Topcon FC-500 User manual

Owner’s Manual

ii FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
© Copyright March 2014 Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information is subject to change without
notice.
Topcon®and Topcon Positioning Systems®is a registered
trademark of Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. FC-500
Handheld Field Controller™is a recognized trademark of
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
ActiveSync, Excel, Hotmail, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, MSN,
Outlook, PowerPoint, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows Media,
Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile Device Center, Windows
Vista, Windows Embedded Handheld, and the Windows
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
The Bluetooth®word mark is owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
and any use of such marks by Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
is under license.
Adobe®Acrobat®and Adobe®Reader®are registered
trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States
and/or other countries.
Google Earth™mapping service is a trademark of Google, Inc.
The names of other companies and products mentioned
herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
WARNING! This symbol indicates that failure to follow directions
could result in serious injury.
CAUTION: This symbol indicates that failure to follow directions
could result in damage to equipment or loss of information.
Part Number 24163-00 JS, 1003476-01 TC
!
!
tel: [phone] lweb: www.topconpositioning.com
7400 National Drive, Livermore, CA 94550
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.

Contents iii
Contents
1 Getting Started
The Anatomy of the FC-500 2
Perform Initial Tasks 3
Home Screen and Windows Start Menu 8
Navigating Around Your FC-500 9
2 Hardware Components
Keypad Features 12
Display and Touchscreen 16
Power Management 21
LED Activity Indicators 23
Flashlight 24
SD Cards 24
Connector I/O Module 25
Audio Features 25
3 Programs and Settings
Home Screen 28
Windows Start Menu 33
On-Screen Keyboard 34
Suspend, Reset, Power Off, and Restore Defaults 36
Subdued Lighting (Tactical) Mode 38
Compass and Accelerometer Calibration 39
Communicating with a Desktop Computer 41
Getting Started Application 42
4 Bluetooth Wireless Communication
Creating a Partnership 44
Bluetooth Control Panel 45
Serial Device (COM) Control Panel 47
5 Wi-Fi Wireless Networking
Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network 50

iv FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
6 GPS/GNSS
Using GPS/GNSS 54
JSNav Application 57
7 Camera
Camera Settings for Still Images 64
Take Photos and Select Photo Options 68
Videos 70
Photo and Video Library 71
8 3G Data Modem
Set up a Data Account with a Wireless Provider 74
Install the SIM Card 74
Set up the Cell Modem 76
Wireless Safety 77
Maintenance of Your Modem 78
A Storage, Maintenance and Recycling
Storing the FC-500 and Battery Pack 80
Protecting the Touchscreen 80
Cleaning the FC-500 81
Recycling the FC-500 and Batteries 82
B Warranty and Repair Information
Limited Product Warranty 84
Repairing the FC-500 86
C Warnings and Regulatory Information
Product Warnings 90
Certications and Standards 91
D Specifications
FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Specications 96
Index

1
Getting
Started

2FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Getting Started
The FC-500 Handheld Field Controller™ from Topcon
Positioning Systems features Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Standard
accessories include a lithium-ion battery pack, AC wall
charger, USB micro client sync cable, hand strap, and a
capacitive stylus and tether. A camera, GPS/GNSS, and
cellular data modem are options.
The Anatomy of the FC-500
Front and Back Features
1
5
2
4 6
7
1Bumper, Top
2Touchscreen
3Keypad
4Sensor (option)
5Led Indicators (red
charging indicator on
the right, blue function
lock or green notication
indicator on the left)
6Power Button
7Microphone
8
9
10
11
13
12
3
8Camera Window (option)
9Camera Flash and Flashlight
Window (option)
10 Speaker
11 Screw Holding Battery Door
in Place (1 of 4 captive screws)
12 Hand Strap with Stylus
Holder and Tether Ring
13 Door to Battery
Compartment and Card Slots

