Cognisys SCOUT User manual

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Owner’s Manual
Revision 1.2
Copyright 2018 Cognisys, Inc.

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Table of Contents
1. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 5
2. GETTING STARTED ......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 WHAT IS THE SCOUT RECEIVER?...........................................................................................................................6
2.2 ADVANTAGES OVER PASSIVE INFRARED (PIR) .........................................................................................................6
2.3 WHAT IS INCLUDED ...........................................................................................................................................7
2.4 BATTERY INSTALLATION ......................................................................................................................................8
2.5 QUICK START GUIDE ..........................................................................................................................................9
2.6 CLEANING AND CARE .......................................................................................................................................10
2.6.1 Cleaning .................................................................................................................................................10
2.6.2 Care and storage....................................................................................................................................10
2.6.3 Maintaining Weatherproof Design ........................................................................................................11
2.7 THE SCOUT RECEIVER.......................................................................................................................................12
2.8 SCOUT TRANSMITTER.......................................................................................................................................13
2.9 CAMERA CONNECTION .....................................................................................................................................15
3. BASIC NAVIGATION ..................................................................................................................................... 16
3.1 BUTTONS.......................................................................................................................................................16
3.2 MAIN SCREEN ICONS .......................................................................................................................................17
3.3 MENU ICONS .................................................................................................................................................18
3.4 THE SCREEN ..........................................................................................................................................................18
4. SETTINGS..................................................................................................................................................... 19
4.1 SETTINGS NAVIGATION MAP .............................................................................................................................19
4.2 SETTING DESCRIPTIONS ....................................................................................................................................21
4.2.1 LED Alignment........................................................................................................................................21
4.2.2 Wake Camera Control............................................................................................................................21
4.2.3 Camera Settings.....................................................................................................................................21
4.2.3.1 # pics ............................................................................................................................................................. 22
4.2.3.2 Pre-trig time.................................................................................................................................................. 22
4.2.3.3 On time ......................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.2.3.4 Off time......................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.2.3.5 Final Off......................................................................................................................................................... 23
4.2.3.6 Extend On Time............................................................................................................................................. 23
4.2.3.7 Extend Off Time ............................................................................................................................................ 23
4.2.3.8 Periodic Half-Press ........................................................................................................................................ 23
4.2.3.9 HP (Half-Press) Limit ..................................................................................................................................... 24
4.2.4 Trigger Settings......................................................................................................................................24
4.2.4.1 Sensitivity...................................................................................................................................................... 24
4.2.4.2 Directional..................................................................................................................................................... 24
4.2.4.2.1 Selective ................................................................................................................................................... 25
4.2.5 System Settings......................................................................................................................................25
4.2.5.1 Wireless Settings........................................................................................................................................... 26
4.2.5.1.1 Enabled .................................................................................................................................................... 26

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4.2.5.1.2 Channel .................................................................................................................................................... 26
4.2.5.1.3 ID.............................................................................................................................................................. 26
4.2.5.1.4 Scan Channels .......................................................................................................................................... 26
4.2.5.1.5 Wake Up................................................................................................................................................... 26
4.2.5.2 Flash Settings ................................................................................................................................................ 27
4.2.5.2.1 Ready Wait ............................................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.5.3 Time Settings................................................................................................................................................. 27
4.2.5.3.1 Set current time ....................................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.5.3.2 Window On .............................................................................................................................................. 27
4.2.5.3.3 Set Start Time........................................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.5.3.4 Set End Time ............................................................................................................................................ 28
4.2.5.4 Screen Saver.................................................................................................................................................. 28
4.2.5.5 Lockout ......................................................................................................................................................... 28
4.2.5.6 Brightness ..................................................................................................................................................... 29
4.2.5.7 Shot Limit ...................................................................................................................................................... 29
4.2.5.7.1 Limit Window ........................................................................................................................................... 29
4.2.5.7.2 Limit Timeout ........................................................................................................................................... 29
4.2.5.8 Use Camera Control ...................................................................................................................................... 30
4.2.5.9 LED on trigger................................................................................................................................................ 30
4.2.5.10 Load Defaults ................................................................................................................................................ 30
4.2.5.11 Statistics ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
4.2.6 Clear # Pics .............................................................................................................................................30
5. EXAMPLES ................................................................................................................................................... 31
5.1 CAMERA SETTINGS ..........................................................................................................................................31
5.2 WIRED CAMERA (CAMERA CONTROLS FLASHES) ....................................................................................................33
5.3 WIRED CAMERA (SCOUT RECEIVER CONTROLS SCOUT FLASHES)...............................................................................34
5.4 FULL WIRELESS...............................................................................................................................................34
5.5 VIDEO RECORDING (RECEIVER CONTROLS CAMERA) ...............................................................................................35
5.6 MAXIMUM BATTERY LIFE..................................................................................................................................37
5.7 RECEIVER AND TRANSMITTER PLACEMENT ...........................................................................................................38
6. INSTALLING THE REFLASH SOFTWARE (OPTIONAL)...................................................................................... 40
6.1 WINDOWS INSTALLATION .................................................................................................................................40
6.2 OS XINSTALLATION.........................................................................................................................................40
7. TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................................................................................... 41
8. SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 43
9. WARRANTY ................................................................................................................................................. 44
10. REVISION HISTORY .................................................................................................................................. 45

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Table of Figures
Figure 1 – Scout Receiver Connections.......................................................................................................12
Figure 2 - Basic Connection Diagram ..........................................................................................................33

