Cognisys SCOUT User manual

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Owner’s Manual
Revision 1.0
Copyright 2020 Cognisys, Inc.

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Table of Contents
1. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 3
2. GETTING STARTED ......................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 WHAT IS THE SCOUT REPEATER?..........................................................................................................................4
2.2 WHAT IS INCLUDED ...........................................................................................................................................4
2.3 BATTERY INSTALLATION ......................................................................................................................................4
2.4 QUICK START GUIDE ..........................................................................................................................................6
2.5 CLEANING AND CARE .........................................................................................................................................7
2.5.1 Cleaning ...................................................................................................................................................7
2.5.2 Care and storage......................................................................................................................................7
2.5.3 Maintaining Weatherproof Design ..........................................................................................................8
2.6 WIRING DIAGRAM /CONNECTOR.........................................................................................................................9
2.7 AUX LED SELECTION........................................................................................................................................10
2.8 POWER BUTTON .............................................................................................................................................10
2.9 “PAIRING”TO YOUR CAMERA BOX .....................................................................................................................10
2.10 TURNING ON THE REPEATER..............................................................................................................................11
3. SETTINGS IN THE APP .................................................................................................................................. 12
4. EXAMPLE ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1 THE LONG HAUL..............................................................................................................................................13
4.2 THE ROCK......................................................................................................................................................14
5. INSTALLING THE REFLASH SOFTWARE (OPTIONAL)...................................................................................... 16
5.1 WINDOWS INSTALLATION .................................................................................................................................16
5.2 OS XINSTALLATION.........................................................................................................................................16
6. TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................................................................................... 17
7. SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 18
8. WARRANTY ................................................................................................................................................. 19
9. REVISION HISTORY ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Table of Figures
Figure 1 – Scout Repeater Connections........................................................................................................ 9

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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:
https://www.cognisys-inc.com/scout/repeater
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 “4 - 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 Repeater.

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2.1 What is the Scout Repeater?
The Scout Repeater is an accessory for the Scout Camera Box. It extends the possible distance
between sensors and the Camera Box.
The Scout Repeater has several features:
•Wireless communication to the Camera Box
•Bi-directional communication with all sensors
•Fully compatible with the Camera Box App
•Perfect for difficult terrain that prevents wireless signals from reaching the Camera Box.
•Easy setup (Plug and Play)
•Weatherproof
•200+ days battery life (wireless standby, not driving a light)
•Wide voltage Range (6 – 20V)
•Optional Internal Battery (5200mAh/14.8V -- 20800 mAh total capacity)
•Optional External Power
•Wide operating temperature range: -40C – 105C (-40F – 221F)
The Scout Repeater requires that the Camera Box is running software version 1.0.05 or greater.
2.2 What is Included
The Scout Repeater includes:
•Scout Repeater
•Quick-start guide insert
If you purchased the Scout Repeater as a kit it may include additional accessories.
2.3 Battery Installation
Battery installation is a simple process and because the Repeater has excellent battery life – you
won’t have to do it often!
The Repeater is designed to use the Cognisys 5200mAh Scout Li-Ion battery pack. You simply
plug the battery pack in!

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To install the battery:
1. Be sure the Repeater 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 Repeater using a Philips screwdriver.
3. Remove the Repeater back cover.
4. Install the 5200mAh battery and plug it in.
5. Align and push back cover onto the Repeater.
6. Install screws being careful not to cross-thread them – do not overtighten!
You can also power the Scout Repeater with external power using the optional power cable
available here:
https://cognisys-inc.com/3pin-extpwr-cable.html
If you are using external power you should absolutely have a fuse in the wiring (or similar
protection device).
You do not need to remove the internal battery when using external power but you should
remove the battery if the Repeater will not be used for an extended period.

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2.4 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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2.5 Cleaning and Care
We want your Scout equipment to last – so here are some brief steps to keep it happy!
2.5.1 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).
2.5.2 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 connector be sure to attach the protective cover or
water may leak into the controller causing damage.
Do not drop the unit (the housing is made of a strong polycarbonate but it DOES
have its limits)
Do not allow dirt to get into the weatherproof seal. This could cause seal failure
and damage to the Repeater.
Remove the battery prior to long term storage.
Failure to properly care for the Scout Repeater could result in a leak that may cause
damage. The product warranty does not cover water damage resulting from user error.

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2.5.3 Maintaining Weatherproof Design
Scout equipment is designed to meet the most challenging environmental conditions. It
does, however, require some care to maintain its weatherproof sealing.
Prior to opening the equipment rinse it under gently running water if it is dirty.
It’s very important to keep the housing’s silicone seal clean. A single hair or grain of sand
could potentially cause the housing to leak and damage the equipment. To clean the
seal remove the back cover from the housing, and rinse the back cover in fresh water and
shake dry (drying with a cloth may cause lint to compromise the seal). Allow the seal to dry
prior to reassembly.
Below is an image indicating the seal location. It is recessed in a groove in the back cover of
the equipment.

