supported, and enabled:
2. If the feature is supported the Blade Roll option will be available in the Setup
Menu - Configuration menu. If it is available, select Blade Roll. The Blade Roll
dialog appears.
3. Check that the Allow blade roll during auto operation: field is set to Yes.

4. You can now roll the blade while the automatic controls are turned on.
B Tip – You will achieve the best results when the blade is rolled smoothly.
5.6.8 John Deere EHC valve module and rotation sensor support
The system supports John Deere motor graders that have electro-hydraulic controllers
(EHCs) and integrated blade rotation sensors.
The system is operated in the usual way, with the exception of the switches used to
activate the automatic controls and increment and decrement the design offset.
These differences are described in the following sections.
Using the integrated switches

The John Deere EHC motor grader uses integrated switches to turn on automatic
control of blade elevation and slope, and to increment and decrement the design
offset. The switches for the right side of the blade are shown below.

Turning on sideshift automatic control

The John Deere EHC motor grader does not have an integrated switch for turning on
automatic control of the sideshift ram. To turn on sideshift automatic control, from
any guidance view press Sideshift Autos, as shown below:
Pressing Sideshift Autos toggles the automatic control of sideshift on and off.
Note – The Sideshift Autos softkey does not indicate the state of the sideshift
automatic controls. To check the state of the sideshift automatic controls, observe the
center auto/manual indicator on the screen.
B Tip – At least one of the blade lift rams must be under automatic control before sideshift
automatic control operates. You can leave sideshift automatic control toggled on during a run,
and activate and deactivate sideshift automatic control using the blade lift controls described in
the previous section.
5.6.9 Komatsu D155AX-6 bulldozer valve module support

When using a Komatsu D155AX-6 bulldozer valve, the system uses the standard
bulldozer auto/manual switch cluster, and is operated in the usual way.
You can use the Diagnostics dialog to check the status of the Komatsu D155AX-6
valve module.
5.6.10 Point recording

Point recording is a mapping feature the allows the operator to record the 3D location
of a point identified by the position of the blade.
Note – To use point recording, map recording must be enabled and a design must be
loaded. To enable map recording, see your site supervisor.
To use the point recording feature:
1. Place the blade focus on the point to be recorded.
Note – The machine does not need to be stationary to record a point. If the
machine is moving, the current position of the blade focus is recorded.

2. From any guidance screen, press Record Point. The Record Point dialog
appears:
3. Enter the following information:

– Point Name – This value must be unique. The suffix will be automatically
incremented for each new point. If a suffix is not specified, one is
generated automatically. The user can edit the name and the suffix as
required
An example point name is “PT”. When a new point is recorded, an
incremental numeric suffix will be appended, giving an example result of
“PT1”.
– Point Code – This value is an arbitrary alpha-numeric value that helps to
identify the type of point being recorded.
An example point code is “RUN 28SEP09”.
– Prompting behaviour – If Always prompt for each point: is set to Yes, the
Record Point dialog is displayed each time the Record Point softkey is
pressed. Otherwise, only a Recording Point flashing message is displayed.
Note – If Always prompt for each point: is set to No, you can access the
Record Point dialog by pressing and holding Record Point.
4. Press \.
The following problems may occur when you perform point store operation:
Problem Action
No data card Insert a data card
Data card full Replace the data card with one that has space for new data
Error recording point The system is in a low accuracy state
No Record Point button • Enable Map Recording (see your site supervisor)
• Load a design

5.6.11 Reacquire UTS lock

If the UTS loses lock on the target while you are working, the No UTS Data message
flashes on the guidance screen. To reacquire lock:
1. Stop the machine as soon as safely possible, in clear view, and within 15 m to
300 m, (50 ft to 985 ft) of the UTS.
Note – The target must be within the search window defined during UTS set up,
otherwise you will be unable to acquire lock.
2. If automatic controls are in use, put the controls into Manual.
3. If Auto Search is enabled, wait for the UTS to reacquire lock on the target.
Otherwise, from any guidance screen, press UTS. The UTS dialog appears. Use
one or more of the following tools to reacquire lock:
– To initiate a search of the entire search window, press Search.
– To initiate a search of an area of the search window within 20 m (66 ft)
horizontally and 10 m (33 ft) vertically of your last known position, press
Quick Search.
5.6.12 Clear UTS benching

If you benched a UTS system, where the UTS instrument was set up with a known
elevation, the benched elevation of the instrument is used for position calculation,
instead of the elevation specified during set up.
To clear the benched elevation and return to using the set up elevation:
1. From any guidance screen, press and hold down \. A full screen warning
message appears, telling you to make your mast vertical.
Note – Alternatively, to begin benching, select Bench from the Setup Menu –
Configuration menu.
2. Press \. The Bench UTS dialog appears.
3. Press Clear Bench.
Note – If the UTS instrument did not have an initial elevation, clearing the benching
data stops guidance.
5.6.13 Turn off UTS guidance

Before you turn off the system, turn off UTS guidance. To do this:
1. If automatic controls are in use, put the controls into Manual.
2. From any guidance screen, press UTS. The UTS dialog appears.
3. Press Stop and then wait for the UTS status to change to Waiting for Start.

Note – Turning off UTS guidance does not turn off the UTS instrument. You must
manually turn off the power at the UTS instrument.
5.6.14 Turn off laser enhanced elevation

Once you are finished using a survey laser receiver for enhanced elevation accuracy,
and you want to return to using GPS as the elevation data source for vertical
guidance, press Laser: On from any guidance screen. The softkey label changes to
Laser: Off.
Note – The Laser: On softkey is also available in the GPS dialog.

To confirm the settings, press\; to exit without saving changes, press=. A
guidance screen appears.


CHAPTER
6
Troubleshooting in the Field 6
In this chapter: Occasionally, problems will occur. Good

troubleshooting techniques can significantly
Q System troubleshooting techniques reduce the time it takes to isolate the problem
Q Troubleshooting flashing warning and, ultimately, reduce the length of downtime.
messages
Q Troubleshooting error messages
Q Troubleshooting system
components
Q Running system diagnostics
Q Before you contact your dealer

6 Troubleshooting in the Field
6.1 System troubleshooting techniques

The approach you take to troubleshooting a GCS900 Grade Control System depends
on the configuration of the system you are working with.
The following sections outline some basic troubleshooting strategies.
6.1.1 General troubleshooting

Check these items when troubleshooting:
• Is there a warning or error message that indicates a problem? Use the
information in 6.2 Troubleshooting flashing warning messages, and
6.3 Troubleshooting error messages, to understand errors and warnings.
Make a note of any messages that appear on the screen. You can also check the
program log file (LOG_<machine name>_<date&time>.txt).
• Are all the devices on the system receiving power? Use the information in
6.4 Troubleshooting system components, to quickly check the status of the
easily accessible devices.
• Are all the devices in the system communicating? Use the information in
6.5 Running system diagnostics, to make sure all the required devices have
been detected.
• Do the devices have the correct firmware versions loaded? Use the information
in 6.5 Running system diagnostics, and the program log file to check current
firmware versions. Contact your site supervisor to get a list of correct firmware
versions.
• Are the orientations of installed slope sensors configured correctly?
• Are the machine measurements correct?
• Are all cables and connections secure and undamaged?
• What were the steps that led to the problem occurring?
• Can the problem be repeated?
6.1.2 Troubleshooting UTS systems

To quickly assess the UTS components of a system, check the following:
• Are the UTS target LEDs flashing? If the LEDs on the UTS target are not
flashing, then the UTS instrument will not be able to lock onto the target.
• Use the information in 6.5 Running system diagnostics, particularly 6.5.1 UTS
diagnostics, to check the following:
– Is the UTS connected?
– Is the electric mast connected?

– Does the UTS have the correct software loaded? Contact your site
supervisor to find out what the correct firmware is for the UTS.
– Place the cutting edge focus point at a control point. Is the position of the
focus calculated correctly?
• Check that the correct model of radio is installed:
– For ATS600, use an SNR900 or SNR2400 radio, or an SNRx10 radio with
either a 900 MHz or 2400 MHz module installed. The frequency band of
the chosen radio must match that of the instrument radio.
– For SPSx30, use an SNR2400 radio, or an SNRx10 radio with a
2400 MHz module installed.
• Use the information in 6.4.6 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet 450 data radio
status indicators, or 6.4.5 SNRx10 data radio status indicators, to check the
following:
– Is the data radio getting power?
– Is the data radio synchronized?
– Are you on the correct radio channel?
• Use the information from the UTS dialog to check the following:
– Is the UTS tracking?
– Does the UTS have adequate power?
• Is the UTS instrument free from vibrations caused by passing machinery or the
wind? Complete the following procedure:
a. Stop the machine.
b. Put the automatic controls in Manual.
c. Rest the cutting edge on the ground.
d. To view the Machine Target screen of the Diagnostics – UTS dialog, use
the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics, particularly 6.5.1 UTS
diagnostics.
e. Observe the Northing, Easting, and Elevation values. At a distance of
150 m (492 ft) you would not expect to see any variation in the Northing
and Easting values, and no more than ±5 mm (±0.2 inches) variation in
elevation.
• Observe the site and work area, and check the following:
– Is the UTS target between 15 m (50 ft) and 300 m (985 ft) from the UTS
instrument?
– Does the UTS instrument have a continuous line of sight to the UTS
target? Check for occasional passing vehicles or dust clouds which could
block the line of sight. Check that the line of sight is maintained for all
machine orientations across the whole work area.

– Is the work area within the search window specified when the UTS was
started?
– Are the lenses of the UTS instrument clean?
6.1.3 Troubleshooting GPS systems

To quickly assess the GPS components of a system, do the following:
• Use the information in 6.5 Running system diagnostics, particularly 6.5.2 GPS
diagnostics and satellite monitoring, to check the following:
– Are the GPS receivers connected?
– Do the GPS receivers have the correct software version loaded?
– Are they reporting an RTK (Fixed) position status?
– Is the data link operating effectively?
The left data link should be operating with less than 0.3 seconds latency
and an integrity of about 90%.
The right data link should be operating with less than 0.3 seconds latency
and an integrity of about 100%.
• Use the information in 6.4.2 GPS receiver status indicators, to check the
following:
– Is the GPS receiver getting power?
– Is the GPS receiver tracking four or more satellites?
– Is the left GPS receiver, or the receiver in a single receiver system,
processing 1 Hz Compact Measurement Records™ (CMR) data?
– Is the right GPS receiver processing 10 Hz CMR data?
• Use the information in 6.4.6 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet 450 data radio
status indicators, or 6.4.5 SNRx10 data radio status indicators, to check the
following:
– Is the data radio getting power?
– Is the data radio synchronized?
• Observe the site and work area, and check the following:
– Do you have an unobstructed view of the sky to within about 10° of the
horizon across the entire work area? If some, or all, of your work area has
a limited view of the sky, ask your site supervisor what is the best time for
you to work.
– Are you working near any large reflective surfaces that could cause the
GPS signal to “ghost” (multipathing)?