Ch 1 Getting Started 3
Battery Compartment and Card Slots
Connector Module and Connector Protector
Perform Initial Tasks
When you receive your FC-500, perform the tasks outlined in
this section before rst use.
Review Documentation
You can download the FC-500 Handheld Field Controller
operator’s manual and quick start guide from www.
TopconTotalCare.com.
1Battery Door (screws and
door removed)
2Battery Pack
3 SIM Card Slot
4 SD/SDHC Card Slot, Micro
5Battery Compartment
1
2
3 4 5
1
345
6
1 Connector Module
2USB Client, Micro
3Microphone/Speaker Jack
4USB Host, Full Size
5 9-pin Serial Port
612V DC Jack
7Connector Protector
2
7

4FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Apply a Screen Protector (Optional)
The touchscreen is extremely scratch resistant, so a screen
protector is not included with the FC-500. If you decide to
apply one, refer to the installation instructions included with
your screen protector for specic details.
Install the Battery Pack, SD Card, and SIM Card
The FC-500 uses a rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack. Install
and charge the battery pack as follows:
1. The battery compartment is accessed from the back of
the handheld. Loosen the 4 captive screws holding the
battery compartment door in place using a #1 Phillips
screwdriver. Remove the door. You do not need to
remove the hand strap.
CAUTION: The FC-500 is not sealed against water and
dust when the battery door is not installed.
2. If you are using a micro SD card for additional memory
or a SIM card with the 3G Data Modem (optional), you
can install them now before you install the battery pack
or at another time. See more details about these cards
in Chapter 2, Hardware Components, Micro SD Cards
and Chapter 8, 3G Data Modem, Install the SIM Card.
!

Ch 1 Getting Started 5
3. Place the Li-Ion battery pack in the compartment.
Make sure the symbols on the battery pack label align
with the symbols inside the compartment.
4. Replace the door and tighten the screws.
5. Plug the AC wall power charger that came with the
FC-500 into a wall socket. Plug the other end into the DC
power jack on the FC-500. The red LED on the keypad
blinks when the battery pack is charging.
Line the symbols up
on the case and the
battery pack as shown

6FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Attach the Stylus Tether
A capacitive stylus and tether are included with the
handheld.
Note: A stylus is not required to use the touchscreen. The
optimal way to make selections is by nger touch.
One end of the tether is attached to the stylus. To attach it
to the hand strap, follow these steps:
1. Pull the free tether loop through the tether ring on the
hand strap. Insert the stylus with the attached tether
through this loop and tighten the loop.
2. Place the stylus into the holder on the hand strap.
Perform Set Up and Charge the Battery
1. The handheld powers on and begins the startup
process. A splash screen is shown that includes a
progress indicator at the bottom of the screen.
2. A Microsoft®Windows Embedded Handheld screen is
shown.
3. The Clock and Alarms control panel appears. Adjust the
time zone, date and time if necessary and tap OK.

Ch 1 Getting Started 7
The Home screen appears (layout varies by model).
4. Press the power button to suspend the handheld.
Charge the battery pack at room temperature (68°
F or 20° C) for 4 to 5 hours. While the battery pack is
charging, the red LED blinks. When it is fully charged, the
red LED is solid.
Install the Operating System in Other Languages
The operating system is provided in English by default. It is
also available in other languages. You can download the
operating system from www.TopconTotalCare.com.

8FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Home Screen and Windows Start Menu
You need to be familiar with two screens as you read this
manual and use the FC-500: the Home screen and Windows
Start menu.
Note: The Windows soft key switches back and forth
between the Home screen and Windows Start Menu.
Home Screen
The Home screen is your main control center for the FC-500.
The content varies based on which model you have and
can be customized. It is automatically shown when the
FC-500 is turned on. You can get to it from any other screen
by pressing and releasing the Home screen button on the
keypad.
Windows Start Menu
The Windows Start menu gives you access to all of the
applications on the FC-500. You can get to it from any
screen by tapping the Windows tile (soft key) on the
display or pressing the Home button on the keypad.
More information about these screens is located in Chapter
3, Programs and Settings.
Home Screen Windows Start Menu
Title Bar 
Dashboard
with Function
Gadgets
Applications 
Shortcuts
to Favorite
Applications
Tiles/Soft Keys 

