WingScapes Timelapse PlantCam User manual

Timelapse PlantCam
User Guide

© 2009 Ebsco Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Made in China
WARNING! This product may contain lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause
cancer, birth defects andother reproductive harm.

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Customer Support
Phone: 888.811.WING (9464)
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.wingscapes.com/support
Address: Wingscapes
150 Industrial Road
Alabaster, AL 35007
Photogallery: wingscapes.com/photogallery
YouTube: youtube.com/wingscapes
Blog: wingscapes.typepad.com/wingscapes
Facebook: facebook.com/Wingscapes
Twitter: @wingscapes (or tweet with hashtags #birdcam
or #plantcam)
Find Us Online

Table of Contents
1. Welcome 4
2. Quick Start Guide 5
3. Definitions 6
4. Four Modes 8
5. Mounting Suggestions 12
6. Custom Settings & Converting Photos to Timelapse Video 14
7. Storage and Capacity 20
8. Image Viewing by TV Out Cable or USB Out Cable 21
9. Laser Aim 22
10. Specifications 23
11. Additional Information 24

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1. WELCOME
This product allows you to accelerate time,....to easily see things that are
normally too slow to watch.
Wingscapes has designed this camera to be simple for beginning users,
but also to be flexible enough to work in a variety of conditions. This is a
new type of camera. Using it will require a little creativity, patience, and
artfulness on the part of the user.
The easiest way to get started is to...get started. Refer to the follow-
ing “Quick Start Guide” and begin experimenting with a simple setup.
Custom settings allow you to optimize the camera for a variety of proj-
ects. Finding the correct combination of settings and camera placement
for a given situation may require some experimentation and practice. At
any time, you can reset the camera to its factory default settings in the
SETUP menu.
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this guide and the
basics of operating the camera. If at any time you need assistance or
have questions about the camera’s operation, please contact us via
e-mail or phone.

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2. QUICK START GUIDE
The following steps outline the quickest way to begin using your cam-
era. We recommend that you scan the remainder of this user’s guide
before using your new camera.
1. Remove camera from packaging.
2. Insert four new AA batteries.
3. Mount the camera so that it is level and aimed your target. Use
viewfinder and laser to insure accurate aim. (Refer to the chapter
on Mounting the PlantCam for suggestions.)
4. Using the included tape measure, adjust the focus ring to match
the distance between the camera and target.
5. Set the Rotary Dial to SETUP and press the Power/Status button
to turn the camera ON.
6. Important: set the date and time before initial use.
7. Turn Rotary Dial to AUTO, close the door and secure the latches.
What Happens Then?
The camera will be in the AUTO Mode. After 10 seconds, the camera
will take its first photo or video and then enter a standby mode and be-
gin to count down a timelapse interval. At the end of each interval, the
camera will wake-up, take a photo or video, show status for 10 seconds,
and then begin to count down another interval. The camera will con-
tinue taking images until either the memory is depleted or the batteries
are drained.

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1. Power/Status button — Turns the unit ON or OFF.
• To turn ON you must press and hold the Power/Status button until
the LCD display activates.
• To turn OFF you must press and hold the Power/Status button
until the LCD display goes off.
• To see the status of the camera, click the power button quickly
(warning: if camera is within 15 seconds of taking its next photo or
video, pressing this button will reset the timelapse timer)
2. Rotary Dial — Depending on the position of the dial, there are 4 pos-
sible functions: LASER AIM, AUTO, SETUP and PLAYBACK.
3. LCD Display
3. DEFINITIONS
1
4
3
2
6
5
7
12
11
10
9
8

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Definitions
4. Function buttons
SELECT button
Used to confirm selections during SETUP and PLAYBACK modes.
+ or – button
• Used to change the setting values within the SETUP mode.
• Used to move forward or backward while reviewing pictures in
PLAYBACK mode.
LEFT ( ) button
• Used to choose previous settings in SETUP mode.
• Used to delete pictures or video in PLAYBACK mode.
RIGHT ( ) button
• Used to choose next settings in SETUP mode.
• Used to play video clips in PLAYBACK mode.
5. USB OUT port — To plug USB cable to connect to a computer.
6. TV OUT port — To connect to TV to review pictures or video clips.
7. SD MEMORY CARD port — To insert SD card to increase memory
capacity. Note: The metal contact of your card should be facing down
when inserting.
8. Status/Standby Indicator — When the camera is in AUTO mode,
the flashes every 3 seconds to indicate that the camera is powered ON.
To see the status of the camera, click the power button quickly (note: if
camera is within 15 seconds of taking its next photo or video, pressing
this button will reset the timelapse timer).
9. LASER Aiming Device (read warnings)
10. Light Sensor — Measures available light and wakes up camera if
“DAILY WAKEUP” setting is set to “BY LIGHT”
11. Viewfinder
12. Focus Range Setting