• Ask your site supervisor to check the operation of the GPS base station. Are the
GPS receiver and base data radio operating correctly? Observe the base station
area, and check the following:
– Does the base station have an unobstructed view of the sky to within about
10° of the horizon across the entire work area?
– Is the base station near any large reflective surfaces that could cause the
GPS signal to “ghost” (multipathing)?
– Is the base station area subject to heavy vehicle movements that could
shadow the base station antenna from the GPS signal?
• Is your machine in the line of sight of the base station radio antenna? If not,
you may need to ask your site supervisor to install a repeater radio.
• Do you rely on repeater radios to make contact with the base station? If so, ask
your site supervisor to check the operation of any data radio repeaters on the
site. Is data being relayed correctly?
6.1.4 Troubleshooting automatic controls

In general, problems with automatic controls fall into two groups:
• Error conditions or system states that cause automatic control to be suspended,
or that prevent you from turning on automatic controls
• Automatic control behavior that causes poor quality or inaccurate finished
surfaces
Error conditions and system states

To troubleshoot automatic control errors and state problems, check the state of the
system against the following list of states that prevent the automatic controls from
being used:
• You access one of the following guidance set-up dialogs:
– Select Design File
– Vertical Guidance Setup
– Alignment
– Horizontal Offset
– Elevation Offset
– Setup Menu - Configuration
– Diagnostics
• There is no design loaded
• The machine is off the design when automatic controls are turned on
• The machine is off the design for more than 60 seconds

Note – During the period you are off design and before the system goes into the
Inactive-Auto state, automatic control is suspended.
• The cutting edge is out of control range (the cutting edge is too far away from
the working surface for automatic controls to be used) for more than
60 seconds
Note – During the period the cutting edge is out of control range and before the
system goes into the Inactive-Auto state, automatic control is suspended.
• A sonic tracer is out of range of the reference surface for more than 60 seconds
Note – During the period that the sonic tracer is out of range of the reference
surface and before the system goes into the Inactive-Auto state, lift control is
suspended. However, if cross-slope control is turned on for the other end of the
blade, cross-slope control continues for 60 seconds. If you put the end of the
blade with the sonic tracer into Manual within those 60 seconds, cross-slope
control for the other end of the blade continues indefinitely.
• The machine is in a state that is incorrect for automatic controls, for example, it
is in “Park”
Note – This restriction does not apply to valve calibrations.
• The automatic valves are not calibrated
• The automatic valves have not been driven (the valves have been inactive) for
60 seconds or longer
• A device can no longer be detected or stops working
• The control box starts and the Auto/Manual switch is set to Auto
• The CB430 control box shuts down
• You receive low accuracy GPS positions continuously for more than
60 seconds
Note – During the period you are receiving low accuracy GPS positions and
before the system goes into the Inactive-Auto state, automatic control is
suspended.
• The UTS loses lock on the target
To understand any error messages that appear, use the information in
6.2 Troubleshooting flashing warning messages.
The system provides a number of default automatic controls ranges, depending on
machine model selected during installation. These default values are listed in the table
below.
Machine Type Model Default Range

Grader Default 25 cm (10 inches)
Bulldozer Generic 25 cm (10 inches)
Towed scraper Default 20 cm (8 inches)

In addition, your site supervisor is able to configure the automatic controls range. It is
possible to set automatic controls range limit to 0 (zero), in which case automatic
controls will be suspended as soon as they are engaged.
Poor results
It is beyond the scope of this manual to cover troubleshooting poor results in detail.
However, when you talk about the problem with your site supervisor or Trimble
dealer, consider the following possible causes:
• Poor guidance information. Noisy or inaccurate guidance information can
result in an uneven or inaccurate final surface. If you suspect poor guidance
information, consider the following possible causes:
– Incorrect machine configuration. For example, if a conventional or single
3D sensor motor grader is not cutting the correct cross slope, make sure
that there is no wheel lean. Wheel lean introduces an error in the reading
from the mainfall sensor. Make sure the circle is positioned directly under
the machine – no circle centershift. Make sure that the machine is
operated in the straight frame position – no articulation. Articulation and
circle centershift introduce unmeasured blade rotation. Operating with
wheel lean, circle centershift, or articulation can cause inaccuracy in the
cross slope being cut.
– Incorrect choice of GPS accuracy mode and/or the system is configured to
allow low accuracy GPS positions to drive the automatic controls.
– Incorrect installation. For example, not setting the direction of the
mainfall sensor in the Mainfall Sensor dialog correctly, performing a poor
sensor calibration or loading an out of date sensor calibration from the
data card, or loading an out of date electric mast calibration from the data
card.
– Inaccurate machine measure up. For example, setting the wrong bolt hole
value when using rotating mast mounts.
– Inaccurate sensor calibration.
– Inaccurate benching.
– Inaccurate GPS measurements from the GPS base station.
– Poor UTS instrument setup.
– Poor laser transmitter setup.
– Multipath GPS signal reception.
– Multiple laser sources or multipath laser strike.

Poor technique. Cutting too fast, trying to move too much material, or causing the
machine to move awkwardly are the most significant cause of poor results, as they
extend the system beyond its design limits. Some common examples include the
following:
– Operating too fast for the task being carried out and the material being
worked. For example, a motor grader performing finish grading should be
working at less than 4 km/h (2.5 mph).
– Cutting a rough surface with a bulldozer at too high a speed. This can
result in a rippled or wavy final surface.
– Cutting a surface with a motor grader when the machine is bouncing or
duckwalking. This can result in an uneven final surface.
– Moving too much material with a bulldozer. This can cause the bulldozer
to rock forward and overcut.
• Poor automatic control tuning. An incorrect choice of valve speed, or bad
valve calibration data, can result in poor automatic controls performance.
Common tuning problems include the following:
– The valve speed setting is too high, causing the cutting edge to continually
overshoot the target surface and overcut
– The valve calibration has produced bad data by, for example, using an
inaccurate slope distance measurement for a UTS bulldozer’s lift valve
calibration limits, or by performing the calibration with the machine revs
too low, or by manually moving the cutting edge during the valve
calibration procedure
– Low quality or out of date valve calibration data due to, for example, the
hydraulic system being serviced or modified, and then the machine being
operated without the valves being recalibrated
• Poor hydraulic system performance.

6.2 Troubleshooting flashing warning messages

The system generates flashing warning messages in situations where you need to take
some action to ensure that the system continues to provide accurate guidance
information. These warning messages are also written to the program log file
(LOG_<machine name>_<date&time>.txt).
6.2.1 General warning messages

Table 6.1 General warning messages
Message Problem Solution
Adjust Bolt Hole The current rotating mast bolt hole Ask your site supervisor to enter valid
setting does not have valid mast measurements for the required bolt hole.
measurements specified. Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to set a
bolt hole that has valid measurements.
Avoid. Zone Entered You have entered an Avoidance Zone. Use plan view to guide the machine out of the
This is an area that has been Avoidance Zone.
designated as unsuitable for machine
operation.
Check Machine The set of dimensions that was entered To restore a suitable machine settings file, use
Dimensions is incomplete, or inconsistent with a the procedure in 3.3.1 Machine settings.
machine dimension that can be Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to enter
measured by the system. the correct machine measurements.
Check Machine Type The stored machine settings are To restore a suitable machine settings file, use
invalid. the procedure in 3.3.1 Machine settings.
Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to correct
the system configuration.
Check V. Setup The vertical guidance method selected To check the status of the sensors, use the
is not compatible with the attached or procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
configured sensors. To choose a vertical guidance method
supported by the available sensors, follow the
procedure described in 3.7 Selecting a 3D
vertical guidance method.
Direction Unknown The system is unsure of the direction The direction indicator has failed. Contact your
the machine is moving. site supervisor. To continue working, press
Direction: and use the Direction dialog to
initialize the machine direction.
Loading Data The control box is loading the current Wait for the message to stop. It will disappear
design information or Layered Lift after a short period.
surface.
Option Not Installed You have tried to use a feature that Ask your site supervisor to provide an option
needs a valid option key entered. key for the feature you want to use.
Unknown Status The system has encountered an Use the procedure in 6.7 Before you contact
unexpected error. your dealer, to take a zsnap snapshot of the
system, and then contact your Trimble dealer.

6.2.2 UTS warning messages

Note – In this manual the generic term UTS is used when a procedure, dialog, or
flashing message applies to both ATS600 ATS (Advanced Tracking Sensor) and
SPSx30 UTS (Universal Total Station) instruments.
Table 6.2 UTS warning messages

Check UTS Battery The system detected that the UTS Check that the battery is still connected to the
instrument battery is low. instrument.
Otherwise, replace the instrument battery with
a fully charged one.
Check UTS Radio The system cannot communicate with Check that the instrument’s radio is powered.
the UTS instrument’s data radio. Check the cable to the radio.
Check Machine Radio The system cannot communicate with To check that the radio is powered, use the
the machine’s data radio. procedure in 6.4.5 SNRx10 data radio status
indicators. Check the cable to the radio.
Bench UTS The target needs to be benched To bench the target, use the procedure in
because the UTS height was not 5.1.3 Benching a UTS target.
entered when the instrument was set Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to set up
up. the instrument with an elevation.
Check Machine Target The system cannot communicate with Check that the target is powered and that the
the target. visible LEDs are flashing. Check the cable to
the target.
B Tip – To check the MT900 machine

target, use the information in
6.4.8 MT900 machine target status
indicators.
Check Radio Channel The radio network ID/channel number Contact your site supervisor.
combination set up for your system is
also being used by another machine
within radio range.
Level ATS The tilt compensator on the ATS Level the instrument mount.
instrument is out of range.
Level UTS and Check The tilt compensator on the UTS Stop the UTS positioning on the machine,
UTS Setup instrument is out of range. remove power to the instrument, and repeat
the instrument setup, making sure the
instrument is level. Power up the instrument,
and repeat the SPS900 setup.
Multiple UTS Detected The radio network ID/channel number Contact you site supervisor.
combination set up for your machine
and instrument is also being used by
another instrument within radio range.
No UTS Data The UTS is not currently operating as To check that the UTS system is running and
part of the system. tracking the machine, use the procedure in
6.5 Running system diagnostics, particularly
6.5.1 UTS diagnostics. Check that the target
ID is set correctly.
B Tip – To check the MT900 machine

target ID, use the procedure in
5.1.2 Starting the UTS system.


Search For Machine The UTS instrument lost lock on the Check that there is a clear line of sight
Target target, or was unable to acquire the between the instrument and the target, that
target after searching. the target is within range of the instrument,
and that the machine is within the search
window and then search for the machine
target, using the procedure in
5.6.11 Reacquire UTS lock.
Start UTS The UTS system is not providing To start the UTS system, use the procedure in
guidance data. 5.1.2 Starting the UTS system.
6.2.3 GPS and survey laser (SR300) warning messages

Table 6.3 GPS and SR300 warning messages
Bench Laser The survey laser receiver has To bench the survey laser receiver, use the procedure
not been benched, and is not in 5.1.10 Benching a survey laser receiver.
providing elevation data.
Check Laser Receiver The system cannot To check that the laser receiver has been detected,
communicate with the survey use the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
laser receiver. Check the laser receiver cable.
Check Machine Radio The system cannot To check that the data radio has been detected, use
communicate with the the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
machine’s data radio. To check that the radio is powered, use the
information in 6.4.6 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet
450 data radio status indicators, or 6.4.5 SNRx10 data
radio status indicators. Check the cable to the radio.
GPS - Laser Mismatch The measured height of the To check that the correct slope, slope direction, and
laser plane is different from the location information has been entered, use the
height calculated using the procedure in 5.1.8 Survey laser receiver set up.
laser setup information. To re-bench the laser receiver, use the procedure in
Allowable difference is 30 mm 5.1.10 Benching a survey laser receiver.
more than the GPS accuracy
limit (25 mm in Fine).
Check GPS Config. There is a problem with a GPS Check that there is a valid configuration (*.cfg) file in
receiver output configuration. the root folder of the data card. If there is, turn off the
The coordinate system may be power to the system, and then turn the power on.
missing from a GPS receiver Otherwise, check to see if there is a valid configuration
configuration. file in the folder for the design you are using. If there
is, load the design.
Otherwise, see your site supervisor.
Laser Out Of Range The measured height of the To check that the correct slope, slope direction, and
laser plane is very different location information has been entered, use the
from the height calculated procedure in 5.1.8 Survey laser receiver set up.
using the laser setup To re-bench the laser receiver, use the procedure in
information. 5.1.10 Benching a survey laser receiver.

Table 6.3 GPS and SR300 warning messages (Continued)

Low Accuracy (GPS) The GPS error estimate has To check that you are receiving good quality GPS
exceeded the limit set by the signals, use the procedure in 6.5 Running system
GPS Accuracy Mode. diagnostics, particularly 6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and
satellite monitoring.
To change the GPS Accuracy Mode, use the
procedure in 5.1.6 Set GPS accuracy mode, or ask
your site supervisor to adjust the GPS accuracy limits.
Note – Make sure that the new mode or limits are
accurate enough for the work you need to do.
Low Accuracy (Move) The machine has not travelled To initialize the machine pitch, use the procedure in
far enough in its current 5.1.5 Initialize a machine’s orientation and pitch.
direction to determine machine
pitch and heading.
No GPS Data (Center) No positions are being To check that you are receiving good quality GPS
generated for a GPS receiver signals, use the procedure in 6.5 Running system
on a single-GPS bulldozer. diagnostics, particularly 6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and
Check the cable, power, and connections for the
center receiver.
If problems continue, contact your site supervisor.
No GPS Data (Left) Positions are being generated To check that you are receiving good quality GPS
for the right GPS receiver but signals, use the procedure in 6.5 Running system
not for the left. diagnostics, particularly 6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and
Check the cable, power, and connections for the left
receiver.
No GPS Data (Right) Positions are being generated To check that you are receiving good quality GPS
for the left GPS receiver but not signals, use the procedure in 6.5 Running system
for the right. diagnostics, particularly 6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and
Check the cable, power, and connections for the right
receiver.
No Laser Transmitter The laser transmitter you want To choose or configure a laser transmitter to work
Setup to work with has not been with, use the procedure in 5.1.8 Survey laser receiver
selected and/or configured. set up.
No Laser The system can communicate To check that the laser receiver is receiving laser
with the survey laser receiver, strikes, access the Bench Laser dialog and use the
but the laser receiver is not procedure in 5.1.10 Benching a survey laser receiver.
generating data. Make sure the laser receiver is within 10° of vertical.
Check the laser transmitter is visible to the laser
receiver.
Check that the laser transmitter is turned on.
No Laser (Tilt) The survey laser receiver is Reduce the tilt of the machine or the slope of the
tilted too far out of vertical to blade, so that the laser receiver is less than 10° out of
give accurate elevation vertical.
readings.