Ch 1 Getting Started 9
Navigating Around Your FC-500
Using Gestures and Making Selections
The Windows®Embedded Handheld operating system
enhances the ability of the handheld to recognize touch
gestures, making it easy to use a nger to navigate. Use of
the capacitive stylus is an option. The keypad buttons can
also be used.
Navigation options vary depending on the screen you are
viewing. Here is a partial list of options:
Vertical and Horizontal Movement
Flick up, down or sideways on the touchscreen.
For more precise positioning, touch, hold, and move the
screen up or down.
Use the scroll bar if it is available.
Use the up down right and left arrows on the
keypad to move around on a screen.
A horizontal scrolling menu is located on control panel
screens near the top. Press the left or right arrow keys to
scroll through the topics. (This feature replaces tabs.)
Make a Selection
Using the Touchscreen
Press or tap the function gadget or application icon you
want to select, turn on, activate, or turn off.
Press and hold a function gadget to bring up a control
panel, menu, or list.
Using the Keypad
Use the up down right and left keys arrow on the
keypad to select (highlight) a gadget or icon on the screen.
A ring appears around the selection. System Info has been
selected below:

10 FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Perform the selected action by pressing the enter button.
For dashboard gadgets like Wi-Fi, one press of the enter
button shows you which icon is selected, a second press
performs the action, and a third press turns the action off.
For application icons on the Start screen or in favorites,
continue to use the return button until you get to the screen
or menu you want.
Updates to the Operating System and Documents
Updates to the operating system and technical documents
are located on our website at www.TopconTotalCare.com.
View System Information for Your FC-500
To view your operating system version number, press the
System Info icon on the Home screen or go to Start >
Settings > System > System Information. Expand System ID.
Compare version numbers to see if your operating system is
current.
Owner’s Manual and Quick Start Guide Versions
Compare part numbers to see if you have the most recent
version of the Owner’s Manual and Quick Start Guide.

2
Hardware
Components

12 FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Hardware Components
This chapter discusses the FC-500 Handheld Field Controller
hardware features and usage.
Keypad Features
The FC-500 has a keypad with sealed buttons, backlight
illumination, and LED indicators.
Button Action + Button (Action)
Escape Backlight toggle
Function Function lock
Home screen Home actions like
“beginning of line”
Power
Suspend/Resume
Power Button menu
(press and hold)
None
Pictures and Videos
function; take a
picture or start and
stop video
Photo and video
library (for units
without a camera)
Rotate screen toggle
Enter Hold-to-Zoom
Up Page up
Right Tab
Down Page down
Left Back tab

Ch 2 Hardware Components 13
Programmable Function
The FN-ESC function is programmable.
1. To bring up the Program Buttons control panel, select
the Settings icon on the Home screen, and then
Personal > Buttons. You can also go to the Start screen
by selecting the Windows soft key and then select
Settings > Personal > Buttons.
2. Select the FN-Esc function.

14 FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
3. At the bottom of the screen under 2. Assign a program,
select the down arrow button to display a list of
programs and functions. Select the item you want to
reassign to the FN-Esc function.

Ch 2 Hardware Components 15
Keypad Backlight
Make keypad brightness adjustments through the Backlight
control panel located at Start > Settings > System >
Backlight. Select the External Power screen or Battery Power
screen from the horizontal menu near the top of the screen.
Move the Keypad slider up to brighten the backlight or
down to dim it. Dimming the keypad backlight saves
battery power when the FC-500 is in use.
Note: The keypad backlight turns off when the display
backlight dims or the FC-500 is suspended.

16 FC-500 Handheld Field Controller Owner’s Manual
Display and Touchscreen
The FC-500 has a bright color display and capacitive
touchscreen with a diagonal viewing area of 4.3 inches (109
mm). It is easy to view outdoors and is sealed against water
and dust. The Windows®Embedded Handheld operating
system enhances the ability of the FC-500 to recognize
touch gestures, making it easy to use a nger to make
selections and navigate. You can also use a capacitive
stylus.
Display Settings
Type and Orientation
To adjust the display settings, including the text size and
orientation, go to the Screen control panel by pressing Start
> Settings> System > Screen.
The screen is designed to be used in portrait orientation. A
landscape orientation could impact the performance of an
application.
Note: Capacitive touchscreens do not need to be aligned.
Ignore the Align Screen option.