ecoObs Mini-batcorder 1.0 Quick Manual

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Mini-batcorder 1.0

Quick guide

Version 1.02 / en

March 2019

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Page 1 Mini-batcorder 1.0 Quick guide Version 1.02 / en March 2019...
Page 2 To reduce the environmental impact we take our devices back for recycling or prop- er disposal. We encourage you to send us back defective units or parts. This is free of charge. If you have questions about the disposal process, please contact info@ecoobs.de ecoObs GmbH, Hermann-Kolb-Strasse 35b, 90475 Nuernberg, Germany ...
Page 3 • Please mail our hotline at info@ecoobs.de or call ++49 911 3768053 if the batcorder shows any external damage or does not work. Please do not try to repair damage your self or through non-authorized per- sonnel.
Page 4: Table Of Contents
ONTENTS Usage Using the Mini-batcorder Visual feedback Connecting with USB GPS functionality Power supply Settings...
Page 5: Usage
SAGE Usage Detecting bat calls reliably and in a quantitative manner poses high demands on setup and actual recording location. Automatic triggering, recording and computerized analyzing on species level highly depends on the proper detec- tor setup. We therefore recommend to follow the following advice. The user guidelines were compiled particularly regarding inﬂuences on the triggering mechanism, automated call analysis (with bcAdmin) and automated discrimi- nation (batIdent).
Page 6 SAGE locations, since it shields for example echoes from behind the micro- phone. • Many bushcrickets have calls in the ultrasonic spectrum. At a dis- tance of 2 meters or more to vegetation, the signal strength of these calls is reduced, hence, generates only few to none trigger events. Site selection and recording modalities Even if all tips mentioned before are taken into account, there are some dis- advantageous locations for bat detection:...
Page 7: Using The Mini-Batcorder
The Mini-batcorder features a minimalistic interface with only two buttons and some status LEDs. All settings are changed using free software available for Mac and Windows ( https://ecoobs.com/download-en/ The LEDs are used to indicate success as well as errors when using the Mini-batcorder.
Page 8 SING THE BATCORDER Starting/Stopping the Mini-batcorder Turning on the Mini-batcorder Press the Start/Stop switch All 3 LEDs are blinking green for three times, recording mode is activated. The Mini-batcorder will run for 10 to 12 hours with LEDs activated. The run- time is extended to ca.
Page 9: Visual Feedback
ISUAL EEDBACK Visual feedback Battery-LED In recording mode the following colors indicate: Green: battery is charged above 50% Orange: charge state of below 50% Red: only little charge is left Red-blinking: battery is empty. device turns off When charging the battery the following colors indicate: Green ﬂashing: battery is charged above 95% Orange ﬂashing: charge state above 75% Red ﬂashing: charge state below 75%...
Page 10 ISUAL EEDBACK x3 when connected to a computer x3 when disconnected from computer Flashing from bottom to top, one after the other if a power pack is connected while the Mini-batcorder is switched on. The same pattern in red is shown if the power pack is removed again.  ...
Page 11: Connecting With Usb
Connecting with USB Data connection and battery charging Make sure the Mini-batcorder is turned off, then connect it to your computer via USB. After connecting the Mini-batcorder is mounted by your computer as mass storage device. You can access all recordings without the need of any special software.
Page 12: Gps Functionality
OWER SUPPLY GPS functionality The main functionality of the built-in GPS receiver is to regularly get a current timestamp for setting the Mini-batcorder date and time. Since the GPS module does roughly triples the power consumption it is only in normal mode (always on) if the Mini-batcorder is not in stealth mode. Then it acquires a new position every minute.
Page 13: Power Supply
OWER SUPPLY Power supply The Mini-batcorder can be powered using a powerbank and runtime can be extended. Note that due to the low power consumption of the Mini-batcorder some powerbanks will not turn on. They must be able to detect and run with consumers drawing currents of below 25 mA.
Page 14: Settings
ETTINGS Settings Using the freely supplied software tools (see ecoObs downloads page) you can setup your Mini-batcorder according to your needs. Filecode The Filecode consists of ten alphanumeric characters (including underscore) and is used as identiﬁcation of a recording. Quality The standard value for Quality is 20, which is optimal for most bats in com- mon recording situations.
Page 15 ETTINGS The graph explains pre- and posttrigger times of the batcorder. Arrows indi- cate positive trigger events (= bat calls). The pretrigger of 50 ms is not ad- justable. Critical Frequency The third setting, is important for bat call recognition. Calls below this fre- quency are ignored in the analysis, thus, the signal is neither ﬁltered gously nor digitally.
Page 16 ISCELLANEOUS Miscellaneous Sound format Recordings with the batcorder are written as raw audio ﬁles without header information. The data is organized as PCM values with an amplitude resolu- tion of 16 bit, LittleEndian byte order (Intel) and a sample rate of 500 kHz. The ﬁles can be read with any sound software that is capable of opening raw audio ﬁles with the necessary sampling parameters.
Page 17 ISCELLANEOUS you can initiate a memory delete by deleting the LOGFILE.TXT. At the next startup the Mini-batcorder then will reformat its card and delete all ﬁles. Now copy the ﬁrmware ﬁle on the Mini-batcorder and restart after disconnec- ting from your computer. The LEDs will ﬂash in a certain longer pattern which indicates successful installation.