RFID LOGGER QUICK START GUIDE

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1 RFID LOGGER QUICK START GUIDE Thank you for choosing Wild Spy. Below you ll find a brief outline of how to setup your new equipment. Should you have any questions, send us an at enquiries@wildspy.com.au A note concerning tag compatibility. The logger is primarily designed to work with ISO 11784/11785 standard FDX-B and HDX tags, as commonly used with domestic animals. It is not compatible with FDX-A tags. Please ensure you are using the correct tags in conjunction with the logger. Getting Started Connect an antenna to each of the two pin sockets at either end of the logger housing. The sockets are keyed and only fit together in the correct orientation, so don t attempt to force them. Simply rotate the plug until the groove on one side aligns with the corresponding key in the socket. Once the plug is firmly seated, screw down the the attached ring so that it is finger-tight. Don t over-tighten. Antenna plug and corresponding socket. Note groove on plug and matching key in socket. The unit has provision for an onboard battery-backup to retain the time/date setting when power is disconnected. Open the logger case and insert a CR2032 lithium coin cell battery (not included) into the beige plastic holder on the main board. Slide one end of the battery under the three plastic prongs, then

2 push the other end down gently until it clicks into place. Make sure the writing on the battery and the + indicator face up. Once the battery is seated, replace and screw down the case lid. Closeup of coin cell battery holder Connect a 12V sealed lead acid battery via the supplied DC power cable. There is a DC input socket on one side of the logger housing. You may see an LED on the logger board briefly flash when power is first connected. Location of DC input socket and serial port Connect the supplied serial-to-usb cable to the serial port on one side of the logger housing. Plug the other end of a cable into a USB port of a Windows PC (Mac currently unsupported). You may be prompted to install a device driver for the cable. If so, check the installation CD included with the cable.

3 Download the RFID Reader software from here and install it. Once installed, start the program and click on the CONNECT button in the top menu bar, which will pop up a dialogue window: RFID reader software, prompting for COM port selection You need to select the COM port number that was assigned to your logger when it was connected. If you have a lot of devices connected and are unsure which one is the logger, go to the Control Panel and open the Device Manager. In Windows Vista/7, you will need to look under Control Panel\Hardware and Sound or Control Panel\All Control Panel Items. In the Device Manager, go to the Ports (COM & LPT) section and expand it to list all assigned COM ports on your computer: Example Windows Device Manager screen, showing assigned COM ports The logger should be identified as a USB-to-Serial device. If you have multiple such devices, disconnect and reconnect the USB cable to see what COM port number your logger is assigned. You should see one entry disappear and then reappear. In the reader software, choose the assigned COM port from the dropdown list. If you select the wrong port, or your logger isn t powered, you will get an error message. On

4 selecting the appropriate port, you will be able to access the data stored on the unit and download it, as well as clear any stored records. To test that the logger is working, pass an RFID tag through an antenna. You should see an LED flash on either the main or auxiliary boards, depending which antenna detected the tag. In the software, you can click on the Count Records button to quickly see how many detections have been recorded. Note that you will get a warning message in red about records being in temporary storage. You can remove this by clicking the Update Records button. This is a precautionary step if removing the unit s onboard SD card, however we recommend never removing the SD card unless you are specifically instructed by Wild Spy staff to do so. Clicking the Download Records button will download and display a list of all records in the log window: Example of tag logs downloaded from unit The list will display the tag number/id, the time and date it was captured, and which unit/antenna detected it. Clicking on the Save Records button will save any downloaded records as a space delimited text file: Example of tag logs saved to text file Once you have downloaded and saved any stored records, you can clear the unit s memory with the Delete Records button. This will pop up a warning window, asking you to confirm. Ensure you have saved a copy of any records you wish to keep as a text file before erasing the unit s memory. An additional feature of the software is the provision for setting both a daily schedule for when the logger will be active, and a setting for how long/often the antenna/s are active. These two functions can be used

5 independently, or together. Both are designed for power management, reducing the unit s power consumption and extending deployment times. Activation periods and interval settings The activation periods panel defines what hours each day the unit is in active (i.e. full power) mode, listening for tags, and when it is asleep (i.e. low power mode). The software automatically reads the values stored on the unit when first connected, but you can download them again at any time by clicking the Get Periods button. Each day of the week has a field with a four digit number for start time and end time. These are times in 24 hour/military time, e.g. midnight is 0000, 9am is 0900, 9pm is 2100, etc. By default, the unit will be set to constantly be active. If you only want the unit to run for part of the day, for instance if you are monitoring nocturnal animals, set the time period each day you want the unit to be actively listening for tags. For example, you may wish the unit to become active at 4pm, 1600, and go to sleep at 8am, There is an additional Current Day column where you set the current day of the week at the time of programming. The logger automatically synchronises the time and date with your PC when the software connects, but it has no onboard calendar, so setting the current day is important when using a variable daily schedule. Interval mode defines how long the antenna/s are switched on when the unit is in active mode. By default this will be all the time. By setting values here, you can define how often the antenna/s are on and off. In the example picture, the activation period is set to 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Thus the antenna/s would only be listening for tags 30 seconds out of every minute. The values can be asynchronous, e.g. you could set the on period to 30 seconds and the off period to 120 seconds. Note that the unit will not detect any tags while the antennas are switched off. For times when it may not be possible or desirable to have the unit go into sleep mode for an extended period, cycling the antennas on and off helps reduce power consumption while the unit is otherwise still active. FIELD DEPLOYMENT To fit the antenna rings to PVC piping, we recommend using an adhesive gap filler such as Selleys 3 in 1 for a semi-permanent bond. However, if you wish to be able to remove the antennas, an alternative is to

6 wrap the ends of the PVC pipe in several layers of gaffer/duct tape, until the rings fit snugly but are still removable. Before deploying the unit in the field, there are some additional steps we advise in order to make the electronics more weather resistant. To protect the serial port, we recommend covering it with a generously-sized piece of gaffer/duct tape. Additionally, the edges of the tape may be coated in a waterproof silicone if so desired. The DC jack and antenna plugs should be given a coating of silicone around the join line with the socket. Ideally the battery should be placed in some sort of weather-proof housing, but if this is not the case, make sure that the terminals are protected from water ingress. At the minimum cover them with gaffer/duct tape, although silicone may be a better option, depending on deployment duration.