Table 6.3 GPS and SR300 warning messages (Continued)

No GPS Receiver Data There has been no GPS data To check that the GPS receivers have been detected
coming from one or both GPS and that the firmware versions are the same, use the
receivers for at least procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
1.5 seconds. To check that the receivers are powered, use the
This could be caused by: information in 6.4.2 GPS receiver status indicators.
• different firmware versions Check the cable, power, and connections. Check the
on the GPS receivers of a physical condition of the GPS receivers.
dual GPS system Turn off the control box and turn it back on.
• a problem with a GPS If problems continue, contact your site supervisor.
receiver
• a cabling fault
• a problem with a GPS
receiver configuration
Old Position A position is not being To check that the GPS receivers have been detected,
generated by one, or both, use the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics,
GPS receivers. particularly 6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and satellite
monitoring.
To check that the receivers are powered, use the
information in 6.4.2 GPS receiver status indicators.
Check the cable, power, and connections. Check the
physical condition of the GPS receivers.
Very Low Accuracy The system is receiving To check that the data radio has been detected, use
(GPS) autonomous GPS positions the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
from one or both GPS To check that the radio is powered and synchronized,
receivers. use the information in 6.4.6 SNR900, SNR450, and
SiteNet 450 data radio status indicators, or
6.4.5 SNRx10 data radio status indicators.
Check that the channel setting for the radio matches
that of the base station.
Check the data radio cable.
Ask your site supervisor to check that the GPS base
station and any repeaters in the radio network are
working correctly.
Out of Geoid Range The GPS position is out of the Move the machine into range or contact your site
range of the loaded geoid grid. supervisor.

6.2.4 Conventional laser receiver warning messages

Note – Errors caused by survey laser receivers (SR300) used in 3D guidance systems
are listed in 6.2.3 GPS and survey laser (SR300) warning messages.
Table 6.4 Conventional laser receiver warning messages
Bench Center Laser The laser receiver will not To bench the laser receiver, use the procedure in
generate lift information until it 4.1.5 Bench laser receivers.
is benched.
Bench Left Laser The laser receiver will not To bench the laser receiver, use the procedure in
is benched.
Bench Right Laser The laser receiver will not To bench the laser receiver, use the procedure in
is benched.
Check Center Laser The system cannot To check that the laser receiver has been detected,
Receiver communicate with the laser use the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
receiver. To check that the laser receiver is powered, use the
information in 6.4.7 LR410 laser receiver status
indicators.
Check the laser receiver cable.
Check Left Laser The system cannot To check that the laser receiver has been detected,
indicators.
Check Right Laser The system cannot To check that the laser receiver has been detected,
indicators.
Laser Outside Bench For systems using a survey To check that the laser strike is within the strike
Window laser for lift guidance, the laser window, use the procedure in 6.6.3 Checking a survey
strike is no longer within receiver is getting laser strikes.
±10 cm (4 inches) of the Move the blade up or down to return the laser strike to
benched position. within ±10 cm (4 inches) of the benched position.
The Increment/Decrement offset switches move the
bench window as the offset is increased or
decreased.
To re-bench the laser receiver to a more suitable
height, use the procedure in Bench a survey laser
receiver, page 65.
No Center Laser Strikes The center laser receiver is not To check that the laser receiver is receiving laser
detecting any laser strikes. strikes, use the procedure in 4.1.4 Adjust manual
mast to get laser strike.
Check that the laser transmitter is visible to the laser
receiver.

Table 6.4 Conventional laser receiver warning messages (Continued)

No Left Laser Strikes The left laser receiver is not To check that the laser receiver is receiving laser
receiver.
No Right Laser Strikes The right laser receiver is not To check that the laser receiver is receiving laser
receiver.
Offset Too Large When using manual masts, the Use the increment/decrement switch to move the
increment/decrement switch laser receiver into the laser beam.
has changed the vertical offset To check that the laser receiver is receiving laser
value such that the laser strikes, use the procedure in 4.1.4 Adjust manual
receiver is no longer receiving mast to get laser strike.
laser strikes. Then, to bench the laser use the procedure in
4.1.5 Bench laser receivers.
6.2.5 Sonic tracer warnings messages

Table 6.5 Sonic tracer warning messages
Bench Left Sonic Tracer The left sonic tracer is not To bench the sonic tracer, use the procedure in
benched. 4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer.
Bench Right Sonic The right sonic tracer is not To bench the sonic tracer, use the procedure in
Tracer benched. 4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer.
Check Left Sonic Tracer The system cannot To check that the sonic tracer has been detected, use
communicate with the left sonic the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
tracer. To check that the sonic tracer is powered, use the
procedure in 6.4.4 ST300 sonic tracer status
indicators, or 6.4.3 ST400 sonic tracer status
indicators.
Check the sonic tracer cable.
Check Right Sonic The system cannot To check that the sonic tracer has been detected, use
Tracer communicate with the right the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
sonic tracer. To check that the sonic tracer is powered, use the
procedure in 6.4.4 ST300 sonic tracer status
indicators, or 6.4.3 ST400 sonic tracer status
indicators.
Check the sonic tracer cable.

Table 6.5 Sonic tracer warning messages (Continued)

Left Sonic Tracer Out Of Automatic controls are turned Check that the sonic tracer is over the reference
Range on and the sonic tracer surface or stringline. Move the blade so that it is within
measures a distance greater 7 cm (2.8 inches) of the bench distance.
than ±7 cm (2.8 inches) from Note – After 60 seconds out of range, automatic
the bench distance. controls go to the Inactive-Auto state.
To re-bench the sonic tracer, use the procedure in
4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer.
Right Sonic Tracer Out Automatic controls are turned Check that the sonic tracer is over the reference
Of Range on and the sonic tracer surface or stringline. Move the blade so that it is within
measures a distance greater 7 cm (2.8 inches) of the bench distance.
than ±7 cm (2.8 inches) from Note – After 60 seconds out of range, automatic
the bench distance. controls go to the Inactive-Auto state.
To re-bench the sonic tracer, use the procedure in
4.1.3 Bench sonic tracer.
6.2.6 Electric mast warnings messages

Table 6.6 Electric mast warning messages
Center EM Not At Bench The center electric mast has been To return the mast to its benched extension,
Height moved from its benched extension use the procedure in 4.5.7 Return masts to
using the Raise and Lower Mast(s) bench height.
softkeys.
Center EM Out of Range When changing the vertical offset using Ask your site supervisor to change the
the remote switches, the center electric elevation of the laser transmitter to a suitable
mast cannot be raised or lowered any height for the working position of the blade.
further. Then, to re-bench the laser receiver, use the
procedure in 4.1.5 Bench laser receivers.
Check Center EM The system cannot communicate with Use the procedure in 6.5 Running system
the center electric mast. diagnostics, to check that the electric mast
has been detected. Check cables.
Check Left EM The system cannot communicate with To check that the electric mast has been
the left electric mast. detected, use the procedure in 6.5 Running
system diagnostics.
Check cables.
Check Right EM The system cannot communicate with To check that the electric mast has been
the right electric mast. detected, use the procedure in 6.5 Running
system diagnostics.
Check cables.
Left EM Not At Bench The left electric mast has been moved To return the mast to its benched extension,
Height from its benched extension using the use the procedure in 4.5.7 Return masts to
Raise and Lower Mast(s) softkeys. bench height.
Left EM Out Of Range When changing the vertical offset using Ask your site supervisor to change the
the remote switches, the left electric elevation of the laser transmitter to a suitable

Table 6.6 Electric mast warning messages (Continued)

Right EM Not At Bench The right electric mast has been To return the mast to its benched extension,
Height moved from its benched extension use the procedure in 4.5.7 Return masts to
using the Raise and Lower Mast(s) bench height.
softkeys.
Right EM Out Of Range When changing the vertical offset using Ask your site supervisor to change the
the remote switches, the right electric elevation of the laser transmitter to a suitable
6.2.7 Angle and rotation sensor warning messages

Table 6.7 Angle and rotation sensor warning messages
Blade Rotated Too Far The RS400 blade rotation Typically indicates a damaged sensor or a bad sensor
sensor is reporting a blade calibration.
rotation of more than 35°. Check the sensor for physical damage.
Automatic sideshift is Ask your site supervisor to check the reported value of the
suspended. blade rotation in the Diagnostics – Sensors dialog against
the observed value of the blade rotation.
To re-calibrate the sensors, use the procedure in
3.5.4 Blade rotation sensor calibration.
Blade Pitch Sensor at The AS400 blade pitch Typically indicates a damaged sensor or a bad sensor
Operational Limit sensor is reporting a blade calibration.
pitch of more than 50°. Check the sensor for physical damage.
Ask your site supervisor to check the reported value of the
blade pitch in the Diagnostics – Sensors dialog against
the observed value of the blade pitch.
To re-calibrate the sensor, use the procedure in
3.5.3 Blade pitch sensor calibration.
Blade Slope Sensor at The AS400 blade slope Typically indicates a damaged sensor or a bad sensor
Operational Limit sensor is reporting a blade calibration.
slope of more than 50°. Check the sensor for physical damage.
Ask your site supervisor to check the measured value of
the blade slope in the Diagnostics – Sensors dialog
against the observed value of the blade slope.
To re-calibrate the sensor, use the procedure in
3.5.2 Blade slope sensor calibration using a digital level.
Check Blade Pitch The system cannot To check that the sensor has been detected, use the
Sensor communicate with the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
blade pitch sensor. Check cables.
Otherwise, ask your supervisor to remove the sensor from
the machine configuration. The system will assume the
blade pitch is 0°.

Table 6.7 Angle and rotation sensor warning messages (Continued)

Check Blade Slope The system cannot To check that the sensor has been detected, use the
Sensor communicate with the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
blade slope sensor. Check cables.
blade slope is 0°.
Check Mainfall Sensor The system cannot To check that the sensor has been detected, use the
communicate with the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
mainfall sensor. Check cables.
machine mainfall is 0°.
Check Rotation Sensor The system cannot To check that the sensor has been detected, use the
communicate with the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics.
blade rotation sensor. Check cables.
blade rotation is 0°. Subsequent blade rotation will result
in poor guidance.
Mainfall Sensor at The AS400 mainfall sensor Typically indicates an incorrect sensor mounting
Operational Limit is reporting a mainfall of configuration, a bad sensor calibration, or a damaged
more than 50°. sensor.
Ask your site supervisor to check the reported value of the
mainfall in the Diagnostics – Sensors dialog against the
observed value of the mainfall.
Ask your site supervisor to check the configured sensor
mounting direction in the Edit Machine wizard against the
observed mounting direction.
If required, re-calibrate the sensor by using the procedure
in 3.5.5 Mainfall sensor calibration.
Check the sensor for physical damage.

6.2.8 Automatic controls warning messages

Table 6.8 Automatic controls warning messages
Check Valve Module The system cannot communicate with To check that the valve module has been
the valve module. detected, use the procedure in 6.5 Running
system diagnostics.
Check cables.
Calibrate Left Valve The left blade lift ram automatic control Restore a machine settings file with a
valve has not been calibrated. Valve complete valve calibration for the valve
calibration has not been completed, or module installed on your machine.
an incomplete valve calibration was Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to
loaded when machine settings were complete the valve calibration.
restored.
Calibrate Lift Valve The blade lift ram automatic control Restore a machine settings file with a
restored.
Calibrate Right Valve The right blade lift ram automatic Restore a machine settings file with a
control valve has not been calibrated. complete valve calibration for the valve
Valve calibration has not been module installed on your machine.
completed, or an incomplete valve Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to
calibration was loaded when machine complete the valve calibration.
settings were restored.
Calibrate Sideshift Valve The blade sideshift ram automatic Restore a machine settings file with a
control valve has not been calibrated. complete valve calibration for the valve
Valve calibration has not been module installed on your machine.
completed, or an incomplete valve Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to
calibration was loaded when machine complete the valve calibration.
settings were restored.
Calibrate Tilt Valve The blade tilt ram automatic control Restore a machine settings file with a
restored.
Calibrate Valves The automatic control valves for two or Restore a machine settings file with a
more blade rams have not been complete valve calibration for the valve
calibrated. module installed on your machine.
Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to
complete the valve calibration.
Low Accuracy (Move) The system does not have any reliable To re-initialize the machine pitch data for
machine pitch data. single 3D sensor machines and for dual-GPS
machines, use the procedure in 5.1.5 Initialize
a machine’s orientation and pitch.
Move Forward The machine is moving backward with Automatic control of sideshift is available only
automatic sideshift control activated. when the machine is moving forwards.
Deactivate automatic control of sideshift.
Otherwise, drive the machine forwards.

