We have all seen how difficult it is to work without tools adequate. There are many cases, but let’s take as an example some of the modern laser levels that collaborate so much in our measurement tasks.
As we have seen, these versatile tools They have certain operating limitations, since in many cases the distance and the lighting conditions make it difficult to correctly visualize the laser beam. However, this does not mean that we cannot use our laser level in those situations. All we need is a accessory laser levels called receiver or detector, which will help us to locate the laser beam emitted by our level.
The laser receivers are an essential component in the use of laser levels in outsideAs otherwise we would have to rely on the visibility of the laser line or point, and in conditions such as direct sunlight, that is not possible. Therefore, one of the most frequent uses of laser receivers It is for leveling land. To do this, receivers They are mounted on a staff as shown in the image below, by means of a clamp provided by the same manufacturer (other models of receiver they already incorporate the clamp) and in this way they receive the beam emitted by a rotating laser level, for example.
Laser receiver
Another common use of laser receivers It is in large interior spaces, for example, an exhibition hall or a covered sports stadium, where thanks to the contribution that the receiver, the range of a laser level can be double what it would achieve without receiver.
However, laser receivers They are not as generic as one might suppose, and therefore it is important to delve into details about these auxiliary laser measurement tools, not only to know them, but also to avoid making a wrong purchase.
First of all, not all receivers They work with all laser levels. Line laser levels must have the pulse mode so that a line laser receiver can detect them. Since many line lasers purchased from different manufacturers pulse at different speeds, a line level receiver may not work with all laser levels.
Rotating laser levels do not work with pulsed line laser light. The reverse is also true, since line receivers They are not compatible with rotary laser levels. Finally, the red line and green line laser levels operate at different frequencies, and therefore the red and green laser line receivers They are calibrated to the specific frequencies of each of these.
All of the above means that exists one laser receiver for each type of laser level, and that no we can use a single laser receiver with a variety of laser levels. In other words, there is no universal receiver, so we will find the following types of laser receivers on the market:
- Compatible with red line laser levels
- Compatible with green line laser levels
- Compatible with rotary red laser levels
- Compatible with rotary green laser levels
Therefore, let’s first know how these devices are composed.
Parts of a laser receiver
Although there are different classes that respond to its operating mechanism, the laser receiver The most common and the one we will address in this article is the one that presents a screen with LED indicators. It has three LED lights, one of which shows that the laser light emitted from a level is too high (“above level”), another indicates that the light is too low (“below level”) and a third showing that the light is “level” with the receiver. The vast majority are also equipped with acoustic signals to reinforce the indications of the LED lights.
They are light and small devices, whose dimensions barely exceed those of a cell phone, but are about 3-4 cm thick. Depending on the type, they have a range that goes from 5 to 200 meters, with an accuracy of ± 1 mm in the “Fine” setting and ± 3 mm in the “Normal” setting, and they work with one or more batteries that They give them an autonomy of between 30 and 50 hours of use.
The figure below shows a typical laser receiver with LED display compatible with line laser levels, as well as its components and accessories.
Line laser level receiver
1. Button for adjusting the measurement accuracy
2. On / off button
3. Audio signal button
4. Display
5. Magnetic plate
6. Receiving window for laser beam
7. Center mark
8. Direction LED “Move down”
9. Centered direction LED
10. Direction LED “Move up”
11. Closing the battery compartment cover
12. Serial number
13. Battery compartment cover
14. Mounting hole for M6 thread
15. Mounting bracket
LED display elements
to. Audio signal indicator
b. Direction indicator «Move up»
c. Direction indicator centered
d. Direction indicator «Move down»
and. Battery status indicator
F. “Normal” setting indicator
g. Adjustment indicator «Fine»
In turn, the components of the mounting bracket are as follows:
Receiver mounting bracket – components
15. Mounting bracket
16. Retaining holes for clamp
17. Clamp locking screw
18. Top edge of clamp
19. State
20. Clamp fixing screw
How do you use a laser receiver?
Beyond being a receiver compatible with line laser levels or rotary, the operation of these devices is similar in all cases. In this example we will refer to a line laser level like the one we describe in this review and we will use the same numbers and letters of the figures above to mention certain components of the laser receiver.
a) Commissioning
- We place the receiver at a minimum distance of 5 meters from the line laser level. We activate the pulse function of the laser level and select the horizontal or vertical mode.
- We place the receiver so that the laser beam projected by the level can strike against the receiving window 6 and we orient it so that the laser beam crosses the receiving window across the width, as shown in the following figure.
Laser receiver – tuning
b) On / off
- To turn on the laser receiver press button 2 on / off. All display indicators as well as the LEDs light up briefly and an acoustic signal is emitted.
- To turn off the receiver press button 2 on / off again. Before the appliance is switched off, all LEDs light up briefly.
c) Selecting the measurement accuracy setting
Button 1 allows you to define the accuracy with which the laser beam is centered with respect to the receiving window 6:
- Adjust “Fine” (displayed as «g»).
- Set “Normal” (displayed as «f»). It is the default setting every time the device is turned on.
d) Direction indicators
The position of the laser beam relative to the receiving window 6 is indicated in three different ways:
- Via the “Move Down” («d»), “Move Up” («b») or «Center» («c») direction indicators on display 4 on the front and rear of the receiver.
- With the “Move Down” (“8”), “Move Up” (“10”) or “Center” (“9”) LEDs on the front of the receiver.
- Optionally, with an acoustic signal.
Receiver positions relative to the laser beam emitted by the laser level
- Receiver too low: If the laser beam hits the upper half of the receiving window 6, the direction indicator “b” appears on the screen and the respective LED “10” lights up. If the acoustic signal is activated, a tone is emitted in slow sequence. In this case, we must move the receiver up in the direction of the arrow.
- Receiver too high: If the laser beam hits the lower half of the receiving window 6, the direction indicator «d» appears on the screen and the respective LED «8» lights up. If the acoustic signal is activated, a tone is emitted in rapid sequence. In this case, we must scroll down in the direction of the arrow.
- Centered receiver: If the laser beam hits the receiving window 6 at the central mark «7», the centering indicator «c» and the corresponding central LED «9» light up. If the acoustic signal is activated, a continuous tone is emitted.
The three types of positions and sounds are what we appreciate in this video.
As we expressed above and heard in the video, the position of incidence of the laser beam against the receiving window 6 can be indicated by an acoustic signal. When you turn on the receiver, the acoustic signal always sounds at a low volume, so we can increase its volume or deactivate it. To change the volume or deactivate the acoustic signal, press button 3 until the desired volume appears on the screen.
The following video shows the use of a laser receiver in conjunction with this line laser level.
As we have just seen, the operation of a laser receiver It’s simple and intuitive. When thinking about buying one of these devices we should only take the precaution of acquire one that we can use with our laser level. We will provide some advice on this in a future article.
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