This project was a bit tricky, in my opinion, that I felt was a good test for the latest Deltas, software, and firmware. I was wanting to set a grade through some woods that field rainfall runoff utilize and has been eroding the ground towards a large creek downhill. I spent four days clearing brush, dead trees, trimming trees, and removal of honeysuckle bushes and vines to accommodate my plan.

I began my trenching 260 feet into the woods at a point where the ground surface was eroded and the erosion was getting worse closer to the creek. I squared the base of the erosion depth, which was approximately 1.5 feet below ground level. I utilized the new “Slope Project”, created a grade of approximately 1% on the phone application with 6 reference points marked along the trench path.

I placed the “Slope Delta” higher than I normally would because I was worried about tree roots knocking and breaking the Delta when I pulled my bucket through the roots. I typically place that Delta on the buckets quick attachment mechanism. The app has a nifty pitch and roll readings to insure my dipper stick is the same orientation, as when I zeroed the Deltas out at the start of the project, each time I checked my grade. I had set my three weather anchors (last years project I had a three Delta set, so only two weather anchors) on top of kitty litter boxes at 260’, 230’, and 200’ in the woods from the edge of the field. Every 60 feet of trench, I would mark the point on the phone application to save the point and confirm grade is consistent.

I was initially worried the Bluetooth connectivity would be sketchy bouncing off of trees and foliage. I worked past the three weather anchors after 60 feet and had no issues. I kept trenching, without moving the weather anchors, until I as about 20 feet from the actual field without any connectivity issues. I ended up walking into the open field approximately 120 feet and the application indicated I still had the three weather stations active. Perhaps, I should have kept walking to find the actual range of communication with my variables today. I have no more concerns about the range of the Bluetooth in denser foliage now.

The application has a setting for wind speed corrections that came in handy on a small drain tile trench I completely immediately after the software and firmware was updated on my system. The “Slope Project” does all the math to keep grade consistent throughout the project. The only manual thing that the operator needs to do is mark each reference point on the ground utilizing a wheel and paint/flags/or whatever works for you and actually REMEMBER to mark the trench elevation at those points. It also has a handy beeper when the trench is 1/2” plus/minus of grade.

This software and firmware, along with the “Slope Project” was well thought out and I felt it was light years ahead of last years version. I am privy to a soon to be announced upgrade program from Delta version 1.1 cases to 1.2. I would recommend taking advantage of this program. The upgrade is well worthwhile, in my opinion, and makes the entire Delta operation much smoother.

The “Slope Project” isn’t just utilized for trench grading, I plan on using it to build level terraces to dam rainfall runoff in order for the tile to carry it away underground versus having a large amount of surface erosion in the days to come this fall. Earlier I had used this feature to calculate the amount of fill I need to complete the aforementioned terraces - utilized a 0% grade and have numerous reference points to get the necessary data to calculate fill material. I am sure I’ll figure a few more “out of the box” uses for this feature in the near future.

i have attached some pictures of what was done today to get a scale of this projects conditions.

Wind Filter

The wind filter has been a super helpful introduction as of the 2.0.0 firmware and we've gotten great feedback on it. That said, we've definitely heard some clear improvements we could make to it. The original filter was tuned to settle at 95% of the reading by the duration of the filter. However, the settle time of the filter has been shaking out to take longer than the time it says on the filter (5s, 10s, etc) due to other data pipeline effects stacking on top of the filter. In addition, the further the move you make in elevation, the longer it would take to settle. We've changed the filter to make it fully deterministic and it should now settle at the reading corresponding to a move in just under the time the filter states.

The other piece of feedback we've heard commonly regarding the filter is that for folks that have little to no wind, they don't want it on at all, favoring maximum responsiveness. So, we've made "Off" the default setting for the filter. So when you launch your project, you'll get maximum, realtime, responsiveness right off the bat. Then you enable the filter as necessary if the wind kicks up.

We've also lightened the lowest filter setting from 5s to 3s just to make it a little peppier while taking out some low level wind noise.

Zeroing

With the introduction of the wind filter, zeroing at the beginning of the activity would initially wait for the filter duration before taking the zero, then would zero for a fixed amount of time, about two seconds. Subsequent zeroing in the same activity would simply zero for the few seconds without the wait. This meant that if you were on a slower filter setting, moved into position, and then immediately tapped zero, it would actually perform the zero while the filter was still settling. This could cause some pretty confusing behavior where you would "sail past" your zero point as the filter was still attempting to settle.

With this update, zeroing now actually resets the filter, avoiding the settling time issue, and zeroes for a duration corresponding to the filter setting you have selected. When off, zeroing takes 2-3 seconds. For longer filter settings, we zero for progressively longer durations to ensure we get a more stable zero in windier conditions.

These changes should make elevation performance much more predictable and easier to navigate in varying conditions. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@dirtydevices.com to tell us how things are going and let us know if you have any feedback. We have a bunch more updates cooking on the way to further improve runtime battery life and bluetooth range above and beyond these most recent updates. So stay tuned!

The Delta provides relative elevation directly on your phone or tablet, and Slope builds on that by doing the math for you and keeping each checkpoint’s target elevation in the app as you work.

Enter your run length, desired slope percentage or target depth, and the number of checkpoints you want to use. The app calculates the target elevation for each one.