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4. FOUR MODES
(change with Rotary Mode Switch)
SETUP
Turn the Rotary Dial to the SETUP position to change timelapse
interval, convert photos to timelapse videos, and adjust other camera
settings. Also use SETUP position when connecting camera to computer
via USB cord. See detailed instructions for SETUP menu later in this
guide.
AUTO
In the AUTO mode, the camera takes photos or videos according to
the settings chosen in the SETUP menu. When the Rotary Mode Switch
is turned to AUTO, the camera status is displayed for 10 seconds, then
the first photo or video is captured, then the camera enters STANDBY
mode and the LCD display goes off, and begins counting down its
timelapse interval. The camera will wake up and counts down for 5 sec
(Fig. 2) when it is ready to record a picture or video. Note: for time lapse
interval ‘ASAP’, the camera will not go into STANDBY mode between
shots (approx. 3-4 second delay between shots). For time lapse interval
‘30 seconds’, the LCD display shows the status for 5 seconds only.
Fig. 2
When a picture or video is recording the LCD will show “CAPTURING”
(Fig. 3).
Fig. 3

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Four Modes
After capturing, the LCD display shows for 10 sec (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4
Then the camera return to STANDBY mode again. The red LED indicator
will flash every 3 sec to indicate that the camera is powered ON, but is
in a delay interval.
Moreover, the camera is STANDBY, press the Power/Status button to
switch on the LCD display for 10 sec (Fig.1), show the camera status. It
will not affect the delay interval unless the timer is within 15 seconds of
the next event. If the button is pressed within 15 seconds of the end of a
delay interval, the status will display and the interval will start over.
Memory Full
In the AUTO mode, if the LCD shows “MEM FULL!”, it means that
the memory is full. The camera will shut down automatically. Please
clear the internal memory or insert an empty SD card.
Low Battery
In the AUTO mode, if the LCD shows “LOW BATTERY”, it means
that the battery is low. The camera will shut down automatically.
Please replace the batteries.

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Four Modes
PLAYBACK
Use the PLAYBACK mode to view photos and video on a television. See
detailed instructions for television viewing later in this guide.
LASER AIM
Use the Laser Aim function to aim the camera. IMPORTANT: NEVER look
at the laser while it is activated and NEVER activate the laser when the
camera is pointed towards another person. Read all warnings before
using laser.

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5. MOUNTING SUGGESTIONS
Because it will be used in a wide variety of applications, this camera was
designed to be extremely versatile with regard to mounting.
TRIPOD NUTS:
There are two standard tripod nuts embedded into the camera case.
Either will attach to a standard tripod or our specialty mounting bracket.

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Mounting Suggestions
SPECIALTY MOUNTING BRACKET:
The specialty mounting bracket was designed to clamp to almost any
pole, post, stake, or fence. If the rear clamping plate is removed from
the bracket, the bracket can be mounted directly to any stable surface
(eg – you can use wood screws to mount it to a wall). You can also
thread the included strap through the rear of the mounting bracket to
secure the bracket to a tree.
STRAP & STRETCH CORDS:
The included strap and stretch cords can be attached to the mounting
points on the back of the camera and used to secure the camera directly
to a tree.

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6. CUSTOM SETTINGS & CONVERTING
PHOTOS TO TIMELAPSE VIDEO
TURN POWER ON
Turn the rotary dial to the SETUP position. Press and hold the Power/
Status button. The SETUP MENU window will appear in the LCD display.
TURN POWER OFF
If you want to turn the unit off simply press and hold the Power/Status
button again until the LCD display goes off. Note: in SETUP and
PLAYBACK modes, if there is no activity for 2 minutes, the camera will
automatically shut off to conserve battery life.
SETUP MENU
The setup menu will start with TIME LAPSE INTERVAL.
TIME LAPSE INTERVAL
Press + or – button to choose between 11 different settings: ASAP, 30
SEC, 1 MIN, 5 MIN, 10 MIN, 15 MIN, 30 MIN, 1 HOUR, 3 HOUR, 6
HOUR or 1 DAY. This determines the delay interval between each shot.
(Note: Battery life will be diminished when using ASAP and 30 sec. inter-
vals.) Press the SELECT button to make selection. Press the RIGHT ( )
button to choose next setting.
PHOTO OR VIDEO?
Press + or – button to choose between PHOTO and VIDEO. Press
the SELECT button to make selection. Press the RIGHT ( ) button to
choose next setting.

