Leica iCON and Total Station Layout Troubleshooting

Fixes for Leica iCON tablets, iCON robots and total station layout: file and coordinate problems, layout that doesn't match control, firmware and tablet issues. Steps marked Confirmed fix solved the problem for a customer. Related: How to prepare iCON layout files. Back to the Leica Support Library.

Jump to a problem (24)Total station layout is off by about 1/2 inchICON tablet software won't update or activate ("invalid license" / "licenses failed to activate")Total-station layout points don't land on control / grids are offICR robot gives inconsistent measurements between single-measure and tracking modeLayout files don't match control on site (iCON / robotic layout)Files won't show or are the wrong scale on the iCON tablet; tablet freezes after importRobot won't talk to an iPad/Point Layout through a Bluetooth bridgeStructural CAD isn't geolocated; XREFs don't come into iCONAfter an iCON tablet firmware update, reopened files show only staked points, not the original grid/wall pointsICON: points vanish when a job is reopened, or reimporting creates duplicate points (iCON 8.0.2)ICON tablet (CC80) shows nircmd.exe / nircmdc.exe errors and iCON won't loadCS35 tablet touchscreen rain/water mode setting is missingUpdate iCON robot or GNSS firmwareWill my old tablet work with a new iCON robot? / Tablet was reset and iCON is goneToo many CAD points clutter the iCON screenOld-style DWG (everything in model space, separate layout tabs) won't work in iCONICON points don't match the drawing (CAD in inches, points in feet)Prepare an AutoCAD drawing for Leica iCON (full checklist)Work out what units an AutoCAD drawing is really in (inches vs feet vs meters)Find which coordinate system a drawing usesExport a Revit model to IFC for layout in iCONLayout drifts or doesn't match over distance: US survey feet vs international feetGet a Revit model onto real-world (survey) coordinatesPoints land miles away or mirrored: Northing and Easting are swapped

Total station layout is off by about 1/2 inch

Applies to: Total stations

  1. Calibrate the prism pole bubble first and confirm the pole is accurate.
  2. Confirmed fixIf still off, send it for calibration: include the service repair form, ship in its carry case inside a cardboard box, no accessories except handle and tribrach unless part of the complaint.

ICON tablet software won't update or activate ("invalid license" / "licenses failed to activate")

Applies to: iCON build, CS20 / Panasonic tablets

  1. Connect the tablet to Wi-Fi and reactivate the same EID so it picks up the renewed CCP date.
  2. Make sure the EID isn't an old demo EID; demo EIDs can never be renewed.
  3. Check the EID in MyWorld for typos or mismatched info; Leica can correct records.
  4. Confirmed fixThen load the iCON firmware/software update.
  5. For old permanent licenses (e.g. iCON 3.5), Datum needs the EID and the tablet serial number to quote maintenance before updating.

Total-station layout points don't land on control / grids are off

Applies to: iCON / total station layout

  1. Check the layout file's units (US survey feet vs decimal feet).
  2. Confirmed fixCompare distances between grid lines in the BIM/DXF file against the contract drawing dimensions. Here the file was out of scale; re-exported at correct scale in decimal feet and imported into a new project.

ICR robot gives inconsistent measurements between single-measure and tracking mode

Applies to: iCR70/80 robotic total station

  1. Single measure doesn't use ATR (aim manually at prism center); tracking does. Run a field calibration with the ATR box checked.
  2. Check the prism pole calibration and keep the rod in the same orientation to the instrument.
  3. Try a resection on the same two points to compare.
  4. Leica iCON support: 1-844-iCON411.

Layout files don't match control on site (iCON / robotic layout)

Applies to: iCON build, iCR robots

  1. Get a survey control text file that includes at least 2 grid intersections in the project coordinate system.
  2. Confirmed fixIf drawings are in architectural units, convert to decimal feet, set insertion scale to unitless, and rescale. Then verify the points land correctly.
  3. If the surveyor won't share a DWG with control, use their points text file and check it against grid dimensions on the contract drawings.
  4. Ask the surveyor of record to own building location; forcing this check has caught anchor-bolt errors over 3/4 in.

Files won't show or are the wrong scale on the iCON tablet; tablet freezes after import

Applies to: iCON build, CS20 / Panasonic tablets

  1. Put files inside a folder named 'Data' on the USB stick; the tablet can't see them otherwise.
  2. Bring DWGs in as background, the points CSV as reference data, and the control CSV as control.
  3. If the CSV is larger than the DWG, import the CSV in inches; if the DWG is larger than the CSV, import the DWG in inches. During import, use the arrow next to the file to change units.
  4. Scale off by a factor of 12 means a feet/inch mismatch; check the export units in Revit/APL (set to FEET, not metric).
  5. Verify with the Checks app: select a line for its horizontal distance, or two points for the distance between them, and compare to the drawings.
  6. Freezes/crashes usually mean a bad DWG. Clean and strip the file to the smallest size and send it to Datum to review before loading.