Table 6.8 Automatic controls warning messages (Continued)

No Design Loaded No design is loaded. Load a design, or check that the card
The previously loaded design may not containing the design is still inserted.
be on the data card.
The card has was removed while the
file was loading.
No Alignment Selected Automatic sideshift control was 1. Set sideshift control to Manual
activated, but no horizontal alignment 2. To select a horizontal alignment, use the
is selected. procedure in 5.6.2 Select horizontal
alignment.
3. Set sideshift control to Auto.
No Sideshift Data Automatic control of sideshift has been Typically caused by:
activated, and an alignment is • reaching a gap in the selected alignment
selected, but no sideshift corrections • moving past the end of the selected
can be calculated. alignment
• being more than 300 m (985 ft.) from the
selected alignment
Off Design While in the Auto state, one or both Drive back onto the design.
blade tips are outside the area covered Note – After 60 seconds off design, automatic
by the design. controls go to the Inactive-Auto state.
Off Grade A blade tip that is in the Auto state is Manually adjust the position of the blade tip(s).
above or below the working surface by Adjust the vertical offset to a suitable setting.
more than half the vertical tolerance for Pass over the area again.
longer than three seconds. Note – Single-GPS towed scraper systems
using lift-only guidance may display this
message even if the non-focus tip is manually
driven to design. In this case, extend the off
grade tolerance and suppress the message by
using the procedure in 3.3.6 Lightbar
tolerances.
Out of Auto Range One or both blade tips have moved Adjust the vertical offset to move the working
above or below the working surface by surface closer to the blade position, or move
more than 20 cm (8 inches) the blade closer to the working surface.
Otherwise, ask your site supervisor to set the
Auto Controls Range Limit to [None].
Note – After 60 seconds out of range,
automatic controls go to the Inactive-Auto
state.
Out of Sideshift Range The blade tip with focus is more than Adjust the horizontal offset to move the
20 cm (8 inches) from the horizontal working alignment closer to the blade focus, or
alignment. move the blade focus closer to the working
alignment.

6.3 Troubleshooting error messages

The system generates error messages when you need to take some action, or when the
system cannot perform the selected function.
These error messages occupy the full display screen and are also written to the
program log file (LOG_<machine name>_<date&time>.txt).
Many of these errors cannot be resolved by the operator, for example, errors caused
by defects in design files, in which case make a note of the error message and the
actions which caused the message to display, and then contact your site supervisor.
Only errors that can be resolved by the operator or site supervisor are listed in the
following sections.
6.3.1 Software support option errors

When you first start up, the software checks that the correct software option keys are
entered. If the keys are not found, a message appears. If this occurs, talk to your site
supervisor.
Note – Systems can be restricted by option key to support only conventional
guidance. If you restore a machine settings file that specifies 3D sensors, or features
that depend on 3D sensors, then the error message will contain the note The
Conventional Guidance Only option will have to be turned off.
6.3.2 Avoidance zone warnings

When entering an avoidance zone a warning icon appears on the machine, as shown
below:
The following full-screen warning message appears when:

• a data card containing a design with a site-wide or design specific avoidance
zone is loaded

• a machine settings file is restored from the data card
When a data card containing a design with a site-wide or design specific avoidance
zone:
• is unloaded, or
• when the system mode is changed from 3D mode to 2D mode
one of the following full-screen warning messages appear:
• A site-wide avoidance file is no longer being used. Press \ to continue.
or
• A design specific avoidance file is no longer being used. Press \ to
continue.
Note – These messages are displayed as warnings for the operator.
6.3.3 Other selected error messages
A system error has occurred. The application has been shut down for safety.
On start-up, one or more of the system’s software components failed to start.
Contact your site supervisor.
An error has been detected that may result in inaccurate guidance: measured blade
dimensions do not agree with configured blade dimensions!
Dual GPS systems automatically check the configured blade width against the blade
width measured by the two GPS receivers. If the two blade widths differ by more than
100 mm (4 inches), this error message appears.
This check makes sure that the configured blade width matches the blade width of the
machine the system is installed on. An error may indicate that an incorrect machine
settings file is loaded, or that the GPS receiver positions on the machine have changed
(for example, if the receiver masts have been damaged and are not in their original
position).

Confirm the correct machine settings file is loaded. Check your GPS receivers and
receiver mounts for any signs of damage and confirm they are securely mounted.
Contact your site supervisor to measure and enter the machine dimensions again.
Note – The results of this check are recorded in the Program Log file.
AS400 …
The AS400 has reported a fault. Faults may occur while the AS400 updates its
settings during, or immediately after, a firmware update or pitch calibration.
Try one of the following actions:
• Wait two minutes for the settings to take effect.
• Check all cable connections.
• To check that all devices are responding, use the procedure in 6.5 Running
system diagnostics.
If problems persist, contact your Trimble dealer.
Bench height value not consistent with blade tip elevation.

This error can occur when you try to bench a survey laser being used for enhanced
elevation accuracy in a 3D system. The error occurs when the value entered into the
Blade elevation: field of the Bench Laser dialog does not match the estimated value
calculated on the basis of the configured slope and elevation of the laser plane, and
the configured machine measurements.
Check the following points:
• Are you benching the correct blade tip?
• Are you benching against the correct bench mark?
• Is the entered height of the bench mark correct?
The data card is full, map recording and/or production reporting has stopped. Please contact
your site manager.
Your data card has less than 400 KB of space left. Insert a new data card, or contact
your site supervisor to clear the data card of unnecessary files.
Linked Elevation Calibration failed. Check for unwanted laser strikes from reflections or
another laser transmitter. Check Electric Masts and Laser Receivers.
Linked electric mast calibration failed because the laser strike data was unreliable.
This may be due to multiple laser strikes or equipment problems.
The Machine name has not been set

Machines are given names at the time of installation. If you restore a machine settings
file from version 10.80 or earlier onto a later system, this message is displayed.

To clear the message, press \.
New valve module detected. Please restore the correct machine settings or calibrate the
valves.
You have restored a machine settings file containing a valve calibration for a valve
module not currently installed on your machine.
Try one of the following:
• Restore a machine file containing valve calibrations for the installed valve
module.
• Recalibrate the valves.
No band configurable radio found. You must attach a band configurable radio before using
this tool.
You have tried to configure the radio band on a system that does not have a band
configurable radio.
To clear the message, press \.
No data
The system is not receiving any information from a sensor.
Try one of the following:
• Check the cable connections.
• Inspect the sensor for physical damage.
• To check that all the required components are responding, use the procedure in
6.5 Running system diagnostics.
• Switch off the power and then switch it on again.
No Data Card
The system is attempting to log information to the data card, but there is no data card
inserted. Insert a data card, or make sure that the card is inserted correctly and then
continue with the current task.
Map recording cannot be activated as there is no data card to record the terrain
information.
If you were recording map data, it has automatically stopped.
If necessary, insert the data card correctly in the slot. Ask your site supervisor to turn
on map recording to continue logging data.

No devices were detected on the CAN bus

The system uses a CAN bus to pass data and commands between its components (for
example, the control box and a GPS receiver). If this message is displayed, the
components are not responding. You cannot use the automatic controls until all the
required devices respond.
• Check all cabling.
• To check that all the required components are responding, use the procedure in
6.5 Running system diagnostics.
No Linked EM400 Calibration

You have tried to bench a dual-laser, linked lift system, before a linked-lift calibration
has been performed. To perform the calibration, use the procedure in 3.5.7 Linked
electric mast calibration.
Not enough memory to load the …

The control box has run out of memory to load the design, Site Map file, or
Background Plan file. This may occur when using large:
• Designs
• Site Map files
• Background Plan files
As the Site Map and Background Plan files do not contain vertical guidance
information, you can continue working if they fail to load.
Out of memory!
The control box has run out of memory. You may have turned on wireless
communications support when a large design or Background Plan file is loading.
• Shut down the control box and then restart it.
• Ask the design staff to reduce the size of the files.
Parameter Value Error

The value entered in the current field may exceed the recommended limits, or the
value is invalid. Check the value entered.

This radio does not support the required protocol

The on-machine data radio does not support the data transfer protocol used by the
UTS instrument.
Reverting to factory default settings

This message appears after you update the control box firmware. All the settings in
the control box are reset to the default values.
• To restore the settings file for your machine, use the procedure in
3.3.1 Machine settings.
• Ask your site supervisor to configure the system for use on your machine. Save
the new settings in a settings file.
Some of the required system devices are not responding

The system uses a CAN bus to pass information between its components (for
example, an AS400 or GPS receiver). In this situation, some of the components are
not responding. You cannot use the system until all the devices respond.
• Check the cables.
• To check which devices are not responding, use the procedure in 6.5 Running
system diagnostics.
Some of the required system devices have old firmware versions

If the firmware on a required component is too old, this message appears. You cannot
use the system until the firmware is updated.
Press \. The Diagnostics dialog appears. The dialog lists the firmware that needs
to be updated.
Contact your site supervisor to update the component firmware.
Some settings are missing or invalid, and will be reset to factory defaults
On start-up, or after restoring display or machine settings files, some of the settings
on the control box are missing or invalid. These will be set to the default values.
• To restore the settings file for your machine, use the procedure in
3.3.1 Machine settings, or 3.3.5 Display settings.
• Ask your site supervisor to configure the system for use on your machine. Save
the new settings in a settings file.

System Startup Error

On start-up, one or more of the system’s software components failed to start.
The current GPS Accuracy mode does not allow automatic controls
The current GPS Accuracy mode is configured with automatic controls disabled.
• To check the current setting and to select a mode that allows automatic
controls, use the procedure in 5.1.6 Set GPS accuracy mode.
• Contact your site supervisor to configure the system to allow the use of
automatic controls in the GPS Accuracy mode you are using.
The design file could not be saved

The control box could not save the level or sloping surface design file that is being
created or edited.
Check that the data card is correctly inserted in the data card slot.
Ask your site supervisor to check that the data card:
• is not full
• is not corrupt
• has attributes that allow write access
The data card is nearly full. Please change your data card to avoid loss of map recording
and/or production reporting data.
Your data card has less than 1 MB of space left. Insert a new data card, or contact
your site supervisor to clear the data card of unnecessary files.
The GPS receivers do not recognize the antenna type being used in transmission by the base
station
The on-machine GPS receiver(s) do not recognize the base station antenna type, and
are unable to correct for the elevation difference between the antenna reference point
and the antenna phase center.
The valve speed cannot be updated because controls are not working
One of the required system devices was not found. To check that all required devices
are detected, use the procedure in 6.5 Running system diagnostics. Reconnect the
appropriate devices.

There are no appropriate settings files on the data card. Please insert a data card with settings
files.
You have tried to restore either a display settings file or machine settings file from the
data card. There might not be any settings files on the card for the option you have
selected.
Contact your site supervisor and check that you have the correct settings files on your
data card.
There has been an initialization error in producing a Sky Plot.

The Sky Plot planning tool has been unable to retrieve satellite information from the
GPS receivers. Check the receivers are connected to the harness and are tracking
satellites. Check that the receivers are running the correct version of firmware.
Timed out waiting for laser receiver to bench

During laser benching, the system was unable to adjust the extension of one or more
electric masts to position the laser strike in the center of the laser receiver.
Check that the electric mast is not at the limit of its travel. If the electric mast is at the
limit of its travel, move the laser plane closer to the center of the electric mast’s range
of travel by asking your site supervisor to adjust the elevation of the laser transmitter.
Too much laser strike variation during bench

During laser benching, there was too much variation in the elevation of the laser
strike to complete the benching process.
Check that the laser transmitter is set up in a stable position, and is free of vibration
caused by machinery movement and wind gusts.
On sites where there are multiple laser transmitters, check that there is not a second
laser strike being detected by the receiver. For survey laser receivers, a second laser
strike within 16 cm (6.3 inches) of the laser strike you are trying to bench against will
cause this error.
Too much vehicle movement during bench

During benching, there was too much variation in the output of the machine’s angle
sensors to complete the benching process.
Wait until the machine is stable and then try re-benching.
VM410 … or VM420 ...

