- Where to buy a laser level profitably and reliably?
- Technical Data
- Huepar S04CG-L laser level housing
- Compensator
- Device control
- Auto power off function
- Comparison table with the analogue
- Laser line thickness at different distances
- Measuring laser line brightness
- Checking the declared accuracy
- Calibrating the Huepar S04CG-L laser level
- Instrument delivery set
- Pros and cons of Huepar S04CG-L
- Video comparison of Huepar S04CG-L and simply S04CG laser levels
Laser level Huepar S04CG-L, is a lightweight model of the maximum functionality to date 4D laser level Huepar S04CG with Bluetooth.
Model with prefix “L” has the same optical scheme, it projects 2 verticals and 2 horizons of 360 degrees, plus a full plumb line.
The lightweight version of the laser level is much cheaper, and it is not surprising, since the model is deprived of some options, namely:
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there is no possibility of remote control via remote control
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there is no Bluetooth, so it is not possible to control via phone
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no LCD display
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no built-in tilt sensors, and as a consequence there is no tilt value output on the screen, which is also missing
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the protective towers are made of plastic, not metal, as in the maximum model
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simpler delivery set (see the flagship laser level kit in its review).
At first glance it may seem that this amount of deprivation makes this model unattractive, but in fact it is a standard 4D laser level that competes perfectly in price and quality with counterparts, for example FUKUDA MW-94D-4GX and many others.
Where to buy a laser level profitably and reliably?
Technical Data
- Accuracy: ± 3mm/10m (±1/9 in. at 33ft)
- Operating distance: ≥ 20m/66ft (100LUX):
- Range with receiver: ≥ 80m/260ft in diameter
- Compensator alignment range: 3.5° ± 1°
- Setting compensator time: 3 seconds
- Laser class: II, (IEC/EN60825-1/2014), <1mW
- Wavelength: 505-520 nm
- Power source: 7.4V 2600 mAh Li-ion battery / 4Ax1.5V batteries / AC adapter
- Operating time (all planes): battery ~ 5h / AA batteries ~ 0,5h
- Charging time: ~ 4,5h
- Charging port: Type-C / 5V=2A adapter
- Protection against dust and moisture: IP54
- TILT function: yes
- Tripod thread: 1/4″
- Working temperature: -10°C ~ +50°C
- Storage temperature: -20°C ~ +70°C
- Set size with towers: L/W/H – 14,7 x 8,9 x 14,4 cm
- Weight of the set in the case: 1 668 grams
- Weight of laser level: 664 grams
- Minimum distance from the upper horizon:
to floor: 13.2 cm
to ceiling: 1.2 cm - Minimal distance from the lower horizon:
to floor – 1.7 cm
to ceiling: 12.7 cm - Distance between horizons: 11.5 cm
- Minimum distance from vertical to wall: 1 cm
Huepar S04CG-L laser level housing
The materials and build of the housing here are of the same quality as the older model. The only thing is that the green protective towers are made of plastic, not metal. But they are also fastened with four bolts through two rubber gaskets at the top and bottom of the glass.
The bottom foot is also secured through rubber gaskets. At its base is a neat 1/4″ threaded brass bushing for attaching to tripods and other accessories.
The presence of rubber feet is excellent for the stability of the laser level on slippery surfaces.
The same good quality laser modules are installed. The manufacturer specifies Osram, but it is not possible to check this, we can only accept this information. But it must be said that the laser lines from these modules are thin and bright. See the line brightness measurements below in the review.
Since the Huepar S04CG-L laser level doesn’t have a screen, it’s easier to disassemble, I thought, but no such luck. For a model with a screen you have to remove the display very carefully when disassembling it, because there is a chance of damaging it. And for this model you have to carefully remove the black glossy panel.
Why it was not possible to make a disassembly, for example, as in Huepar LS04CG or Huepar 904DG – I do not understand.
But to be fair I must say that if you need to adjust the unit sooner or later, there is no need to disassemble it at all! Just remove the two side towers for adjustment. (More about alignment below)
The battery compartment is the same, but the battery in the light version is different, the model DP-02. It can be charged while standing in the device or separately through the USB Type-C port.
The battery is not collapsible, but it is obvious that there are 18650 cells inside. I can not say for sure, but it is possible that in new shipments such a battery is included in both laser levels.
The instrument can also be operated with plain AA (LR6) batteries as well as with or without a battery installed. Important: The laser level should not be plugged in with plain batteries.
Compensator
Both versions have a mechanical pendulum compensator on magnetic dampers. The magnets, which are mounted under the base of the pendulum, dampen its oscillations faster, and consequently allow the pendulum to be adjusted to its working position much faster, within 4-5 seconds.
One of the pluses is the metal supports for the entire compensation system, not the plastic ones like the Zokoun IE16R laser level. It must be said that almost all Huepar laser level models are equipped with metal supports, see the reviews for more details.
The range of the compensator is 3.5° ± 1°, which means that tilting to either side within this range will be compensated for and the pendulum will be in a working, vertical position.
If, however, the permissible degree of inclination is exceeded, a visual and audible warning is automatically activated. The lines will start blinking in tact with the sound 2 times per second.
To turn off this peculiar alarm you just need to put the laser level on a flatter surface.
Device control
The screen is gone, but the buttons are the same. The laser level is operated by a two-position toggle switch on the side and three rubber buttons on the top panel.
There is also another LED indicator on the panel. In normal mode it is green. When you turn on the receiver mode, the LED will turn blue.
It will also blink red if the battery is low. It will blink green when charging through the unit and will stop blinking when the battery is fully charged.
Buttons “H” and “V” are responsible for the alternate switching of planes: V – vertical, H – horizontal. That is, it is the most convenient control of the planes, you can choose absolutely any combination.