Robot won't talk to an iPad/Point Layout through a Bluetooth bridge

Applies to: iCON robots, Leica Point Layout

  1. Confirmed fixCheck whether the robot has the GeoCOM license (MyWorld, or the instrument's communication settings). Robots bought for iCON software only may not have it.
  2. Confirmed fixGeoCOM can be added; Datum quotes it.

Structural CAD isn't geolocated; XREFs don't come into iCON

Applies to: iCON build

  1. Confirmed fixiCON doesn't import XREFs, even bound ones. Combine the drawings into one DXF aligned to project coordinates (from the civil), in decimal feet.
  2. After importing and verifying, delete the civil file from the tablet project.

After an iCON tablet firmware update, reopened files show only staked points, not the original grid/wall points

Applies to: iCON build

  1. Check point names for special characters and line work for corrupt content.
  2. Set Windows display resolution back to the recommended setting.
  3. Delete unneeded files from the tablet.
  4. If needed, fully remove and reinstall iCON.

ICON: points vanish when a job is reopened, or reimporting creates duplicate points (iCON 8.0.2)

Applies to: iCON build

  1. Check free space on the tablet's C: drive and archive old jobs to a USB stick.
  2. Remove dashes/special characters from point numbers.
  3. Uninstall/reinstall iCON.
  4. Confirmed fixDelete the header row from the CSV before importing.

ICON tablet (CC80) shows nircmd.exe / nircmdc.exe errors and iCON won't load

Applies to: iCON build, CC80

  1. Run Windows updates while on Wi-Fi.
  2. Confirmed fixEmpty the temp folder: Windows search 'Run', type %TMP%, select all, delete. iCON should then load.

CS35 tablet touchscreen rain/water mode setting is missing

Applies to: CS35 (Panasonic FZ-G1)

  1. Run the Panasonic PC Settings Utility fix installer: run 'Setup' once (it removes the old component; confirm), then run 'Setup' again to install the new System Interface Manager. Touchscreen settings return in PPCSU. Ask Datum for the installer.
  2. Note: the CS35 is discontinued and not fully iCON-compatible (no auto backups); the CC200 is the fully compatible 10-inch iCON tablet.

Update iCON robot or GNSS firmware

Applies to: iCR robots, iCON gps 70

  1. Robot: copy the .fw file into a folder named 'System' on an SD card, then start the update from the iCON software.
  2. The instrument's maintenance (CCP) must be current for the new version; check the maintenance date in MyWorld before updating.
  3. Tablet software and robot firmware usually need updating together to the same major version.

Will my old tablet work with a new iCON robot? / Tablet was reset and iCON is gone

Applies to: iCON build, CC80, Panasonic tablets

  1. Send Datum the tablet's EID and serial number and the robot's serial number.
  2. CC80 tablets with iCON Build can be upgraded (with a current CCP); older silver Panasonic FZ-M1 tablets can't take new iCON licenses.
  3. Confirmed fixIf a tablet was reset, CLM on it may still list its EID history; otherwise Datum can provide a rental or loaner tablet while a replacement is decided.

Too many CAD points clutter the iCON screen

Applies to: iCON build

  1. If you're not laying out from linework, import the CAD file as Background instead of Reference Data.
  2. On iCON 6.8 and later, turn off CAD points in the Layer Manager (update robot firmware too on iCON 70/80).

Old-style DWG (everything in model space, separate layout tabs) won't work in iCON

Applies to: iCON build

  1. Export the needed data out of the combined DWG into separate, simple DWGs before loading.

ICON points don't match the drawing (CAD in inches, points in feet)

Applies to: iCON build, Leica Point Layout / APL

  1. Confirmed fixImport the CAD in its own units (e.g. inches) and the points/control in theirs (feet), or better, export points from APL in the same units as the CAD.
  2. Then check known distances on the tablet to confirm.