The VM410 or VM420 has reported a fault. Faults may occur while the VM410 or
VM420 updates its settings during, or immediately after, a firmware update or valve
calibration.


• Wait two minutes for the settings to take effect.
• Check all cable connections.
• To check that all devices are responding, use the procedure in 6.5 Running
system diagnostics.
• Contact your site supervisor to recalibrate the valves.
WARNING: Your GPS base station coordinates have changed. Continued operation may give
poor results.
The base station may have been moved, possibly accidentally, or you may be
receiving corrections from the wrong base station. Guidance may be wrong. Do not
continue operation until your site supervisor has checked the base station coordinates.
Your GPS base station coordinates have changed

The GPS base station has moved since you last used the system. This means that a
change in the base station position values was detected.
Contact your site supervisor immediately to check the base station coordinates. Check
that you are receiving corrections from the correct base station. Continued operation
may cause bad results.
6.4 Troubleshooting system components

Some system components are installed on the machine in easily accessible locations.
To help you troubleshoot problems, inspect the component’s status indicators
(typically LEDs).
6.4.1 Lightbar system status indicators

As well as providing guidance information, the lightbar LEDs provide the system
status information listed in Table 6.9.
Table 6.9 Lightbar system status indicators
Problem Cause Solution
The LEDs on the lightbar do not light There is no power to the Check cables and connections.
on power up, and remain off lightbar.
On power up, the LEDs on the lightbar The lightbar has not been Ask your site supervisor to access the
flash, in sequence, from the center assigned a position. Lightbar Connections dialog to check
out. After the system starts, the LEDs that all the lightbar connections are
on the lightbar flash in groups, in correctly configured.
sequence, from left to right, then flash
together twice, and then remain off

Table 6.9 Lightbar system status indicators (Continued)

Problem Cause Solution
The LEDs at each end of the lightbars The error estimate limit set by Move away from obstructions and make
flash repeatedly the GPS accuracy mode has sure that the data radio is working.
been exceeded.
The UTS lock is unreliable. Check that you are within range of, and
have a clear line of sight to, the UTS
instrument.
Both the ends and the center groups The lightbars have power, but Check cabling and check that the
of LEDs flash are not receiving data from the CB430 control box is running.
CB430 control box.
6.4.2 GPS receiver status indicators

The MS9xx GPS receivers have three LEDs next to the harness connector. The
behavior of these LEDs indicate the status of the receiver. See Figure 6.1.
Power
Data link
Satellite
Figure 6.1 MS9xx status LEDs
The meaning of the receiver status LED activity is shown below.
LED Off Slow flash Flash Fast flash On solid

Power No power Beta test period Power on
expired1
Data link No CMR™ data CMR data type 0 10 Hz CMR data
received or too being processed being processed
few satellites
Satellite No satellites Tracking four Tracking three Monitor mode2
being tracked satellites or more satellites or less
1 In addition to the power LED, the data link and satellite LEDs will also flash, and at the same rate as the power LED.
2
In addition to the satellite LED, the power LED will also be on solid, and the data link LED will flash.
When GPS is working correctly in a single-GPS system, you will see the following
activity:
• The power LED will be on solid.
• The data link LED will flash at 1 Hz.
• The satellite LED will flash slowly.

When GPS is working correctly in a dual-GPS system, you will see the following
activity:
• The left GPS receiver’s LEDs will behave as described above in the single-
GPS case.
• The right GPS receiver’s power LED will be on solid.
• The right GPS receiver’s data link LED will be on solid.
• The right GPS receiver’s satellite LED will flash slowly.
6.4.3 ST400 sonic tracer status indicators

The LED display of an ST400 indicates some common error conditions. Figure 6.2
shows the display of a sonic tracer.
Over grade LEDs (“Down arrows”)
On-grade LEDs
Under grade LEDs (“Up arrows”)
Figure 6.2 ST400 LED display
ST400 sonic tracer LED error patterns and their meanings are listed in Table 6.10.
Table 6.10 ST400 sonic tracer LED error patterns
LED pattern Meaning
Down arrows flashing alternately Above the sonic gate.
Up arrows flashing alternately Below the sonic gate.
Outer up and down arrows flashing No echo detected. The sonic tracer may not be
alternately benched.

6.4.4 ST300 sonic tracer status indicators

The LED display of an ST300 indicates some common error conditions. Figure 6.3
shows the display of a sonic tracer.
Over grade LEDs (“Down arrow”)
On-grade LEDs
Under grade LEDs (“Up arrow”)
Figure 6.3 ST300 LED display
ST300 sonic tracer LED error patterns and their meanings are listed in Table 6.11.
Table 6.11 ST300 sonic tracer LED error patterns
LED pattern Meaning
Down arrow flashing Above the sonic gate.
Up arrow flashing Below the sonic gate.
Up and down arrows flashing together Elevation error. The sonic tracer may not be
benched.
Up and down arrows flashing alternately No echo detected. The sonic tracer may not be
benched.
6.4.5 SNRx10 data radio status indicators

The SNRx10 data radio housing is fitted with an LED indicator light. See Figure 6.4.
Data/Power
indicator LED
Figure 6.4 SNRx10 data radio

The LED can flash in a number of different patterns depending on the situation, as
shown below.
LED pattern Status

Off No power to radio.
On solid Power is available, but the radio is not synchronized.
Irregular flashing Power is available, the radio is synchronized, but the radio is
losing data.
Steady flashing at 1 Hz Power is available, the radio is synchronized, and receiving data.
6.4.6 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet 450 data radio status indicators
The SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet™ 450 data radio bottom cap is fitted with a
power and data connector and an LED indicator light. See Figure 6.5.
Data/Power Power and data

indicator LED connector
Figure 6.5 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet™ 450 bottom cap
The LED can be orange and/or green depending on the situation, as shown below.
LED Color Status

Orange (solid) Power is available.
Orange and green (both solid) For SNRxxx radios, power is available and the radio is
synchronized. Even if the radio is synchronized, the radio may
not be receiving data.
For SiteNet 450 radios, power is available, and the radio is
synchronized and receiving data.
Orange and green (both The radio is in flashloader mode. To resolve this, turn the power
flashing at 1 Hz together) off and then on again. If this mode returns when the radio is
turned back on, contact your site supervisor.
Note – The data radio status LED can be difficult to see if the bottom cap of the radio
is dirty or the LED window is scratched.

6.4.7 LR410 laser receiver status indicators

The status LEDs of an LR410 laser receiver indicate if the unit is receiving power and
laser strikes. Figure 6.6 shows the location of the laser receiver’s status LEDs.
Status LEDs
Figure 6.6 LR410 status LEDs
Laser receiver LED patterns and their meanings are as follows.
LED flashing pattern Meaning

Not illuminated No power
Slow flash (0.4 seconds on, 1 second off) No strike
Flash (0.2 seconds on, 0.2 seconds off) Strike detected above center of the receiver
Fast Flash (0.1 second on, 0.1 second off) Strike detected below center of the receiver
On continuously Strike detected at the center of the receiver

6.4.8 MT900 machine target status indicators

The status indicators of an MT900 machine target show if the unit is receiving power
and functioning correctly. There are four status indicators visible. Figure 6.7 shows
the location of the machine target status indicators.
Status indicator
Figure 6.7 MT900 machine target status indicators
The indicator patterns showing the machine target’s status are as follows.
Indicator flashing pattern Meaning

Not illuminated No power
Fast flash (0.1 second on, 0.1 second off) Power up (approximately 0.5 seconds),
otherwise low battery (<9 VDC)
Slow flash (0.1 second on, 0.9 seconds off) Normal operation
Blink (3 seconds on, 0.1 second off) Hardware fault
6.5 Running system diagnostics

The CB430 control box expects certain components to be connected to the system,
depending on the system configuration. To view a list of expected components and
their status:
1. From any guidance screen, press M. The Setup Menu – Configuration
dialog appears.
2. Select Diagnostics. A dialog similar to the following appears:
Devices showing as Not Required are connected, but are not required by the
currently configured system.

3. Press Recheck at any time to refresh the data in this screen.

4. Press = to exit to the Setup Menu – Diagnostics menu.
Note – If a configured device does not respond while the system is running, the
following message appears:
Some of the required system devices are not responding. Press \ to check the
details in the Diagnostics item of the Setup Menu, or press = to continue.
Press \. The Diagnostics dialog appears.
The screen displays a list of devices that are currently connected to the system. The
Diagnostics dialog lists each device and reports the following information:
• The device name.
• The status of the device.
• The application firmware version number.
• The loader firmware version.
The application firmware must be the correct version before the device can be used in
the system.
The application firmware version number indicates which devices are detected and
which devices have the correct version of the firmware loaded.
Note – When none of the devices display “old version”, you can use the system. With
some older radios, the diagnostics are unable to report a version number, but the
system is usable. Also, the status of third party radios is not reported, and the radio is
not shown in the Diagnostics dialog.
If either the firmware or the loader is too old, the device is detected, but you cannot
use the system until the device firmware is updated. The Status column displays the
minimum firmware required.
If the message Not Found appears beside a device, the system is configured to use the
device, but the device was not detected.
You cannot use the system if a device is not found.
B Tip – If the configuration file sent to the GPS receiver failed, try loading a design surface to
send another configuration file.
To view detailed diagnostics about the UTS system, press UTS .

To view detailed diagnostics about the GPS receiver and GPS data link, press GPS .

6.5.1 UTS diagnostics

Diagnostics dialog Status field and UTS dialog UTS status: field values unique to
UTS systems are listed in Table 6.12.
Table 6.12 Values of the Status and UTS status: field for UTS systems
UTS tracking status Meaning
UTS battery is low The UTS instrument battery is too low to operate reliably.
UTS configuration failed UTS instrument configuration failed.
UTS does not support Active The UTS instrument does not support the MT900 target ID
Target ID <num> specified.
UTS not level The tilt compensator on the UTS instrument is out of range.
UTS not benched The UTS elevation was not set at the instrument, so the target
must be benched before use.
UTS not supported The firmware in the UTS instrument is not interoperable with the
system.
UTS not supported: Cannot The firmware in the UTS instrument is not interoperable with the
determine firmware version system.
UTS not supported: No The firmware in the UTS instrument is not interoperable with the
Positioning support system.
UTS not supported: No Tracker The firmware in the UTS instrument is not interoperable with the
support system.
UTS not supported: Not a The firmware in the UTS instrument is not interoperable with the
construction UTS system.
Auto Searching for Target ... The UTS instrument is searching for the machine target. Only
occurs if you have selected auto search.
Check UTS: Search window not A search window is not set up on the UTS instrument.
set
Check UTS: station setup error UTS instrument configuration has failed.
Check machine radio The system cannot communicate with the machine radio.
Check machine target The system cannot communicate with the machine target.
Check radio channel The radio network ID/channel number combination set up for
your system is also being used by another machine within radio
range.
Communication timed out The delay in the response from the UTS instrument was greater
than the maximum allowed.
Configuring UTS The UTS instrument is being configured.
Connecting UTS The system is establishing a radio link with the UTS instrument.
Disconnecting UTS The system is dropping the radio link to the UTS instrument.
Full Searching for Target ... The UTS instrument is carrying out a full search for the machine
target.
Machine target search failure System error.
Measuring Error System error.
Multiple UTS detected The radio network ID/channel number combination setup for
your machine and instrument is also being used by another
instrument within radio range.
Quick Searching for Target ... The UTS instrument is carrying out a quick search for the
machine target.

Table 6.12 Values of the Status and UTS status: field for UTS systems (Continued)
UTS tracking status Meaning
Radio Link Lost: Reconnecting ... Radio contact with the UTS has been lost, and the system is
attempting to re-establish the link.
Search Error System error.
Target Lost The UTS instrument has lost track of the machine target.
Tracking The UTS instrument is correctly tracking the machine target.
Waiting for UTS Occurs when you first start the UTS and when you enter the
UTS dialog. The system is waiting for information from the UTS
instrument.
Waiting for start Waiting for the UTS system to start.
To view detailed UTS diagnostics:

1. From the Diagnostics dialog, press UTS. The Diagnostics – UTS dialog
appears:
The first Diagnostics – UTS screen is the Machine Target screen. This is the
screen that appears if you press Machine Target. The fields in this screen are
explained below.
Field Explanation
Northing The computed location of the machine target, in terms of
Easting northing, easting and elevation.
Elevation
Slope distance The observed location of the machine target relative to the
Horizontal angle UTS, in terms of slope distance, horizontal angle and vertical
Vertical angle angle.
Tracking status UTS tracking status. See Table 6.13.
Search window The position of the machine target relative to the search
window specified during UTS set up.
Prism constant ATS600 only – The specified prism constant for the target.