Because Delta uses relative elevation rather than X/Y positioning, you’ll physically mark your checkpoints on the ground. Work toward each checkpoint using the live reading, then tap Mark Point when you’re there. The app records the elevation, shows whether it’s on, above, or below target, and automatically advances to the next point.

Start a Slope Project

First, assign your Deltas and start the project: Turn on your Deltas and connect them to the app as you normally would. Slope works with either a 3-Delta or 4-Delta kit. If you're working in windy conditions, we recommend using all four Deltas when available for the best stability.

Don’t have a Delta Kit yet?
Explore 3 & 4 Delta Kits

From the Start Project screen, select Slope. Choose one Delta as your Primary and assign the remaining Deltas as Weather Anchors. The app and Delta LEDs will confirm each assignment. Then tap Start Slope.

Configure Your Slope

Next enter the information for your project.

Run – the total distance of your slope.

Grade or Rise/Fall – enter whichever value you know. The app automatically calculates the other.

Number of Checkpoints – how many locations you'd like to check along the slope.

The run will automatically display using your preferred units (decimal feet, feet & inches, or inches). You can change this in settings menu before entering a project.

Once everything looks correct, tap collapse in the upper right hand corner of the setup panel to view your project graph and checkpoint list before you Mark Zero Point.

Mark Your Checkpoints

Switch to the List view to see each checkpoint the app calculated for you.

Using a tape measure, mark each checkpoint on the ground with stakes, paint, or whatever method you normally use.

Each checkpoint shows:

1. Distance from your starting point

2. Target elevation

3. Whether it has been marked in the app

Begin Working/Zero Your Starting Point

Move your machine to the starting point and tap Mark Zero Point.

The button will briefly turn gray while the Delta establishes the zero reference. Once it turns orange, you're ready to begin.

From there, move your machine from checkpoint to checkpoint, using Delta's live readings to guide you to each target elevation.

Tips & Features

Checkpoints can be revisited

Need to double-check your work?

Simply tap any checkpoint in the app to return to it. You can recheck or re-mark any point at any time during the project.

Re-Zero if conditions change

If your zero point drifts during the project, you can Re-Zero from the Project Actions menu.

Re-zeroing will reset any checkpoints you’ve already marked. You can either re-mark those points to verify them again, or leave them blank and select the checkpoint you’re currently working toward.

Audible Guidance

Slope includes optional audible feedback.

When enabled, the app will beep once you're within ±0.5 inch of the target grade, allowing you to focus on operating your machine instead of constantly watching the screen.

(Audible Guidance is currently available in Slope and will also be coming to Earthwork in a future update.)

If you found this guide while researching Delta and don’t have a kit yet, you can see available Delta Kits here.

That's it!

Once you've set up your first Slope project and get used to the new display, the workflow should become second nature.

If you have questions, run into anything unexpected, or have ideas for improving Slope, we'd love to hear from you! Operator feedback is what helped shape this feature, and it continues to guide where Delta goes next.

Happy grading!
Rebecca

Using the Deltas to confirm final grade and elevation. Delta shows elevation change is close.

I wanted to share my experience using the Dirty Devices Delta for my house build. It’s been about a year since I wrapped up this project, so I know the platform has seen some great updates since then, but the workflow I established was a total game-changer for a first-time operator like me.

I was tasked with digging the footings for my house, and let me tell you, trying to find "level" on a steep hillside is a challenge. Additionally, I was working solo many days so no one to run a laser stick.

My Workflow: I set the project type to "Earthwork." This was essential because it allowed me to use the pitch and roll data. I used the pitch to make sure my bucket was curled the exact same amount for every elevation measurement, and the roll helped me ensure the excavator was sitting level on the slope, which gave me a lot more confidence that my reference numbers were accurate and the bottom of the trench was level.

The Setup: My routine was to establish a solid Zero point and drive a stake at that spot. If I could reach that stake with my bucket, I’d set my Delta 0 right to it. If I was working too far away to reach it, I’d use my laser level and receiver to set the Delta zero. Having that physical stake within reach was a lifesaver—it was my "ground truth" to double-check my calibration as conditions changed throughout the day.

A Quick Tip on Calibration: I did notice a bit of drift, specifically when the sun went down and the temperature shifted. I got into the habit of resetting my zero the moment the sun went behind the mountain. It only took a second, but it kept my numbers tight for the rest of the evening.

The Results: I had never excavated anything that required such specific elevations before. The Delta made the job easily 3x faster. Beyond the speed, it actually helped me become a better operator—I turned the process into a game where I’d focus on keeping the elevation numbers perfectly steady while I was digging.

Also, as a solo operator, this thing was worth its weight in gold. I didn’t have anyone on-site to run a laser stick, so the Delta saved me from hopping in and out of the cab 50+ times a day.

We have a YouTube channel and document this part of the build with a couple videos so feel free to check that out. https://youtu.be/gbg9WZbR5k0?si=OVXEWdtbY0sJD2Zp

If you're on the fence about using one for your own build, just do it. It saved my back and kept my footings dead-on.

I'm currently prepping for my septic system so I look forward to using all the new feature like wind filtering!

use a mini ipad for easy view and to eliminate phone calls emails texts or anything else taking away from your ability to stay on task, have both a magnetic and suction ram mount this allows mounting on any machine

double check periodically the elevation as your weather stations could end up in direct sunlight and cause some drifting.

Get out and use it the more i use mine the more confident i become with it