Warm-Up

Let the tracker acclimate to indoor temperature before powering on. A cold tracker brought straight in from a vehicle can re-initialize its laser oven, which destabilizes measurements. If that happens, pause and let it re-stabilize before measuring.

Compatible Radios

Your tracker connects to the FieldPrinter through a radio, and the pairing is fixed — the radio ships with the tracker and Dusty confirms the combination before your equipment leaves.

Radio 1	Radio 2	Radio 3

2D stationing requires Radio 2 or Radio 3. An AT930 paired with Radio 1 cannot do 2D stationing; the same AT930 on Radio 3 can. The AT930-NRT can, on either of its radios.

For full radio specifications, see Radio Specs.

If You Have an AT930-NRT

Every AT930 specification in this article applies to the AT930-NRT as well. The tracker head is an AT930 — same dimensions, weight, power, temperature range, measuring range, accuracy, laser class, and warm-up.

NRT stands for No Real Time, and the difference is in the controller, not the tracker head. An AT930 controller carries a real-time module: a unit that mounts on the back of the controller and provides two Ethernet ports. The AT930-NRT's controller does not have that module.

What this changes in practice is which radios the tracker works with:

To tell them apart, look at the back of the controller. Two Ethernet ports on a module mounted behind it means an AT930; no module means an AT930-NRT.

Physical Dimensions and Weight

Component	AT500	AT930
Instrument size	238 mm × 261 mm × 477 mm	238 mm × 258 mm × 477 mm
Instrument weight	13.60 kg	14.2 kg
Internal battery weight	0.32 kg each (GEB364 × 2)	Not applicable
Controller	None — all-in-one instrument	249 mm × 148 mm × 59 mm, ~1.65 kg

Power

Specification	AT500	AT930
Power source	Internal batteries, or AC with the batteries installed	AC only
Internal battery	2 × GEB364 Li-Ion, 10.8 V DC, 6.9 Ah	None
Battery typical operating time	5 h to 6 h per pair	Not applicable
Input voltage at external power connector	30 V – 48 V DC	Via AT Controller
Max. input current, overcurrent protection	4 A (at the instrument connector)	4 A (at the AC/DC adapter)
AC/DC adapter input	100 V – 240 V AC	100 V – 240 V AC
AC/DC adapter output	48 V DC	48 V DC
Frequency	50/60 Hz	50/60 Hz
Power consumption	180 W	180 W
Max. input AC current	1.7 A at 115 V; 0.9 A at 230 V	1.7 A at 115 V; 0.9 A at 230 V

Environmental Ratings

These are the recommended ranges for the FieldPrinter system running with that tracker, and they are what govern jobsite use — see Operating and Storage Temperature Ranges for Dusty Equipment and Ink for the full picture, including ink and batteries.

Measurement Range

Measurement Accuracy

Both manufacturers' figures are Maximum Permissible Error (MPE) — the worst error permitted by specification, not the expected one. Leica states that typical results are about half the MPE value.

Read the two columns side by side with care. The AT500 is specified under ISO 10360-10:2021; the AT930 under ISO 10360-10:2016. Different editions of the standard define the test items differently, so the figures are not strictly interchangeable.

Angular measurement

Distance measurement, along the beam

Accuracy along the beam is roughly ten to twenty times tighter than across it, and it barely grows with distance. Distance is measured directly rather than inferred from an angle, so there is no lever arm to amplify a small error. The AT930 adds an interferometer to its distance meter, which is what lets it hold sub-micron resolution on a reflector that is moving.

Atmospheric influence on distance accuracy

Leica publishes the following sensitivities for both instruments. They apply to any absolute distance measurement and are worth knowing on a hot or humid jobsite.

• ±1 °C of air-temperature error shifts measured distance by roughly 1 ppm.
• ±4 hPa of air-pressure error shifts measured distance by roughly 1 ppm.
• ±30% relative humidity shifts distance by roughly 1 ppm at 40 °C, 0.3 ppm at 20 °C, and 0.1 ppm at 0 °C.

Motorization

Rotation and tracking speeds are effectively identical. The AT930 accelerates laterally about twice as fast.

Laser Safety Classification

Both instruments are classified as Class 2 laser products under IEC 60825-1 (2014-05). Class 2 products are safe for momentary exposure but are not inherently eye-safe: the beam can cause dazzle, flash-blindness, and afterimages, particularly in low ambient light.

Do not stare into the beam, view it through optical instruments, or point it at people or animals.

The two instruments reach Class 2 differently. On the AT930, each individual laser source is Class 1, and it is the possibility of simultaneous emission that raises the system to Class 2. On the AT500, the Absolute Distance Meter and laser pointer are classified as a group, and that group is itself Class 2. The precautions are the same either way.

Emitters by subsystem

Working Range with the FieldPrinter

The measuring ranges above describe the instrument's optical reach. The number that matters on a jobsite is how far the reflector can be from the tracker while working, which is shorter.

Print range is the same for both; the AT500 reaches significantly farther for scanning and control. On a colder day with no direct sunlight, printing range may extend slightly beyond the outdoor maximum.

For more on choosing between the trackers and setting them up, see Laser Tracker Comparison: AT500, AT930, and AT930-NRT.

Need a Specification That Isn't Listed Here

This article covers the specifications that come up most often in the field.

If you need a figure that isn't here, or you need one in writing for a submittal, safety review, or site requirement, contact Dusty Support at support@dustyrobotics.com or submit a request. Tell us which tracker you have and what the specification is for, and we will get you the manufacturer's figure.

Related Articles

• Laser Tracker Comparison: AT500, AT930, and AT930-NRT (Capabilities, Accuracy, and Range)
• What Are the Ideal Operating Temperatures for the Laser Tracker (AT500 and AT930)
• Laser Tracker Safety: Laser Class, Eye Safety, and Jobsite Precautions
• AT500 Laser Tracker Battery Guide: Hot-Swapping, Runtime, and Power
• Radio Specs