The UTS instrument reports its tracking status to the system. UTS tracking
status message are listed in Table 6.13.
Table 6.13 UTS Tracking Status messages
Tracking Status Meaning
N/A No data being received from the instrument.
No signal No target is being tracked.
Tracking A target is being tracked.
ATS not level ATS600 only – the ATS instrument is tilted beyond the range
of the compensator.
Auto Search ATS600 only – the ATS instrument is performing an
automatic search for the target.
Servo On ATS600 only – the ATS instrument is powered up.
2. From any screen in the Diagnostics – UTS dialog, press UTS. The UTS screen
appears:
This screen displays the name of the point at which the UTS instrument was set
up, if the point has a name, in the form UTS <name>. For example, UTS South.
The fields within this screen are explained below.
Field Explanation
Northing The known or measured setup location of the UTS instrument, in
Easting terms of northing, easting and elevation.
Elevation
Compensator The instrument’s compensator status.
Inst. height The setup height of the instrument.
Scale factor The scale factor.
PPM Parts per million. The instrument’s Electronic Distance Meter (EDM)
is affected by the temperature and pressure at which the instrument
is being operated. Accurate entry of the ambient air temperature and
barometric pressure correctly adjusts the EDM measurements for
the PPM (parts per million) error associated with this effect.

3. From any screen in the Diagnostics – UTS dialog, press Backsight. The UTS
Backsight screen appears:
This screen displays information about the backsight taken to establish the
orientation of the UTS instrument. The fields within this screen are explained
below.
Field Explanation
Northing The known location of the control point used for the
Easting backsight, in terms of northing, easting and elevation
Elevation
Slope distance The observed location of the control point relative to the UTS,
Horizontal angle in terms of slope distance and horizontal angle
6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and satellite monitoring

The system lets you view detailed diagnostics information and also access satellite
orbit information for planning purposes.
GPS diagnostics
To view detailed GPS diagnostics:
1. From the Diagnostics dialog, press GPS. The Diagnostics – GPS dialog
appears:
Note – The screen shown above is an example of a GPS receiver diagnostics

screen for a dual-GPS receiver system.

The first Diagnostics – GPS screen is the Left Receiver screen, if you have a
dual-GPS receiver system. Otherwise, the screen is the Receiver screen, if you
have a single-GPS system. This is the screen that appears if you press Left
Receiver (in dual-GPS systems) or Receiver (in single-GPS systems).
Table 6.14 explains the fields in this screen.
Table 6.14 GPS receiver fields
Field Explanation
Satellites: Used Number of satellites used for the current position solution.
The satellites must be visible by both the base station and the
machine.
You need five or more satellites to initialize, and four or more
to continue working.
Satellites: PDOP PDOP (Positional Dilution of Precision) is a quality indicator
of the current GPS position solution. A small PDOP is better.
The PDOP must be less than seven.
SVs Tracked with Signal: L1 Number of good quality GPS L1 signals being received at
both the base and the machine.
Note – The number of L1 signals being received may be
more than the number of satellites used for the position
solution.
SVs Tracked with Signal: L2 Number of good quality GPS L2 signals being received at
both the base and the machine.
solution.
SVs Tracked with Signal: G1 Number of good quality GLONASS L1 signals being received
at both the base and the machine.
solution.
SVs Tracked with Signal: G2 Number of good quality GLONASS L2 signals being received
at both the base and the machine.
solution.
GPS Error: V An estimate of the current GPS error in the horizontal and
GPS Error: H vertical directions.
GPS mode Type of GPS solution.
RTK position status Quality of the RTK position solution.
RTK search status Quality of the satellite signal tracking.
Note – Because of the bandwidth limitations imposed by 2-way wireless

communications, a Trimble GNSS base station will only transmit GLONASS
corrections when it is tracking six GPS satellites or less. The on-machine and
the base station GNSS receivers need to track at least three common GLONASS
satellites, before GLONASS satellites can be used in the position solution.
2. Press Right Receiver, if available. Table 6.14 explains the fields within this
screen.

3. Press Data Link. The Data Link screen appears:
Note – The screen shown above is an example of a GPS data link diagnostics
screen for a dual-GPS system. The Data Link screen for single-GPS systems, or
systems using a base station configured to send corrections in RTCM V3.0
format, will differ from that shown.
The Data Link screen reports the data radio statistics for the Compact
Measurement Record (CMR) messages received from the base station. The
fields in this screen are explained below.
Field Explanation
Integrity: 100s Percentage of CMR messages that were good in the last
100 seconds.
Integrity: 15min Percentage of CMR messages that were good in the last
15 minutes.
Integrity: 3hrs Percentage of CMR messages that were good in the last
3 hours.
Latency The latency (or age) of the CMR correction used.
GPS base station “Information received” shows that the GPS base station has
broadcast its position. You need the GPS base station
position to initialize the GPS receiver(s) on your machine.
GNSS satellite monitoring

The system provides a tool for monitoring, in real-time, GPS and GLONASS satellite
position information and the quality of the current position solution.
This information is useful in diagnosing problems that may be caused by the
distribution of satellites in the sky (the satellite constellation), such as too few
satellites to calculate an RTK Fixed position solution.
Note – The system does not use data from satellites marked as “unhealthy”, and does
not display their position in the Sky Plot view.
This information is presented in the Sky Plot dialog. To access the Sky Plot dialog:
1. From the Setup Menu – Configuration dialog, select Diagnostics. The
Diagnostics dialog appears.
2. Press GPS. The Diagnostics – GPS dialog appears.

3. Press Sky Plot. Satellite data is downloaded from the GPS receiver(s), and the
Sky Plot dialog planning view appears:
Horizon
Elevation mask
Table 6.15 describes the symbols that may appear in the Sky Plot dialog
satellite map:
Table 6.15 Sky Plot satellite map symbols
This symbol ... Represents ...
A GPS satellite that the system is tracking and using in the position
solution. The satellite’s identifier is displayed next to the satellite’s
symbol.
3 seconds
alternating
A GPS satellite that the system is tracking but not using in the
position solution. The satellite’s identifier is displayed next to the
satellite’s symbol.
A satellite that is currently below the elevation mask. The satellite’s

identifier is displayed next to the satellite’s symbol.
A GLONASS satellite that the system is tracking and using in the

position solution. The satellite’s identifier is displayed, prefixed with
an “R”, next to the satellite’s symbol.
3 seconds
alternating
A GLONASS satellite that the system is tracking but not using in the
position solution. The satellite’s identifier is displayed, prefixed with
an “R”, next to the satellite’s symbol.
A GLONASS satellite that is currently below the elevation mask. The

satellite’s identifier is displayed, prefixed with an “R”, next to the
satellite’s symbol.

Table 6.16 describes the fields that appear in the dialog:

Table 6.16 Sky Plot data fields
This field ... Displays ...
Time The reference time for the satellite constellation or PDOP
calculations.
Actual SVs The actual or calculated number of GPS satellites the system is
using at the reference time.
Actual PDOP The calculated PDOP of the position solution at the reference time.
Elevation mask The current elevation mask.
GLONASS Enabled, if the system is able to use GLONASS satellites in the
position solution.
6.6 Check for laser strike

The procedure for checking that a laser receiver is registering laser strikes depends on
the type of masts installed on the machine. The system uses three common mast
types:
• electric masts
• manual masts
• SR300 survey receivers
The following sections describe how to check for laser strikes.
6.6.1 Adjusting electric masts to get laser strike

To adjust the elevation of a single or dual laser system using electric masts:
to the laser plane.
2. From any guidance screen, press Laser. The Laser dialog for electric masts
appears:
Strike indicator
Figure 6.8 Laser strike indication in the Laser dialog for electric masts
Note – Figure 6.8 shows the Laser dialog for a dual-laser receiver system.

3. Use one of the following tools to adjust the mast height so that the laser strike
indicator is approximately centered on the laser receiver graphic:
– To raise the mast and move the strike point downward, press Raise
Mast(s).
– To lower the mast and move the strike point upward, press Lower Mast(s).
– To stop the mast movement press =.
4. To return to the guidance screen press \ or =.
If you move the masts through their full range of movement and are unable to
register a laser strike, ask your site supervisor to reposition the laser
transmitter.
6.6.2 Adjusting manual masts to get a laser strike

To adjust the elevation of a single or dual laser system using manual masts, use the
procedure in 4.1.4 Adjust manual mast to get laser strike.
6.6.3 Checking a survey receiver is getting laser strikes

To check that a survey receiver is registering laser strikes:
to the laser plane.
2. From any guidance screen, press Laser. The Laser dialog for survey laser masts
appears:
Strike indicator
Strike window
Figure 6.9 Laser strike indication in the Laser dialog for survey laser masts
3. Check that a strike indicator is shown.

Note – The Laser dialog also displays a strike window indicator. If the laser
strike falls outside the strike window, the strike indicator and window indicator
are colored gray. If the strike is outside the strike window, you must re-bench
the laser receiver before you can use it for guidance.
If a laser strike is not registered, ask your site supervisor to reposition the laser
transmitter.

6.7 Before you contact your dealer

The more information you can provide for the support personnel, the less time it will
take them to solve your problem. It is essential that you provide the following
information:
• A system state “snapshot”. To generate the system state snapshot files, hold
down M and press the fourth softkey from the top.
Note – The system can only store a few minutes worth of data. Make sure you
take the snapshot as soon as possible after encountering a problem.
The software creates:
– a “snapshot” of the current system state and saves it as a .zsnap file in the
root directory of the data card
– a bitmap file of the current display and saves it as a .gif file in the root
directory of the data card
The names of the files indicate the date and time that the files were created.
You can view the bitmap file in a drawing package on an office computer, such
as Microsoft Paint. You cannot view the system state snapshot file. Your site
supervisor can arrange to access these files.
• The system log. The system log data is written to the program log file
(LOG_<machine name>_<date&time>.txt) located in the root directory of the
data card. Your site supervisor can arrange to access this file.
• A description of the problem, including the steps that led to the problem.
Make sure that you contact the correct person for support. In the first instance, this is
your site supervisor, then your Trimble dealer, and finally Trimble support.

APPENDIX
A
Caterpillar ARO Bulldozer Restrictions and
Extensions A
In this chapter: A Trimble Compactor electronics kit can be

installed on Caterpillar Attachment Ready
Q Introduction Option (ARO) bulldozers.
Q Additional automatic control This appendix describes how to use the
restrictions
additional features that Caterpillar® ARO
Q Using the ARO bulldozer remote bulldozers support.
switches

A Caterpillar ARO Bulldozer Restrictions and Extensions
A.1 Introduction
GCS900 Grade Control Systems installed on Caterpillar dozers fitted with the
AccuGrade Attachment Ready Option (ARO) harness, blade control lever, and
A4:M1 or VM410 valve control modules differ from standard systems in the
following two ways:
• the conditions under which automatic controls can be used
• for medium and large dozers only, the way in which the Auto/Manual and
increment/decrement switches are activated
Note – On N, R, and T-Series machines the Automatic Control option is enabled
through the A4:M1. If the Automatic Control option is not enabled in the A4:M1, the
Check Machine Options flashing warning message is displayed when you try to
configure automatic controls. If this message is displayed, contact your Caterpillar
dealer to have the option enabled.
A.2 Additional automatic control restrictions

The Caterpillar A4:M1 (N, R and T-Series) and VM410 (G-Series) valve control
modules monitor the state of the machine and communicate the machine’s state to the
control box. For this reason, in addition to the restrictions listed in
6.1.4 Troubleshooting automatic controls, systems installed in conjunction with
A4:M1 valve control modules enforce the following two additional restrictions on
using the automatic controls:
• The automatic controls cannot be used if the park brake is on.
• The automatic controls cannot be used if the implement lockout switch is on.
Warning messages for systems installed on Caterpillar ARO machines are as follows.

Check A4:M1 Options The machine management controller Talk to your site supervisor.
is not configured to operate with the
system.
Check Gear The following conditions apply: 1. Return the automatic controls to manual.
1. Automatic controls are active. 2. Re-activate automatic controls.
2. You have not operated any
switches or buttons for more than
60 seconds.
3. The machine has been in neutral
gear for more than 60 seconds
and the park brake is off.