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1. Safety Instructions
WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death
or serious injury.
Follow all CAUTION notices to reduce the risk of personal injury, prevent damage to the Scout
equipment, accessories, and devices (computers, cameras, flashes, etc). Failure to follow all
CAUTION notices may void your warranty. CAUTION may also indicate a potentially hazardous
situation which, if not avoided, may result in personal injury.
The safety alert symbol precedes a general CAUTION or WARNING statement.
The electrical hazard symbol precedes an electric shock hazard CAUTION or WARNING
statement.
CAUTION: Only use approved power sources for Scout equipment. Use of other power
adapters or batteries may damage the controller and/or attached equipment.
CAUTION: Misuse of Scout equipment could potentially damage your equipment. Cognisys, Inc.
will not be held liable for damage to your equipment. If you have questions about safety please
contact us!
2. Getting Started
The latest version of this manual is available on our website at:
http://www.cognisys-inc.com/products/scout/scout_tech_specs.php
The graphics/menus included in this manual may not be identical to the software that you are
running. Improvements and adjustments to the software may happen prior to an updated
version of the manual.
Not big on reading manuals? (What? No thumbs-up? We worked hard on this you know!) We
have a few real world setups in the “5 - Examples” section. You can always come back to the
technical details if you get stuck. You really should finish reading this section though – it goes
through battery replacement and the basic care of the Receiver.

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2.1 What is the Scout Receiver?
The Scout Receiver is an ideal solution for short-term or long-term trail photography. It uses an
invisible active infrared beam created by a separate transmitter. Simply: When this beam is
crossed it will activate your camera.
The Scout Receiver has several features not available with many trail photography devices:
•Easy to use OLED dot matrix display
•Customizable camera control
•Directional triggering support (head photographs only please!)
•Adjustable sensitivity to prevent false activations
•Time windows of operation to only go after the subjects you’re interested in
•Can limit the number of shots to reduce nuisance triggers (curious squirrels)
•Wired or wireless operation with other Scout equipment
•Weatherproof design
•Removable ¼-20 tripod mount
•Operates off of 6 AA batteries
•> 100 days of battery life
•Wide operating temperature range: -40C – 80C (-40F – 176F)
2.2 Advantages over Passive Infrared (PIR)
Passive infrared (PIR) sensors have several flaws:
•Temperature/lighting changes can cause false triggers
•Extremely wide detection range making camera placement/focus difficult
•Because of the wide detection, setting subject height is difficult
•Relatively slow response rate
•Limited range
•May require adjustment to sensitivity
The Scout Receiver system on the other hand:
•Immune to temperature/lighting changes
•Point-to-point detection allowing precise camera placement/focus
•Filtering out “nuisance” animals is easy – just adjust the height of the system
•Response times as fast as 25 milliseconds
•Range of over 120 feet / 36 meters
•Point and shoot!

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2.3 What is Included
The Scout Receiver includes:
•Scout Receiver
•Camera shutter cable of choice
•4m/13ft weatherproof cable (Scout Receiver to camera)
•Removable ¼-20 tripod mount
•Quick-start guide insert
If you purchased the Scout Receiver as a kit it may include additional accessories.

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2.4 Battery Installation
Battery installation is a simple process and because the Scout Receiver has excellent battery life
– you won’t have to do it often!
The Receiver requires six AA (LR6) batteries. You can use either alkaline or rechargeable
varieties. For details about maximizing battery life see section “5.6 - Maximum Battery Life”.
1. Be sure the Receiver is clean prior to replacing the batteries otherwise dirt may
compromise the weatherproof seal.
2. Remove the four screws from the back-side of the Receiver using a Philips screwdriver.
3. Remove the Receiver’s back cover.
4. Install the six batteries.
5. Align and push back cover onto the Receiver.
6. Install screws being careful not to cross-thread them – do not overtighten!
You can also power the Scout Receiver with external power using the optional power cable
available here:
https://www.cognisys-inc.com/store/3pin-extpwr-cable.html
You do not need to remove the internal batteries when using external power but you should
remove the batteries if the Receiver will not be used for an extended period.

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2.5 Quick Start Guide
Want to be up and running in two minutes or less? Here’s the quick-start guide in case you
misplaced it:

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2.6 Cleaning and Care
We want your Scout equipment to last – so here are some brief steps to keep it happy!
2.6.1 Cleaning
For cleaning we recommend a slightly dampened (not wet) micro-fiber cloth. Do not spray
water directly into the inside of the equipment. Any liquid that goes into the controller may
cause an electrical failure of the device. Do not use a flammable liquid/solvents or cleaning
agents on the controller – just a micro-fiber cloth (dampened if needed).
2.6.2 Care and storage
Scout equipment is designed to handle normal wear and tear but there are some things to
avoid:
Do not get the unit wet internally.
If not using the external connectors be sure to attach the protective cover or
water may leak into the controller causing damage.
Do not drop the unit (the display, much like a cell-phone, is made of glass)
Protect the unit’s display and membrane when packing up your gear. If a tripod
fights the display or membrane on the controller – the controller will lose.
Do not allow dirt to get into the weatherproof seal. This could cause seal failure
and damage to the Receiver.
Remove all batteries prior to long term storage.
Failure to properly care for the Scout Receiver could result in a leak that may damage the
Receiver. The product warranty does not cover water damage resulting from user error.