Time-Lapse Package
Revision E
Configuring the DigiSnap
Now that you’ve verified that things are working, you may want to configure the DigiSnap for your particular application. The first
time you do this can be trying, but once you’ve gone through the process once, it’ll be easy the next time. If you get stuck, give Mark
a call!
The DigiSnap should already be configured properly for the camera. All you should need to configure are the time-lapse settings
within the DigiSnap, and set up the camera for your application.
Take a look at the DigiSnap 2000 manual, which is on the CD Rom supplied with the equipment. This should help you to understand
how the DigiSnap works with a terminal window, and what sort of operations the DigiSnap can perform.
Connecting to a terminal
If you have a desktop PC, you probably have a serial port on the back of your computer. Use the supplied beige cable (labeled Null-
Modem), to connect the DigiSnap to your serial port.
If you have a newer laptop or a Mac, you may need to buy a USB to Serial converter, and install it's drivers. These are available at
any computer store from $15 and up.
You now need to run a program to open up a terminal window. If you are running Linux, you already know how to do this! If you
have a windows PC you can use the DigiSnap_Terminal.exe program supplied on the CD Rom.
If you are using a Mac, you can download a shareware program called ZTerm, or you may already have a terminal program installed
with your particular OS. The particular COM settings needed are listed in the DigiSnap 2000 manual.
Once you have your terminal program running, and ‘connected’, cycle the power on the DigiSnap (flip the toggle switch off and on
again), and you should see it present a menu on the screen. You can select the different menus or particular commands. Once you
have configured the DigiSnap via a terminal, the settings are saved forever, or until the next time you change them using this same
procedure.
If you have problems getting the 'terminal' working with the DigiSnap, please refer to the “Terminal Instructions” article on the CD-
Rom. If you suspect any problem with our equipment, please call us!
Configuring for Advanced Time-Lapse
The majority of outdoor monitoring applications will use the Advanced Time-Lapse (ATL) feature of the DigiSnap controller. With
ATL, the camera can be made to take pictures only at specific times of the day, such as during daylight hours. Please refer to the
DigiSnap 2000 manual on the CD-Rom for specific details regarding the configuration menus.
Please note that the DigiSnap controller does not have a 'real-time' internal clock. When you power it up, so it will presume that it’s
midnight. This doesn’t mean you can’t use ATL, it just means you have to be a bit more clever. You can set up the ATL start times
with an offset, anticipating what time of day you are going to start the system, or you can simply have configure the DigiSnap to start
taking pictures at 00:01 (1 minute after midnight), and power up the system when you want it to start taking pictures. The DigiSnap
will then start keeping time, and taking pictures on a daily schedule.
We would be happy to pre-configure the DigiSnap for your particular application, to ease your project by one more step. Also, feel
free to call us at your convenience for help in configuring the time-lapse sequence. Although the process is straightforward for some
people, others need a bit of hand-holding the first time... we understand this!
Harbortronics Inc 4 10/7/2008
To Next Page
Loading...