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2.6 Wiring Diagram / Connector
Figure 1 – Scout Repeater Connections
There is one external connector on the Scout Repeater:
1. External Power (3-pin)
This allows you to optionally power the Repeater from your own power source for even
longer battery life.
The Scout Repeater uses weather-resistant connectors and cables. If the Repeater will be used
outside during rain, snow, or condensing humidity be sure to have the power cable locked in
place. If not using the external power jack keep the connector cap installed.

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2.7 Aux LED Selection
This switch selects how the external power LED behaves on the Repeater once it is turned on.
There are three available selections. If this switch is set to “1”, the LED is disabled during wake-
up and communication (dark mode). If set to “2”, the LED will briefly blink when it wakes up
after seeing a wireless signal from a sensor. If set to “3”, the LED will briefly blink when wireless
messages are being forwarded back and forth between the Camera Box and sensors.
2.8 Power Button
The power button is on the side of the Repeater:
Press this button to turn on the Scout Repeater. To turn it off simply press and hold this button
for approximately two seconds until the red LED goes out.
2.9 “Pairing” to your Camera Box
The Scout Repeater needs to know which Camera Box you would like to use it with. This pairing
process only needs to be done once. The process is easy:
1. Turn on your camera box (it’s okay if it goes back to sleep).
2. Make sure only one Camera Box is within wireless range.
3. Turn on the Repeater.
4. The Repeater will scan all available wireless channels looking for the Camera Box. Once it
finds one the process is complete!

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Note: This process is very quick – less than a quarter of a second! If you see your Repeater LED
indicator ramping up and down slowly in intensity that means it can’t find the Camera Box.
Double-check that you’ve turned the Camera Box on!
If you ever change the “Wireless Channel” of your Camera Box or you want to change the
Repeater to use a different Camera Box on another “Wireless Channel” you’ll need to start the
pairing process over. To do this:
1. Start with the Repeater turned off.
2. Press and hold the power button until the red LED indicator goes out (about 5 seconds).
3. Release the power button.
4. Repeat the “Pairing” process above.
2.10 Turning on the Repeater
To turn on the Repeater simply press and release the power button. Upon power-up, the
Repeater will attempt to connect to the Camera Box. If the Camera Box is out of range or
turned off, the Repeater will flash (on/off) the red LED indicator a few times to let you know it
can’t communicate. No worries though! It doesn’t need to talk to the Camera Box at this point
– the indicator is just to help you know that maybe something isn’t quite right with the camera
trap setup.
Note: You don’t have to turn on the Scout equipment in any order – the indicator is just a
helpful reminder.
Once the Repeater is on the LED indicator will slowly dim down until it is out.

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3. Settings in the App
There are no adjustable settings in the app. The only thing reported is the current voltage of the
Repeater at the bottom of the “Camera” tab. This is also a good way to know that the repeater is on
and functioning within your camera trap setup.

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4. Example
In the following section we will walk you through a real-world setup/example using your Scout
Camera Box and Repeater. Be sure to check out our website and follow us on YouTube
(http://www.youtube.com/user/CognisysInc/) for video examples. Sometimes watching a video
makes the whole process much easier to understand!
4.1 The long haul
In this example you simply have a large distance between the sensor(s) and the camera
box/flashes.
The signal isn’t going to make it from the sensor to the camera box. Sad day!
A simple placement of the repeater will save the day:
Try and elevate the repeater if possible to maximize the range.

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4.2 The Rock
Scout equipment uses a frequency 2.4GHz. What does that mean? It’s pretty fast. It’s the
same frequency as some Wifi equipment. Fast is usually good. After all you want the sensors,
camera box, and especially the flash(es) to respond as soon as possible. The downside of using
this frequency is that it doesn’t do well going through things. A few trees? No problem.
Vegetation? Not going to stop it. A boulder the size of a small house? Houston: We have a
problem.
Why, you might ask, would someone have their sensors on one side of a boulder, and the
camera on the other? Usually you want to take a picture of a critter pretty close to where the
sensor is since that is the point they were detected. You would be correct! But for this
situation we’re shooting video. In this case, the sensor is vertically down 10 meters and there is
a natural path coming up and around the boulder. Think of the cinematography. The sensor
detects the critter, the camera starts recording, and then, as if out of nowhere, this magnificent
critter walks up a path, around a corner, and into the field of view. Nice!
But all of that wonderful footage isn’t going to happen if the sensor can never get the signal to
the camera box to start recording. It’s just a nice dreamy video that will never be. That’s where
your shiny new Scout Repeater comes into play.
Here’s a graphic showing the problem:

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With a little clever placement of the repeater you can work around that boulder:
As with the “Long Haul” example above, try and elevate the repeater if possible to maximize the
range.
The final step as with all camera trapping is to test-test-TEST. Make sure that the repeater
placement is good and that you’re getting some fantastic video of yourself (pretending to be an
animal) before you consider everything done.