Prepare an AutoCAD drawing for Leica iCON (full checklist)

Applies to: iCON build, AutoCAD

  1. Find the drawing's coordinate system and units first (see RG-097, RG-098).
  2. Confirmed fixXREF: detach references, or Bind (choose Bind, not Insert) to merge what you need; iCON doesn't read XREFs.
  3. PURGE with 'Purge nested items' > Purge All, repeated until nothing is left; then AUDIT and answer Y to fix errors.
  4. Delete or freeze layers you don't need (text, dimensions, title blocks); keep layout linework and points.
  5. EXPLODE blocks, MText and dynamic objects you need as geometry (keep a backup; don't explode useful blocks blindly).
  6. FLATTEN only if the file should be 2D; if it carries elevations (stakeout points, contours), keep Z and check it.
  7. Set UNITS to Decimal and the insertion scale to the unit the iCON project uses (feet or meters).
  8. SAVEAS AutoCAD 2013 DWG with a short clear name (e.g. SitePlan_FT_Clean.dwg), no spaces or special characters.
  9. Confirmed fixCopy to USB/SD, import into iCON, then check a known distance on the tablet before layout.

Work out what units an AutoCAD drawing is really in (inches vs feet vs meters)

Applies to: AutoCAD, iCON build

  1. Type UNITS and read the Insertion scale; it labels the units but doesn't scale anything.
  2. Use DIST between two points of known size (grid lines, a door). 10 ft reading 10 = feet; 120 = inches; about 3.05 = meters.
  3. Confirmed fixArchitectural units (25'-0") mean 1 unit = 1 inch; switching to Decimal shows 300.0000, which iCON would read as 300 ft (12x too big).
  4. Confirmed fixFix: UNITS > Decimal, then SCALE everything from base point 0,0 by 1/12 (0.0833333). Re-check with DIST (300 becomes 25). mm to m: 1/1000; inches to m: 0.0254.

Find which coordinate system a drawing uses

Applies to: AutoCAD, Civil 3D

  1. Civil 3D: run MAPCSASSIGN or GEOGRAPHICLOCATION to see an assigned system (e.g. NAD83 state plane, UTM).
  2. Plain AutoCAD: run ID on a known point. Large numbers (e.g. X = 600000) suggest state plane or UTM; small numbers (e.g. 35) suggest a local site grid.
  3. If unsure, ask the surveyor or designer, and get a control file with at least 2 grid intersections (RG-036).

Export a Revit model to IFC for layout in iCON

Applies to: Revit, iCON build

  1. File > Export > IFC; choose the target folder; pick an IFC setup and click Modify setup.
  2. Additional Content: UNCHECK 'Export 2D plan view elements' and 'Export rooms in 2D views' (bloat). Turn off linked models and export only elements in your model.
  3. Property Sets: UNCHECK 'Export Revit property sets' (bloat); keep IFC common property sets.
  4. Advanced: careful with 'Include IFCSITE elevation in the site local placement origin'; it can throw off layout elevations.
  5. Setup changes aren't saved between sessions; recheck them each export.

Layout drifts or doesn't match over distance: US survey feet vs international feet

Applies to: Revit, AutoCAD, iCON build, Cyclone

  1. International foot = 0.3048 m; US survey foot = 1200/3937 m. Difference about 2 ppm (about 1 ft per 500,000 ft), enough to matter on long sites and state plane coordinates.
  2. Find out which one the survey/control uses; most US civil and state plane data has used US survey feet, while design software often defaults to international feet. (The US survey foot was officially retired at the end of 2022; check which one each project uses.)
  3. AutoCAD: INSUNITS 2 = international feet, 21 = US survey feet. Convert with SCALE factor 1.000002 when needed.
  4. iCON: choose US survey feet or international feet explicitly when creating the project; set the unit on import for mismatched files.
  5. Confirmed fixAlways confirm point-to-point distances before layout, and state the foot type on every deliverable.

Get a Revit model onto real-world (survey) coordinates

Applies to: Revit

  1. If you have a DWG with correct coordinates: link it Auto - Origin to Origin, then Manage > Coordinates > Acquire Coordinates.
  2. Or enter known values: show the Survey Point and Project Base Point, unclip the Survey Point, enter Northing/Easting/Elevation, reclip.
  3. When exporting DWG for layout: Modify Export Setup > Units and Coordinates > Shared coordinates.

Points land miles away or mirrored: Northing and Easting are swapped

Applies to: iCON build, AutoCAD, Revit, Cyclone

  1. Confirmed fixNorthing is Y and Easting is X. Check the column order in the file (e.g. NAME, NORTHING, EASTING, ELEVATION, CODE).
  2. Map the columns explicitly on import in every program; don't assume the default order.
  3. Check one known control point after import before laying out.
Still stuck? Datum Tech Solutions is a Leica Geosystems Authorized Service and Distribution Partner. Send us screenshots or photos, your software or instrument details and what you have tried, and we will work it through with you, and with Leica when a reset or repair is needed. Contact our team.