Old Javad Odyssey User Manual or Spec Sheet

toivo1037

Active Member
Wondering if anyone on here can point me in the correct direction. Yes I know I am talking about 'antiques' at this point, but I am looking for some specifications on the old Javad Odyssey receivers. I have a full set that I use for static, about once a year which you can see at the top of this post: https://support.javad.com/index.php?threads/javad-generations.1248/
The internal batteries are LONG gone, and I have been powering them with a inherited setup of old trimble-type camcorder batteries. Well I was doing some maintenance here and found that all of the batteries are shot I can barely get 75 minutes out of them, and I have a big static job coming up. The old batteries have quadrupled in price and it doesn't make sense to try to source the old lead-acid ones again as I have been looking to go smaller and lighter for some time.

What I would like to do is power the GPS heads with the same batteries as the majority of my powertools, the standard Dewalt 20v. I had been using a 12v setup on the old camcorder batteries, and I was going to try and make a circuit that converted the 20v Dewalts down to 12v, but then I remembered that the GPS heads have a pretty wide range of external power input voltage. I can't find any manual or specs sheets on the old Odysseys though. What I can find is the Alpha & Delta receivers are 7-30/35/40v input, as seems pretty standard for all the Javad stuff.

It would be much simpler for me to just use these tool batteries for external power as-is without modifying them. I think I am OK based on the wide input range history of what I can find, but I would hate to plug in 20v and destroy a head either as I don't have the funds to replace them just yet.

So the question is, does anyone have a copy of a spec sheet or manual for the OLD Javad Odyssey integrated receivers? Anyone with Javad have a link to the secret manual archive not indexed on search engines? Or any of the engineers venture to guess if I will be OK on the input voltage? I would appreciate any guidance.

Also, I put this in the general RTK category as not really sure where to put it. Maybe eventually think to add a section for retired or legacy equipment?

Thanks in advance.
 

Nate The Surveyor

Well-Known Member
Well, it's not what you asked for...
But...
almost all batteries can be had, or a good work around.
https://www.batteryspace.com/ is where I got 12 volt 5000 ma packs, with chargers, They are Nmh type. I powered my Legacy E's for years this way. The SLA packs that came with it were some 3000 or 3500 ma packs. So, these larger capacity packs would last a full day, or more. I had to soldier the flat 2 way connectors to them, and to the chargers, but they were far superior to oem products.
Of course, you could buy cells and make stuff, but it might fit into them better.
Make 'em yourself. Use a volt meter, to double check polarity...
N
 

toivo1037

Active Member
I almost pulled the trigger on doing it that way Nate, and I still might. But it comes down to changing to a whole new set of batteries, and chargers, and a decent amount of messing around. I was figuring I already have some 20v chargers and batteries, and you never have enough for your power tools. If I could easily power teh heads with those packs, it is easy, and about the same price or cheaper to have batteries that are useful for more than one thing.
 

toivo1037

Active Member
So after some creative digging, I found the attached spec sheet. I can't find anything official, this came from the appendix of: a March 2005 working report for Refraction Seismic Surveys in the Investigation of Trench TK2 Area, Olkiluoto, Eurajoki 2004, in Finland.

This sheet seems to have the correct dimensions of the Odyssey. Never heard of, nor can I find info on a Javad Galaxy, but have seen the Legacy.

So, it seems to indicate that I can have 6-28v, which is about what I expected.
POSIVA-2005-15_Working-report_web1.jpg

I think I am going to try this out and go ahead with the project - provided they all still work.
I have read that we have another GPS rollover week coming April 6th. I don't have any big projects between now and then, so I guess I should probably wait until then to make sure that they will still work without a firmware upgrade (which of course is not available.) If they do still work, then I will give it a try.
 

Adam

Well-Known Member
5PLS
Surveyors sure are crafty. I like the project. Sorry I have no help offer but really would like to see some pics when you get it going.
 

toivo1037

Active Member
I performed my big rollover test.


Sent all the files into OPUS, and everything processed OK. I compared nail positions before and after rollover, and using default OPUS options, all of the positions agree within a couple of .01s of each other.


I will say that even with the old firmware the oldest Topcon Hiper, the Legacy H-GD and the Javad (Topcon) Odyssey receivers are all functional and record the correct dates and the correct number of leap seconds.


Crisis averted. On to the new battery systems I go!
 
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