White Paper: Leica ScanStation P30/P40 – Tilt Compensation

Laser scanners from Leica Geosystems come equipped with a device called a tilt compensator. While using a laser scanner with a tilt compensator, the operator is required to approximately level the scanner using small screws in the mount. Although this process takes only a few seconds for someone used to levelling the instrument, one swiftly starts to question what a tilt compensator is, what is it doing, and most importantly, what possible benefit does such a device deliver to the operator. This paper strives to answer these questions for the operator who might be tempted to skip the step of levelling and would like to know when that is acceptable.