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5. Installing the Reflash software (optional)
What is “reflash”? It’s a small program that allows you to update the firmware on your Scout
Products. You do not need this program to use your Scout equipment.Rest assured if you just
purchased your Scout it ships with the latest software available. If, however, new firmware
becomes available you may want to upgrade your controller. Do you have to upgrade your
firmware? No. Should I upgrade your firmware? Maybe. We say “maybe” because as new
firmware is released we are adding and improving features. This means changes to the user
interface and things might not look exactly how they did before you updated the firmware. So if
you discover that a new feature is available that you absolutely have to have, then by all means
go ahead and reflash your controller. Just keep in mind that things might look and behave a
little different! The other consequence to reflashing your controller is that you may lose any
stored settings.
Scout products can only be updated over USB. The reflash process takes a few seconds.
Reflash requires a firmware package (instructions included). You can find the package here:
https://www.cognisys-inc.com/store/scout-repeater.html#resources
Whether you use Windows or OS X, you will need Oracle’s Java installed for Reflash to load.
You can download it here: http://java.com/download
5.1 Windows Installation
Windows installations should automatically detect and download the USB drivers required.
Once the installation is complete you will have a “Start Menu” folder called Cognisys.
Underneath that you will find the Reflash icon.
5.2 OS X Installation
Reflash requires Java 1.7 or later from Oracle. This version of Java requires that your OS X
version be 10.7.3 (Lion) or above. It has not been tested with older versions of Java or earlier
versions of OS X and is not supported.
Use the above link in section “5 - Installing the Reflash software”.
Once installation completes you will have a “Reflash” icon on your Launch Pad:

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6. Troubleshooting
Problem
Cause
Solution
Does not turn on when power
button is pressed.
Battery not installed.
Install battery.
Battery discharged.
Attach battery to charger and re-
install.
External power wired
backwards.
Check battery polarity.
LED ramps up/down at
power-up.
Not paired.
See section “2.9” for details.
LED flashes at power-up.
Camera box not turned on.
See section “2.10” for details.
Need to restore factory
settings
You just want to start over!
With the Repeater turned off,
press and hold the power button
until the red power light goes out.
Release the power button.
If you cannot resolve a problem with your Scout Repeater, please contact us at
[e-mail]. We want to make sure that you are completely satisfied!

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7. Specifications
Specifications are intended for reference only. The design may be modified to improve features or functionality
without notice.
Specifications
MIN
NOM
MAX
UNITS
Dimensions (including cover flange)
118 x 118 x 60
mm
Dimensions (including cover flange)
4.6 x 4.6 x 2.4
inches
Input Voltage
6
14.8
20
Vdc
Input Current 12V
-
492
-
uAdc
Input Current 16.8V
-
374
-
uAdc
Battery life (internal 5200mAh Li-Ion) 1
-
200
days
Wireless Range 2
15
30
m
50
100
feet
Operating Temperature
-40
25
105
C
-40
77
221
F
•32-bit high performance low current ARM Processor
•Wireless connectivity: Proprietary 2.4GHz
•Powered by Scout Li-Ion battery pack and/or external power
•USB for reprogramming
1Based off of Scout 5200mAh battery pack.
2Several factors can affect the wireless range. Congestion, terrain, etc.

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8. Warranty
Limited Warranty
The Scout Repeater, Aux Box, Receiver, Transmitter, Base Transmitter, Flash, and Camera
Controller (hereby referred to as “Scout Equipment”), software, and related equipment is
provided by Cognisys, Inc. "as is" and "with all faults." Cognisys, Inc. makes no representations
or warranties of any kind concerning the safety, suitability, lack of viruses, inaccuracies,
typographical errors, or other harmful components of Scout Equipment and its related software.
There are inherent dangers in the use of any product, and you are solely responsible for
determining whether Scout Equipment is compatible with your equipment and other software
installed on your equipment. You are also solely responsible for the protection of your
equipment and backup of your data, and Cognisys, Inc. will not be liable for any damages you
may suffer in connection with using or modifying Scout Equipment and/or its related software.
All electronic products are warranted to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for
two (2) years from the date of purchase. Within this period, Cognisys Inc. will, at its sole option,
repair or replace any components which fail in normal use. Such repairs or replacement will be
made at no charge to the customer for parts or labor, provided that the customer shall be
responsible for any transportation cost. This warranty does not cover failures due to abuse,
misuse, accident or unauthorized alterations or repairs.
THE WARRANTIES AND REMEDIES CONTAINED HEREIN ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN
LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY,
INCLUDING ANY LIABILITY ARISING UNDER ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, STATUTORY OR
OTHERWISE. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, WHICH MAY
VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL COGNISYS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER RESULTING FROM THE USE,
MISUSE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT OR FROM DEFECTS IN THE
PRODUCT. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO
YOU.
Cognisys, Inc. retains the exclusive right to repair or replace the product or offer a full refund of
the purchase price at its sole discretion. SUCH REMEDY SHALL BE YOUR SOLE AND
EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR ANY BREACH OF WARRANTY.

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9. Revision History
Revision
Date
Change
1.0
10/22/2020
Initial Release