The power button with the letter p~, has two functions:
- Is the activation of the tilt mode (with the toggle switch in the “OFF” position). To activate it, press and hold the button on the unit OFF for 3-4 seconds. After that, all the planes will light up, and you can use the buttons to turn off the planes you don’t need.
- A short press activates the receiver operating mode. The blue indicator lights up and the lines begin to glow slightly dimmer. In this mode it is possible to work outdoors when the sun is 80 meters or more in diameter. A special receiver must be purchased separately.
The receiver can be operated in both auto-levelling mode and locked compensator mode.
The toggle switch on the side is responsible for activating, locking and unlocking the compensator.
When you turn the toggle switch to the “ON” position, the compensator opens and all four 360-degree planes light up. All further operation is done with the buttons at the top.
Auto power off function
Some Huepar laser levels, including the S04CG-L, are equipped with an auto shut-off function when not in use, but there are nuances.
The fact is that the compensator here is mechanical rather than electronic, as, for example, with the Huepar DT03CG laser level, and the pendulum cannot lock by itself, you have to go up to the unit and lock it with the toggle switch.
On this basis, the function works in 2 variants as follows:
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The compensator is unlocked. The planes are all switched off. The indicator on the control panel is lit. In this case there will be a beep every 30 seconds with a triple fast flash of all lines.
In this situation the compensator cannot lock itself, i.e. the alerts every 30 seconds will continue until you come up and turn off the unit all the way.
- The pendulum is locked. All planes are disabled. Only the indicator light is lit. Same here, every 30 seconds an acoustic and light warning, but as the compensator is locked, the unit itself will switch off completely after 5 minutes.
Comparison table with the analogue
Technical features | HUEPAR S04CG-L | HUEPAR LS04CG |
---|---|---|
Accuracy, mm/m | ± 0.3mm/1m | ± 0.3mm/1m |
Compensator range, ° | 3,5° ± 1° | 3° ± 1° |
Range without / with receiver | ≥20*/40ft (R) ≥66*/130ft (R) | 30*/60m (R) 98*/197ft (R) |
Control panel | analog | analog |
Dust and moisture protection | IP54 | IP54 |
Tilt function | yes | yes |
Work with the detector | yes | yes |
Remote control | no | no |
Outlet operation | yes | yes |
Battery | 7.4V 2600mAh | 3.7V 5200mAh 2pc. quick-release |
Auto power off | yes | yes |
Working temperature | -10°C to +50°C | -10°C to +50°C |
Laser line thickness at different distances
The Huepar S04CG-L laser level line thickness test showed good results.
At the three demonstrative distances: short, medium, long the corresponding readings are – 1.5mm/1.5mm/2mm.
Measuring laser line brightness
Based on the measurements, the model with the prefix “L” was brighter than the model without the prefix. But the difference is very small and can be written off as a statistical error. See the test results of the other models in the laser level brightness table.
So, the measurements were made in four positions because the brightness concentration along the circle of the plane is not the same.
- 5 meters brightest side: 37.2 LUX
- 5 meters dim side: 5.5 LUX
- 10 meters bright sector: 13.2 LUX
- 10 meters dim sector: 1.8 LUX
Checking the declared accuracy
As you remember its stated accuracy of ± 3mm/10m, which means that when checking the horizons, when turning at 10 meters all four sides must pass through the first point with an acceptable error, either up + 3mm, or down – 3mm.
Thus the difference between the points at 10 m should not exceed 6 mm. For details on how the error is calculated, see here.
In the photo below, you can see that this piece fully meets the stated error corridor, and in fact is set even better.
All verticals are checked by the plumb line. No deviations exceeding permissible values were detected.
But do not forget that it is a precision instrument! And from improper handling it can be upset, and it accordingly needs adjustment (calibration), which, by the way, can be done by yourself. How exactly see below.
Calibrating the Huepar S04CG-L laser level
- If, after checking the laser level for accuracy, you find that all planes are tilted slightly to one side, adjustment at this coaxial offset is very simple.
It is enough to adjust the position of the pendulum with two hex bolts. And you don’t have to disassemble the instrument to do this. You just have to remove the side protective towers. After that, the longitudinal alignment bolt is accessible from the front.
By moving it in the body of the pendulum, the horizontal planes will either rise or fall. And the front vertical plane will also tilt (back and forth). The lateral vertical will not be affected by this bolt.
The cross alignment bolt on the side will affect the horizontal planes (roll left and right), and the lateral vertical plane. There will be no movement of the bolt on the front vertical in this case.
- Another option is when all the planes are unbalanced. Then it is the lower horizon that is aligned first, using the longitudinal and transverse bolts on the pendulum.
Next, each module is adjusted individually using the four bolts at the base of the module. These bolts can also be accessed by simply removing the protective tower.
After calibration, I recommend lubricating all the alignment bolts with regular nail polish to prevent them from unscrewing during vibration.
Instrument delivery set
The Huepar S04CG-L laser level is supplied in a quality sewn cloth case with thick, padded cell walls.
The basic kit includes:
- 4×360° laser level
- 7.4V 2600mAh lithium ion battery
- battery charger
- adapter for operation from AA batteries
- AA batteries (LR6) 4 x 1.5V
- lifting metal platform
- magnetic wall mount with rotation around its axis, and back and forth movement of the boom
- metal plate
- magnetic laser target
- multilingual instruction manual
Pros and cons of Huepar S04CG-L
Inexpensive, green beams, 4 planes at 360°, plumb, fine and bright lines, good laser modules, receiver mode, TILT function, auto off and reminder function, convenient plane switching algorithm, high quality build and materials, metal supports for compensator, maximum power variation, good starter kit, simple enough calibration.
Inconvenient disassembly of the housing, no remote control.