Caterpillar ARO Bulldozer Restrictions and Extensions A

Check Hydraulics You have tried to use automatic 1. Return the automatic controls to manual.
System controls with the implement lockout 2. Check the state of the implement lockout
switched on. switch.
Otherwise, the hydraulic system has 3. Re-activate automatic controls.
failed. Otherwise, talk to your site supervisor.
Check Park Brake You have tried to use the automatic 1. Return the automatic controls to manual.
controls with the park brake on. 2. Check the state of the park brake.
Otherwise, there is a minor system 3. Re-activate automatic controls.
fault. Otherwise, talk to your site supervisor.
A.3 Using the ARO bulldozer remote switches

The blade control lever on medium and large dozers incorporates two push button
switches and a trigger switch. The functions of the push button switches change,
depending on the state of the trigger switch. The functions of the push button
switches, relative to the state of the trigger switch are as follows.
Trigger Left button Right button

Out Activate auto controls (auto button) De-activate auto controls (manual
button)
In Decrease vertical offset (decrement Increase vertical offset (increment
button) button)
Manual / Increment
Auto / Decrement
Trigger
Figure A.1 Medium and large ARO bulldozer remote switches

A Caterpillar ARO Bulldozer Restrictions and Extensions

APPENDIX
B
Towed Scrapers B
In this chapter: This appendix describes how to use functions

specific to towed scrapers.
Q Raise / lower switch
Q Direction indicator
Q Case remote hydraulic auxiliary
auto mode switch

B Towed Scrapers
B.1 Raise / lower switch

Towed scrapers support the installation and use of a manual raise / lower switch.
To use the raise/lower switch:
• To send a “Raise” command to the valve, press the switch forwards towards the
“E” or the cable connector.
• To send a “Lower” command to the valve, press the switch backwards away
from the “E” or the cable connector.
• To send a “Stop” command to the valve, release the switch to return it to the
neutral position.
Switch characteristics:
• Whenever the switch is activated (raise or lower), the system will stop
Automatic control and return to Manual control.
• The switch is spring loaded, so will return to the neutral position when you
release it.
• The “Raise” or “Lower” command will repeat each time the valve receives an
automatic repeat command from the switch.
B.2 Direction indicator

The direction indicator detects when the machine travels in reverse. When you
connect the direction indicator to the machine’s reversing buzzer, the Direction:
Reverse softkey disappears from the plan view screen.
When the machine travels in reverse, the reversing buzzer activates and the following
actions occur:
• An audible signal is generated
• The machine icon on the control box is displayed in reverse

Towed Scrapers B
B.3 Case remote hydraulic auxiliary auto mode switch

The auxiliary auto mode switch is a two-position momentary type rocker switch that
enables the operator to select automatic or manual modes of system operation on
remote auxiliary valves Number 1 and/or Number 3. An example of the switch is
shown below.
Note – The Mode switch is a factory-fitted option. If it is not fitted on your machine,
have the Case dealer install Case part number 353942A1 (MX270) or Case part
number 86989951 (MX285).
To select automatic or manual modes of system operation:
• Press the Number 1 end of the rocker switch to turn the Auto function on for
remote valve section Number 1
Press Number 1 again to turn the Auto function off.
• Press the Number 3 end of the rocker switch to turn the Auto function on for
remote valve section Number 3
Press Number 3 again to turn the Auto function off.
Automatic mode is also suspended if the remote lever is moved out of the neutral
position.
Note – For more information, refer to the Case Tractor Operator's Manual.

B Towed Scrapers

APPENDIX
C
Mills/Cold Planers and Trimmers C
In this chapter: This appendix describes configuration, use, and

maintenance of milling machines/cold planers
Q Configuration options and trimmers.
Q Benching the machine Mills/cold planers and trimmers can only be
Q Cutting tool wear used with UTS systems.
Q Drum slope sensor calibration
Q Valve speed

C Mills/Cold Planers and Trimmers
C.1 Configuration options

The Setup Menu – Configuration menu items for a mill/cold planer or trimmer are:
Menu item Description See ...

Select Design Load or create a design 5.5 Load or create a design
Bench Bench the UTS elevation C.2 Benching the machine
Cutting Tool Wear Regular maintenance task for C.3 Cutting tool wear
system accuracy - needs to be done
daily or more often, depending on
the surface being milled
Vertical Setup Choose the vertical guidance 3.7 Selecting a 3D vertical
method guidance method
Lightbar Scales To determine on-grade tolerance 3.3.6 Lightbar tolerances
Display (and Lightbar) Set the brightness of the display 3.3.3 Display brightness and
Brightness and/or lightbars 3.3.4 Lightbar brightness
Calibrate Sensors • Drum slope sensor • C.4 Drum slope sensor
calibration
• Electric Mast (if used) • 3.5.6 Electric mast
calibration
Valve Speed Adjust the Left/Right/Horizontal C.5 Valve speed
valve speed
Valve Calibration Calibrate the valves Refer to the GCS900 Fine
Grading Installation Manual
Restore Settings Load a job specific machine file or 3.3.1 Machine settings
display file onto the control box
Diagnostics Check the status of the devices 6.5 Running system diagnostics
connected to the system
C.2 Benching the machine

Typically it is impractical to establish the position of the UTS instrument by benching
a milling machine, so you must either:
• set up the instrument over a point with known coordinates, and enter the
instrument height manually
or
• measure the position and elevation of the instrument by taking backsights to
known control points

If it is not possible to set the instrument up with known or measured horizontal and
vertical coordinates, bench the machine using the following procedure:
1. Select Bench from the Setup Menu – Configuration menu. A full screen
warning appears:
2. Press \ to display the Bench UTS dialog:
3. Follow the instructions in the dialog.
C.3 Cutting tool wear

To maintain the accuracy of your system measure the cutting tool length daily, or
more often depending on the surface being milled.
1. Select Cutting Tool Wear from the Setup Menu – Configuration menu.
2. Measure the shortest distance from the tip of the tool to the surface of the drum,
and enter the value in the Cutting Tool Length field.
3. Press \ to accept the value.

C.4 Drum slope sensor calibration

If installed, the drum slope sensor on your milling machine needs to be calibrated
regularly to make sure accurate guidance information is generated. The drum slope
sensor must always be calibrated when a new sensor is installed.
Before you carry out a sensor calibration, make sure you have a suitable location to
perform the calibrations. The location must be a hard, flat surface.
To select a sensor calibration method:
2. Select the Calibrate Sensors option. The following dialog appears:
To carry out a drum slope sensor calibration:

1. Select Drum slope sensor. The Calibrate Slope Sensor dialog appears:
2. Park the machine with the drum as level as possible.

3. Use either a digital level or similar leveling device to measure the drum slope.
The Calibrate Sensor dialog shows the current drum slope reading from the
sensor.
4. Enter the measured drum slope from the digital level into the Measured drum
slope: field.
5. Press Calibrate. The drum slope sensor is calibrated. The Calibrate Sensor

Before you move the machine, check the drum slope sensor calibration:
1. Reselect the Drum Slope Sensor option. The Calibrate Sensor dialog appears
again.
2. Confirm that the drum slope reading shown in the Sensor reading: field
matches the drum slope measured with the digital level.
To calibrate an electric mast, see 3.5.6 Electric mast calibration.
C.5 Valve speed

1. Select Valve Speed from the Setup Menu – Configuration menu. A warning
message appears:
2. Press \ to display the Valve Speed – Select Valve dialog.

If your machine is configured for Auto – Lift/Lift/Horizontal grade control
(specific to mill/cold planer machines), the following menu appears:
3. Select the valve to adjust, and press \.

If you select Horizontal (specific to mill/cold planer machines), the following

dialog appears:
For more information on adjusting valve speeds, see 4.4 Check valve speed.

Index
A Blade Roll dialog 110

blade rotation sensor calibration, quick 50
accuracy mode, GPS 83 blade slope
adjust laser receiver height 160 changing 71
adjust laser receiver height, manual mast 61 changing ends 72
angle sensors flashing warning messages 133 sensor calibration, quick 48
audible alarm, see beeper set 67
Auto Search, UTS 80 blade wear 92
auto/manual switch 26 Blade Wear dialog 92
automatic control of a single tip 110 brightness
automatic controls control box 38
flashing warning messages 135 display 38
remote switches 25 lightbar 39
suspended 121 bulldozer
troubleshooting 121 blade pitch sensor calibration, quick 49
unavailable 121 blade slope sensor calibration, quick 48
lightbars 24
rolling the moldboard 110
B turn off laser enhanced elevation 115
battery state, UTS 80 zero blade rotation 33
beeper, using 28
Bench Center Laser Receiver dialog
LR400 64 C
SR300 65
Calibrate Electric Mast(s) dialog 51
Bench dialog 60, 63
Calibrate Sensors dialog, options 44
Bench Laser dialog 90
calibrating fixed sensors 44, 174
Bench Laser flashing warning message, survey laser
CB430 control box, see control box
receiver 90
changing
Bench Left Laser Receiver dialog
slope 71
LR400 64
slope guidance end 72
SR300 65
target slope direction 75
Bench Left Sonic Tracer dialog 60
vertical offset 71
Bench Right Laser Receiver dialog
channel, UTS radio 41
LR400 64
checks
SR300 65
blade wear 92
Bench Right Sonic Tracer dialog 60
control box brightness 38
Bench UTS dialog 82
control box power up 34
benching
cutting edge guidance, 3D 93
laser receivers 62
cutting edge guidance, conventional 68
laser receivers, independent 67
display brightness 38
laser receivers, linked 66
display settings 39
laser receivers, single 64
lightbar brightness 39
laser receivers, survey, conventional 65
lightbar power up 34
sonic tracers 58
lightbar tolerances 40
survey laser receiver 90
machine settings 36
UTS target 81
power up 34
blade pitch sensor calibration, quick 49

Ind ex
pre-power up 32 3D 93
valve speed, 3D 94 conventional 68
valve speed, conventional 68
work preparation 36
clear UTS benched elevation 114 D
common problems
control box does not start 35 data card 15
control box start up, avoidance zone load 35 data radio status indicators
control box start up, device not responding 35 SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet 450 149
control box start up, Direction dialog 35 SNRx10 148
control box start up, machine dimensions 35 Design Name dialog
control box start up, select a display file 35 level 100
control box start up, ST300 Connections slope 103
dialog 35 designs
control box start up, wrong machine icon 35 creating in the field 99
insufficient 3D accuracy 95 level surface 100
lightbars do not illuminate 34 loading, overview 96
lightbars flash in wrong sequence 34 modifying in the field 103
machine settings, invalid file 37 sloping surface 101
machine settings, no suitable settings 37 detect sensors 38
no Here button during design creation 104 diagnostics
no machine icon in laser set up dialogs 89 GPS 156
no Start Pt. or End Pt. Here softkeys in laser set running 151
up dialogs 89 UTS 154
no UTS Start softkey 81 Diagnostics – GPS dialog, Data Link 158
UTS fails to initialize 81 Diagnostics – GPS dialog, Left Receiver 156
valves not calibrated 95 Diagnostics – GPS dialog, Receiver 156
configure sonic tracer 57 Diagnostics – UTS dialog, Backsight 156
control box Diagnostics – UTS dialog, Machine Target 154
brightness 38 Diagnostics – UTS dialog, UTS 155
dialogs 18 Diagnostics dialog 152
display information overview 16 Diagnostics, Sky Plot 159
guidance icons 23 dialogs
guidance screens 20 Bench 60, 63
guidance settings 23 Bench Center Laser Receiver, LR400 64
keys 14 Bench Center Laser Receiver, SR300 65
machine icons 21 Bench Laser 90
menus 17 Bench Left Laser Receiver, LR400 64
power key 15 Bench Left Laser Receiver, SR300 65
power up checks 34 Bench Left Sonic Tracer 60
problems, see common problems Bench Right Laser Receiver, LR400 64
softkey labels 17 Bench Right Laser Receiver, SR300 65
softkeys 17 Bench Right Sonic Tracer 60
using 14 Bench UTS 82
conventional laser flashing warning messages 130 Blade Roll 110
creating a design in the field 99 Blade Wear 92
cross fall sensor calibration 45 Calibrate Electric Mast(s) 51
cross slope Calibrate Sensors – options 44
changing 71 Design Name, level 100
changing ends 72 Design Name, slope 103
set 67 Diagnostics 152
cutting edge guidance check Diagnostics – GPS, Data Link 158