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Custom Settings & Converting Photos to Timelapse Video
PHOTO QUALITY
Press + or – button to choose between three different resolutions: LOW,
MEDIUM or HIGH. Press the SELECT button to make selection. Press
the RIGHT ( ) button to choose next setting.
Photo Quality
Quality Resolution in pixels
LOW 640 x 480
MEDIUM 2048 x 1536
HIGH 2560 x 1920
VIDEO 640 x 480
MULTI-SHOTS?
Press + or – button to choose between three different settings: 1-SHOT,
2-SHOT or 3-SHOT. This indicates the number of shots taken at the
end of each timelapse delay interval. Press the SELECT button to make
selection. This setting does not affect Video. Press the RIGHT ( )
button to choose next setting.
DAILY WAKEUP
Press + or – button to choose between 25 different settings: any hour
from 1AM to MIDNIGHT, and special setting called “BY LIGHT.” This
determines what time the camera will wake up each day and begin its
timelapse program. The BY LIGHT option will wake the camera up as
soon as there is enough light to take an image (this time will vary each
day). Press the SELECT button to make selection. Press the RIGHT ( )
button to choose next setting.

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Custom Settings & Converting Photos to Timelapse Video
DAILY SLEEP
Press + or – button to choose between 24 different settings: any hour
of the day from 1AM to MIDNIGHT. This determines the time each day
that the camera will go to sleep. (Note: There is no “BY LIGHT” option
to prevent inclement weather from temporarily turning off the camera in
the middle of the day.) Press the SELECT button to make selection. Press
the RIGHT ( ) button to choose next setting.
Notes about DAILY WAKEUP & SLEEP
• If wakeup and sleep times are set to same setting (eg - 8am), the
timelapse program will run all 24 hours.
• If daily awake time is the same or shorter than the interval, camera
will take images only one time. (eg - WAKEUP: 8am and SLEEP:
11am so “awake” time is 3 hours. INTERVAL is set to 3 hour, 6
hour, or DAILY)
IMPRINT INFO?
Press + or - button to choose betweens YES and NO. Select YES to
imprint the time lapse interval, camera name, date and Time on the
bottom of your photos. Note: if YES is selected while camera is pro-
grammed to take VIDEO, the camera will take a photo with imprinted
info before each video clip. Press the SELECT button to make selection.
Press the RIGHT ( ) button to choose next setting.
DATE/TIME
Press the SELECT button and the month will flash. Press + or – button
to select the proper month, then press the SELECT button again to
make selection. Repeat until date and time are set. Press the RIGHT
() button to choose next setting. Note: The default date is 01/01/99
12:00am.

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Custom Settings & Converting Photos to Timelapse Video
CAMERA NAME
Press the SELECT button, the selection will flash. Press + or – button to
choose the first character: “0”-“9”, “-”, “ ” (space) or “A”-“Z”. Press the
SELECT button again to make selection and proceed. Repeat process
until camera name has been set. Press the RIGHT ( ) button to choose
next setting. Note: The default name is “PLANTCAM”.
CONVERT TO VIDEO
This feature allows you to “stitch” multiple photos (up to 360) into a
video clip. This allows you to show the passage of time greatly acceler-
ated. Press the SELECT button to select the start picture. NOTE: Press
the minus ( – ) button when setting the right-most digit from “0001”,
and the the number will set to the last photo available to be stitched.
Press + button to increase or – button to decrease the digit. Then press
the SELECT button to confirm and proceed to the next digit. Repeat the
above steps until four digits are set.
Press the SELECT button to select the end picture. Press + button to
increase or – button to decrease the digit. Then press the SELECT
button to confirm and proceed to the next digit. Repeat the above steps
until four digits are set. Press the SELECT button to start conversion.
Note: Maximum 360 images for 1 video clip. To convert more photos,
adjust video speed, add music, or for more control over the timelapse
video, use video editing software on your computer. We recommend
Windows Movie Maker (Microsoft) or iMovie (Apple).
Note: this function is only available if camera has been programmed to
take PHOTOs. It will not work if other video files are stored in camera
memory or SD card.

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Custom Settings & Converting Photos to Timelapse Video
TV OUT REGION
Press + or – button to choose betweens NTSC (North American) and
PAL (European) standards for the TV OUT port. Press the SELECT button
to make selection. Press the RIGHT ( ) button to choose next setting.
ERASE IMAGES?
Press + or – button to choose betweens YES and NO. If choose YES,
all images are erased. If SD card is installed, this will erase the card
memory. If no SD card is installed, the camera’s internal memory will be
erased. Note: all erased images cannot be restored, make a backup if
needed. Press the SELECT button to make selection. Press the RIGHT
() button to choose next setting.
UPGRADE FIRMWARE
Press + or – button to choose betweens YES and NO. Choose YES to
upgrade the firmware through a SD-card. Press the SELECT button to
make selection. Press the RIGHT ( ) button to choose next setting.
Firmware updates will be available periodically at www.wingscapes.com.
To determine which firmware version is installed on your camera, set dial
to PLAYBACK and hold select button while turning camera ON.