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CatCam User Manual - Page 1 of 17

CatCam

User Manual

Revision: 26. August 2008

Check for updates on: www.mr-lee-catcam.de

Mr. Lee CatCam and CatCam are trademarks of Juergen Perthold.

Index

Index..............................................................................................................1

Change History..............................................................................................2

1. Overview....................................................................................................3

2. Quick Start.................................................................................................3

3. Battery .......................................................................................................4

4. Adjustments...............................................................................................4

4.1 Adjust Time between Pictures .................................................................4

4.2 Fast Trigger Mode ...................................................................................5

4.3 Time Compression...................................................................................6

4.4 Enable Video Mode .................................................................................7

4.5 Adjust Focus............................................................................................8

5. Insert SD Flash Memory Card .................................................................10

6. Enable Camera........................................................................................11

7. Protective Housing...................................................................................12

8. Camouflage Features ..............................................................................13

9. Collar Attachment ....................................................................................14

10. Picture Storage and Download ..............................................................14

10.1 Erasing pictures/Format memory card.................................................16

11. Additional Information............................................................................16

12. Support and Help...................................................................................17

Summary of content (17 pages)

PAGE 1
CatCam® User Manual Revision: 26. August 2008 Check for updates on: www.mr-lee-catcam.de Mr. Lee CatCam and CatCam are trademarks of Juergen Perthold. Index Index..............................................................................................................1 Change History ..............................................................................................2 1. Overview....................................................................................................3 2.
PAGE 2
Change History We try to keep this manual up-to-date. Therefore changes and additions are made. You may want to check from time to time for updates so that you have the most recent issue available. Revision Date 14. July 2007 Changes Initial revision 25. July 2007 Addition on enabling camera. Added section “Additional Information”. 24. August 2007 More detailed description of setting the interval time. Addition of Fast Trigger feature. Addition of using larger SD memory cards. 5.
PAGE 3
1. Overview The CatCam® takes pictures or short video clips in an adjustable time sequence/interval. If no picture is taken, the camera is switched off to save battery energy. The device is designed to be worn on the collar of an animal (cat) but may find use for general surveillance tasks as well. The CatCam® offers a small size of 6 x 4 x 2.5cm (2.4 x 1.6 x 1 inch) and a weight of approx. 60 grams (2.5 oz) including standard battery. The device is protected against dust, dirt and water.
PAGE 4
3. Battery The standard camera is powered by an AAA battery. Since the camera requires a lot of energy also rechargeable batteries can be used. Please consider high capacitive NiMh types which offer 900mAh or more. The battery display shows always „full“ since the camera supplier switched to a new hardware revision. Without this modification the runtime would be reduced to a minimum.
PAGE 5
1. Remove Battery 2. Press and hold on/off button down. 3. While pressing button connect camera battery, the time starts counting internally (no display or --- ). 4. Release button after the desired new picture time. The new value will be stored in memory. 5. Disconnect battery. Please note that the minimum time between pictures depends also from the camera itself. The interval time starts after one photo cycle has finished and the picture is stored in the memory.
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Normal Mode, camera is switched off between pictures, no time compression End of linear time range Fast Trigger Mode, camera is not switched off between pictures. Time set 5s 20s 4.3 Time Compression With firmware version 2.2 a time compression feature is implemented. This makes the adjustment of longer interval times more convenient. Time compression means that if you want to set an interval time of e.g. 1 hour you don’t need to press the button for 1 hour.
PAGE 7
The following graph illustrates this behavior, but it is probably more practical for you to have a look to the table on the right which shows popular interval times and the time you need to adjust on the camera to get them. Time you set 5s 100s Compressed time range (factor 8) Photo interval time = time between pictures Push-button time = time you set on the camera 20s Linear time range 20s 21s 25s 29s 33s 40s 55s 93s 130s 243s = ca. 4 minutes 468s = ca.
PAGE 8
1. Remove Battery 2. Press and hold on/off button down. 3. While pressing button connect camera battery, the time starts counting internally (no display or --- ). 4. Press the Trigger button to enable Video Mode. It is not necessary to hold the button all the time. Just press it once during interval time adjustment. 5. Release on/off button after the desired time between video clips. The new value will be stored in memory. 6. Disconnect battery.
PAGE 9
You may find that the adjustable range is not matching your requirements. If so, you can open the camera housing and adjust the focus in a larger range by rotating the lens. A clockwise direction will result in farer focus distance.
PAGE 10
5. Insert SD Flash Memory Card The CatCam usually requires a SD Flash Memory card for full performance. Please refer to section "Picture Storage and Download" for details. The SD card is inserted into the camera with the label facing in the same direction as the lens. Slide the card in, then press until it is engaged. Note: there are some cameras existing there a different slot is used. In this case the card has to face into the other direction. Note: The content of the card may be erased by the camera.
PAGE 11
6. Enable Camera The camera is simply enabled by inserting the battery. The On/Off button must not be pressed. Control of the camera is performed by the integrated chip. The camera is switched on automatically after the adjusted time interval. Please check section “Adjust Time between Pictures” for details. The block diagram to the right will explain the operation sequence.
PAGE 12
7. Protective Housing Place the camera in the protective housing. Watch that the strings for the collar are parallel. Tilting the camera on the upper corner makes it easier to enter the housing. The housing has a lens hole which is covered with a window. Avoid touching the window to prevent finger prints and dust buildup.
PAGE 13
During normal application the housing closes out dust and water but is not water tight. You may want to apply tape to the housing door to prevent water intrusion and provide additional protection against cracking open. Due to recent cases it is highly recommended that you secure the hinge with tape. Some CatCam owners reported that they lost the camera. The cat returned with the empty case. Although it can not be neglected that someone emptied the case it is better to stay on the save side.
PAGE 14
9. Collar Attachment The protective housing is equipped with metal reinforced straps to attach the camera to a collar. The straps will hold the camera securely without being harmful to the animal. Please check from time to time that the insulation or the integrated metal wires are not damaged. Slip the collar through both loops (adjusted equally long) and then put the collar with the camera to your animal. The lens should point away from the animal.
PAGE 15
Flash memory card. The maximum size supported by the camera is 2GB (512MB for old models). You can use larger memory cards such as 1 MB or higher. But the additional memory is not used by the camera. The camera provides only 8MB of internal RAM. This can hold up to 20-25 pictures. Another drawback of the internal memory is that pictures are lost if battery gets empty. Please note that the pictures are upside down.
PAGE 16
The other way to download the pictures from the camera is to plug in the Mini USB connector. The camera is usually recognized by the computer as a USB mass storage device. Therefore you don’t need special software, just thread the camera as an additional drive. 10.1 Erasing pictures/Format memory card Using a card reader you can erase images. Please note that erasing of images over USB is not possible. You have to format the memory card with the camera. To do this, first set an interval time of approx.
PAGE 17
The display of the camera shows strange symbols. What is wrong ? This is one weak point of the camera. The LCD is not fixed well, it is pressed against the circuit board using the housing. It can happen that the connections between the LCD and the board becomes loose because of mechanical shock, pressure, whatever. The display is not important but it can be annoying. You can try to fix it by pressing a finger against the housing right below or beneath the display.