Index
Diagnostics – GPS, Left Receiver 156 UTS 79

Diagnostics – GPS, Receiver 156 UTS Radio 41
Diagnostics – UTS, Backsight 156 Valve Speed 95
Diagnostics – UTS, Machine Target 154 Valve Speed - Select Valve 68
Diagnostics – UTS, UTS 155 Vertical Guidance Method 53, 54
Edit Design 103 Vertical Guidance Setup 67
Extend 3D Line 99 Vertical Offset 105
GPS 84 display
GPS Radio 41 brightness 38
Guide To Horizontal Alignment – plan dialogs 18
lines 107 guidance icons 23
Guide To Horizontal Alignment – road guidance screens 20
alignments 107 guidance settings 23
Horizontal Offset 106, 109 information overview 16
Laser Transmitter 86 machine icons 21
Laser, electric masts 160 menus 17
Laser, manual mast 61 settings 39
Laser, survey laser masts 161 softkey labels 17
Left Valve Speed 69 softkeys 17
Lightbar Scales 40 drum slope sensor calibration 174
Linked EM Calibration 52
Machine Radio Configuration 41
Machine Settings 37 E
Machine Target ID 79
New Design Level Surface 100 Edit Design dialog 103
New Design Sloping Surface, cross slope 102 electric mast
New Design Sloping Surface, direction and calibration 51
grade 102 flashing warning messages 132
New Design Sloping Surface, point 101 height, GPS 83
New Laser Transmitter, direction 88 linked lift calibration 51
New Laser Transmitter, plan position 87 electric mast height
New Laser Transmitter, position 86 GPS 83
New Laser Transmitter, slope and grade 87 laser receivers 62
On-Grade Tolerance 40 UTS 79
Out of Geoid Range flashing message 84 EM400 electric mast 51
Restore Settings 40 Extend 3D Line dialog 99
Right Valve Speed 69
Select 3D Guidance Line 97
Select Design File 97 F
Select Laser Strike 91 flashing warning messages
Select Laser Strike, conventional 65 angle sensors 133
Sensor Calibration – blade pitch 49 automatic controls 135
Sensor Calibration – blade rotation 50 Bench Laser, survey laser receiver 90
Sensor Calibration – blade slope, quick 48 conventional laser receiver 130
Sensor Calibration – cross fall 45 electric masts 132
Sensor Calibration – drum slope 174 general 125
Sensor Calibration – mainfall 50 GPS 127
Sensor Calibration – mainfall, blade slope, and list of 125
rotation 45 Lower Left EM 83
Set Design Width 98 Lower Right EM 83
Sky Plot 159 rotation sensors 133
using 18

Ind ex
sonic tracers 131 bench laser receivers 62

UTS 126 change blade pitch while working 110
focus, select 108 change ends for slope guidance 72
frequency, GPS radio 41 change target slope direction 75
frequency, UTS radio 41 change the target slope 71
change the vertical offset 71
check cutting edge guidance 93
G check cutting edge guidance, conventional 68
check for laser strike 160
geoid grid, GPS 84 check the UTS instrument power 80
GPS check valve speed 94
diagnostics 156 check valve speed, conventional 68
electric mast height 83 clear UTS benched elevation 114
flashing warning messages 127 configure sonic tracer connections 57
geoid grid 84 connect sonic tracers 56
receivers status indicators 146 create a design in the field 99
SBAS 84 create a level surface design 100
set accuracy mode 83 create a sloping surface design 101
setting mast height 83 edit level and sloping designs 103
troubleshooting 120 enable UTS auto-search 80
GPS dialog 84 increment and decrement vertical offset 109
GPS radio insert a data card 96
frequency 41 load or create a design 96
network 41 modify level and sloping designs 103
guidance raise or lower a GPS mast 83
icons 23 raise or lower a UTS mast 83
screens, using 20 reacquire UTS lock 114
settings 23 return laser masts to benched height 75
switching between 2D and 3D 37 run diagnostics 151
Guide To Horizontal Alignment dialog search for the UTS target 114
plan lines 107 select a 3D line design 97
road alignments 107 select a design 97
select focus 108
select horizontal alignment 106
H set 3D line design length 99
Height From field 81 set 3D line design width 98
horizontal alignment, select 106 set cross slope 67
Horizontal Offset dialog 106, 109 set GPS accuracy mode 83
horizontal offset, set 109 set horizontal offset 109
How To set machine pitch 83
adjust laser receiver height 160 set road design side slope cut/fill 97
adjust laser receiver height, manual mast 61 set the UTS machine target ID 79
automatically control a single blade tip 110 set up a survey laser for use with GPS 85
bench a linked lift laser system 66 set up laser enhanced elevation 85
bench a single laser receiver 64 set vertical offset 70, 105
bench a sonic tracer 58 set working surface lift 105
bench a survey laser receiver 90 start a UTS 79
bench a survey laser receiver, conventional 65 turn off laser enhanced elevation 115
bench a UTS 81 turn off UTS guidance 114
bench an independent lift laser system 67 turn on a survey laser receiver 89
bench an SR300 90 turn on an SR300 89
use a survey laser receiver with GPS 85

Index
use an SR300 with GPS 85 power up checks 34

use the Sensor Swap soft key 74 scale 40
scraper 24
system status indication 145
I tolerance checks 40
using 24
icons Linked EM Calibration dialog 52
guidance 23 loading a design 96
machine 21
indicators, status 145
initialization of machine pitch 83
M
machine
K icons 21
settings 36
keys Machine Radio Configuration dialog 41
control box 14 Machine Settings dialog 37
power 15 Machine Target ID
dialog 79
setting 79
L mainfall sensor calibration, quick 50
Laser dialog menus, using 17
electric masts 160 minimum elevation mapping 52
manual mast 61 modifying design files in the field 103
survey laser masts 161 motor grader
laser enhanced elevation automatically control a single blade tip 110
turn off 115 blade cushioning off 33
turn on 89 blade pitch sensor calibration, quick 49
laser plane, survey laser receiver 86 blade slope sensor calibration, quick 48
laser receivers electric mast calibration 51
adjust height 160 lightbars 24
adjust height, manual mast 61 linked lift calibration 51
benching 62 mast orientation 32
benching independent 67 rolling the moldboard 110
benching linked 66 turn off laser enhanced elevation 115
benching single 64 zero articulation, circle sideshift, wheel lean 33
benching survey, conventional 65
check for laser strike 160
maximum mast height 62 N
return to benched height 75
network
setting mast height 62
GPS radio 41
status indicators, LR410 150
UTS radio 41
laser strike, checking 160
New Design Level Surface dialog 100
Laser Transmitter dialog 86
New Design Sloping Surface dialog
laser transmitter, setting up for survey laser
cross slope 102
receiver 86
direction and grade 102
Left Valve Speed dialog 69
point 101
Lightbar Scales dialog 40
New Laser Transmitter dialog
lightbars 24
plan position 87
brightness 39
position 86
bulldozer 24
slope and grade 87
motor grader 24

Ind ex
New Laser Transmitter dialog, direction 88 sensor calibration

about 44, 174
blade pitch, quick 49
O blade rotation, quick 50
blade slope, quick 48
On-Grade Tolerance dialog 40 cross fall 45
drum slope 174
electric mast 51
P linked lift 51
pitch initialization 83 mainfall, blade slope, and rotation sensors 45
point recording 112 mainfall, quick 50
power key 15 options 45
power supply state, UTS 80 preparation 44, 174
problems, see common problems Sensor Calibration dialog
program log 162 blade rotation 50
blade slope, quick 48
cross fall 45
R drum slope 174
mainfall 50
Radio status messages 42 mainfall, blade slope, and rotation 45
raise/lower remote switches 27 Sensor Calibration dialog, blade pitch 49
remote switches Sensor Swap, using 74
auto/manual 26 sensors
elevation offset 27 fixed sensor calibration 44, 174
locations 25 prepare 3D sensors 78
offset increment 27 prepare GPS 78
operation 25 prepare UTS 78
raise/lower 27 set
sideshift 27 cross slope 67
slope offset 27 horizontal offset 109
Restore Settings dialog 40 valve speed 94
Right Valve Speed dialog 69 vertical offset 70, 105
rolling the moldboard 110 working surface lift 105
rotation sensors flashing warning messages 133 Set Design Width dialog 98
RS400 blade rotation sensor 50 set up a survey laser receiver 85
set up a UTS system 79
sideshift 27
S Sky Plot dialog 159
SBAS 84 slope offset switch 27
scraper sloping surface design 101
blade slope sensor calibration, quick 48 softkeys
lightbars 24 labels 17
screen shots 162 using 17
search for UTS target 114 sonic tracer
select benching 58
focus 108 configure connections 57
horizontal alignment 106 connect 56
Select 3D Guidance Line dialog 97 flashing warning messages 131
Select Design File dialog 97 status indicators, ST300 148
Select Laser Strike dialog 91 status indicators, ST400 147
Select Laser Strike dialog, conventional 65 SPSx30 see UTS
SR300 laser receiver 85

Index
starting a UTS system 79 U

status indicators
data radio, SNR900, SNR450, and SiteNet UTS
450 149 battery state 80
data radio, SNRx10 148 benching target 81
GPS receiver 146 clear benched elevation 114
laser receiver, LR410 150 diagnostics 154
lightbars 145 electric mast height 83
sonic tracer, ST300 148 enabling Auto Search 80
sonic tracer, ST400 147 flashing warning messages 126
UTS target 151 Height From field 81
survey laser receiver power supply state 80
benching 90 search for target 114
set up for GPS 85 setting mast height 79
setting up the laser plane 86 setting MT900 target ID 79
setting up the laser transmitter 86 setting up 79
turn on receiver 89 starting 79
switch guidance methods 37 status messages 155
system state snapshot 162 target status indicators 151
troubleshooting 118
turn off guidance 114
UTS dialog 79
T UTS radio
target slope, changing direction 75 channel 41
towed scraper focus 108 frequency 41
troubleshooting network 41
automatic controls 121 UTS radio dialog 41
automatic controls suspended 121
automatic controls unavailable 121
data radio status indicators, SNR900, SNR450, V
and SiteNet 450 149
data radio status indicators, SNRx10 148 Valve Speed - Select Valve dialog 68
diagnostics 151 valve speed check
general 118 3D 94
GPS 120 conventional 68
GPS receiver status indicators 146 Valve Speed dialog 95
laser receiver status indicators, LR410 150 Vertical Guidance Method dialog 53, 54
lightbar status indicators 145 Vertical Guidance Setup dialog 67
poor automatic controls results 123 vertical offset
poor results 123 changing 71
program log 162 increment and decrement 109
screen shots 162 remote switches 27
sonic tracer status indicators, ST300 148 set, 3D 105
sonic tracer status indicators, ST400 147 set, conventional 70
UTS 118 Vertical Offset dialog 105
UTS target status indicators 151
zsnap files 162
turn off laser enhanced elevation 115 W
turn off UTS guidance 114 wizards
blade pitch sensor calibration, quick 49
blade rotation sensor calibration, quick 50
blade slope sensor calibration, quick 48

Ind ex
cross fall sensor calibration 45

drum slope sensor calibration 174
electric mast calibration 51
linked lift calibration 51
mainfall sensor calibration, quick 50
New Laser Transmitter 86
work preparation checks 36
working surface lift, set 105
World Wide Web site 12
Z
zsnap files 162

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OPERATOR’S MANUAL

2 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 3

4 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

The meaning of this safety alert symbol is as follows:

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 5

6 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

2 Using the Control Box and Lightbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 7

3.5.3 Blade pitch sensor calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

4 Using Conventional Guidance in the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

5 Using 3D Guidance in the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

8 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

5.5.3 Create a design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

6 Troubleshooting in the Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 9

6.5.2 GPS diagnostics and satellite monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

A Caterpillar ARO Bulldozer Restrictions and Extensions . . . . . . . . 163

B Towed Scrapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

C Mills/Cold Planers and Trimmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

10 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

In this chapter: Welcome to the GCS900 Grade Control System

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 11

1.1 Scope and audience

1.2 Related information

1.3 Trimble training classes and technical assistance

1.4 To learn more about Trimble

1.5 Your comments

12 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

In this chapter: As you work with the GCS900 Grade Control

Q System beeper • the CB430 control box

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 13

2.1 Control box basics

Softkey label area Softkeys

Next key Escape key

Figure 2.1 The CB430 control box

Zoom-in key + Zoom in on the machine

Zoom-out key - Zoom out from the machine

Menu key M View the Setup Menu – Configuration menu

Data card slot See 2.1.2 The data card

14 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

OK key \ Save changes made in a dialog, and exit the dialog

Power key P See 2.1.1 Power key

Beeper See 2.5 System beeper

2.1.1 Power key

2.1.2 The data card

Figure 2.2 Typical data card

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 15

Data cards also store the following configuration files:

2.2 Working with control box information

2.2.1 Working with menus and dialogs

16 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

Softkeys and softkey labels

GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual 17

To leave a menu without making a selection, press =.

Figure 2.4 Example menu

Figure 2.5 Example dialog

18 GCS900 Grade Control System Operator’s Manual

When you press