I recently won a SOKKISHA TM6 theodolite in auction. It did not come with a manual. I have a swiss made WILD T16 which I understand how to use completely and use it in my work as well as part of my collection. The Sokkisha, in perfect condition, has 2 things about it which I would like clarified if possible. The first, probably very simple, is the tribrach release. On my WILD the release is obtained by depressing a spring loaded lever and swing it to one side so the instrument simply lifts ofF without any effort or force required. However the Sokkisha has a rectangular knob which moves from a horizontal position to a vertical position but the instrument remains tightly gripped by the tribrach. I do not want to force anything so my question is if there is any trick I need to know about after releasing the knob to get the two parts separated easily. The second question is regarding reading values in the micrometer. On the WILD each degree is a single fine line which falls on a 0 to 60 minute scale and you simply read out to the nearest minute and estimate the rest. The Sokkisha has 2 fine lines at each degree point and a single line for the degree. To take a reading you move the micrometer dial until the single degree line is in between the 2 degree points. Then you read the minutes and seconds in the small window to the right. Why is there 2 lines instead of just 1? The distance between the 2 lines, while being very close, is still less precise than a single fine line. Am I using this instrument correctly? Should I line up with just one of the 2 lines? If so why are there 2 lines in the first place?
Thanks
John
Theodolite use WILD T16 vs SOKKISHA TM6
Re: Theodolite use WILD T16 vs SOKKISHA TM6
