Request for help from a mate...

...it got dropped, (A bouncy rock to rock 6m) but fortunately survived with only a cracked microscope slide lens cover to show for this.  Despite the crack in the slide and the drop it seemed to function OK and never lost any accuracy.  Full marks for the microscope slide DistoX lens protector - a worthy modification - and one worth emphasising on and Disto/DistoX WebPages/blogs etc

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Another problem I have with the DistoX is that it won't turn off with the off switch.  Instead I have to wait for it to shut down.  Not a massive problem in respect of its use except when you are blue-toothing it to the PDA. This is because it sends all of the data in its memory to the PDA regardless of which cave you are in - cleverly linking the previous cave to the next etc.  Any ideas on how to fix this?

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Anyone any ideas on the blue toothing bit..

I had a similar problem when I changed my PDA. As you mention the Disto is fine but won't turn off.

Not able to tell you why it does this but I found that it seems to be a bluetooth issue rather than a faulty Disto. If you try uninstalling and  then re installing the Disto/PDA connection the Off button starts working again. Well it did for me anyway.

has it knocked the keypad cable out inside?

Another problem I have with the DistoX is that it won't turn off with the off switch.  Instead I have to wait for it to shut down.  Not a massive problem in respect of its use except when you are blue-toothing it to the PDA. This is because it sends all of the data in its memory to the PDA regardless of which cave you are in - cleverly linking the previous cave to the next etc.  Any ideas on how to fix this?

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At risk of stating the obvious, but just download each cave to the PDA before starting another one! In practice to survey meaningfully with a DistoX you need to monitor the data coming on to a PDA as you go. Otherwise you cannot handle making mistakes when measuring or be sure you have not made mistakes because you are blindly collecting data. As soon as you get junctions and the like you have to have a PDA to hand to correctly link side passages in to the correct place in the data set. So the only time you will have a load of stored data in the DistoX memory is when you have been playing about with it on the surface. Simply start up the PDA and wait for it to all download. Then close the file it downloaded into without saving it and reopen the file again to start surveying with an empty DistoX memory and PDA set up to start downloading the data linked to the correct part of any existing survey you have in PocketTopo already. (Or start a new file if this is the first survey in a new cave).