Everything you need to

 KNOW IN DETAIL

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Thank you for purchasing from TimeLapseCameras.com. 

 

To get you running with your camera, each camera purchased from TimeLapseCameras has been tested, four AA batteries and a 16GB card are pre-installed for you.

 

Your camera has been optimized for your first project with the following settings: the latest firmware update installed, timestamp turned off,  Quality set to +4, 30 fps, 16:9 ratio and the capture interval is set to 10 seconds.

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To get started first download the App from either Apple or Google.

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Afidus Manual.jpg

This is the place where you can find the answer to:

what it is, how to, and the source of information about the
Afidus Time Lapse Camera full app functions and how to work with it.

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<< QUICK START

When you want to run fast and skip the details.

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<< HOW TO CONNECT TO WI-FI

The second step in the process

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<< HOME SCREEN

The first landing page.

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<< APP ICONS

This is what they mean.

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<< SETTINGS MENU

This is where you set the calendar schedule 

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<< HOW TO START YOUR RECORDING

The most critical step in the process

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<< INTERVAL SETTINGS

Constant capture to one hour and why

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<< RECORDING MODES

Choose the right one for the job

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<< OPERATING BEST PRACTICES

Trust us these quick tips are worth it.

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<< BATTERY LIFE OVERVIEW

A quide to gauge how long it will last

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<< LED INDICATOR

What the blinks mean

Firmware Update

<< HOW TO UPDATE THE FIRMWARE

Come here when you need to update

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<< HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR FOOTAGE

This is good to know, you're almost done

QUICK START:

1) Download the Afidus Time Lapse app from either the Apple App store or the Google Play store.

2) Turn on the camera with a long press of the power button at the top of the camera.

 

3) Connect to the camera’s wi-fi network within your device’s wi-fi settings. Look for and select the ATL network. Enter the default password, 87654321. iOS users in November of 2020 with the recent update are seeing an extra alert popup underneath their camera.

 

4) With the connection established, go to the Afidus app & touch “camera”. The camera controls appear along with a preview of your scene.

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5)  IMPORTANT: Be sure to Select OK to allow the Afidus App to communicate with your device. For all iOS users this is: "PLEASE ALLOW ACCESS TO YOUR PHOTO LIBRARY.  Otherwise the App will not connect with your device.

 

6) From here, you have total control of the camera. You can turn your device horizontal for a full screen preview. Tap the screen for zoom and focus controls. The app allows you to set the capture interval, timer, day of the week schedule and much more.

7) Start a time lapse video with the red dot camera icon at the bottom of the main screen. Select record, confirm the settings, tap Ok and you will receive a double beep confirmation. The LED indicator on the top of the camera will flash every five seconds to verify operation.

8) To stop a recording, simply press and hold the top camera power button and wait for a long beep.
 

 

CONNECTING TO WIFI

Power on your camera by holding down the power button until you hear a “beep”. The LED will light green to indicate power is on, and the camera is broadcasting its Wifi signal. Go back to your phone and search for the cameras Wifi network. It will be listed as “ATL200_xxxxxxxxx” (this is the cameras unique ID number). Connect your phone to this network and enter the TimeLapseCamera password “87654321”. 

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Cameras shipped from TimeLapseCameras.com have been tested and set with a new password, 87654321. 

 

*Important* - Do not do anything for 30 secs as you might get a message saying “this wifi connection does not have an internet connection” . Make sure you hit “ok” otherwise the camera will not connect to your mobile phone / tablet.  If the camera does not connect , just “forget” the wifi network.

 

If you did not purchase your camera from us: Due to new government GDPR rules (General Data Protection) you might be asked to change your password to a new, personal one. You will be instructed by the App to enter a new password. Once this is done, go back to your wifi network list and click “Forget Network” for your ATL. Lastly, simply reconnect to the ATL-xxxxxxx network using your new, personal password. You should now have a connection between your camera and your phone / tablet. To test this, go to the App main screen and tap the bottom left icon “Camera”. If successful, you should be taken to the viewfinder and settings screen of the App.

 

Please note, the camera will automatically turn off its Wifi after 4 minutes of wifi inactivity. This is indicated by the camera emitting a long beep and then it will shut down.

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HELP!!! MY CAMERA STILL WONT CONNECT!!!

If, by accident you entered the manufacturer password (12345678)

your camera will not connect to WiFi. To resolve this, please forget the camera connection in your settings and enter the current TimeLapseCamera password, 87654321.

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If you need to change your password please watch this tutorial video.

 
 

HOME SCREEN

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CAMERA

Select the Camera icon to access the camera app features

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GALLERY

To view transferred files on your phone or tablet, simply select the “gallery” icon on the main page. You will be given three ‘types’ of files to choose from – Snapshot, time-lapse, PIR triggered.  These folder types are purely there to help you find the file you’re looking for. 

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FIRMWARE

Firmware updates are located here, please check this periodically to ensure you are using the most current firmware.

SCREEN ICONS

APP ICONS EXPLAINED

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FPS (Frames per Second)

Since a video is made up of frames, each photo the camera captures will end up representing one frame in your final video. This is probably best left at 30 FPS. 30 FPS will give you the smoothest playback for your video.

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INTERVAL

This is the time between each shot. More info on this can be found below in the "recording modes explained section" 

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QUALITY

This is video quality. The selection is from 1 - 4. It adjusts the bitrate of the image. Lowering this will increase battery life and use less memory, but lessen image quality. This is best left to 4 (high quality).

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SCENE

This adjusts shoot settings for either auto, day or night projects. This may be useful to you if you’re shooting a night scene, but really, this is best left to auto.

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RESOLUTION

You can switch between 1080p or the 720p resolution if required. This is probably best left at "full" 1080 setting. 

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ASPECT RATIO

This switches between 16:9 to 1:1 aspect. 1:1 is useful if you're filming instagram videos; otherwise leave this at 16:9

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EXPOSURE

This adjusts how bright or dark your pictures appear by adjusting the shutter speed of the camera. This is best left to 0. 

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WHITE BALANCE

This setting adjusts the colour temperature of your shots to make the image look more natural. Again, best left alone unless you're familiar with photography.

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CONTRAST

Contrast is the difference between the blacks and the whites of your image. High contrast means the blacks are really dark and the whites are really bright. Again, best left alone.

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SHARPNESS

You can either sharpen, or soften your image to your liking. We generally leave this on 0 but +1 (sharpened) can be useful depending on your project. 

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SATURATION

Colour saturation is used to describe the intensity of colour in the image. A saturated image has overly bright colours. We generally leave this at 0, but +1 can make colours “pop” a little more. 

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HDR

This stands for High Dynamic Range. It means that your camera will process photos slightly differently in order to capture greater detail from bright and dark areas in your photo. We leave this a high setting for best image quality. 

 

SETTINGS MENU

Digging deeper into the belly and programing of the Afidus Camera App. This is the critical hub location for calendar scheduling, firmware update and unlocking the cameras potential.

Select number for more information

SYSTEM:

This is the first location where you find your camera serial number and firmware version currently on the camera.



SD Card:

Check this area for the card usage stats. Selecting FORMAT will format and erase all the content on your card. TIP: we recommend starting your first time lapse with the manufacturer provided 16GB mSD card.



LENS CALIBRATION:

If you feel your lens is off focus or your camera has suffered a fall then use this.



WIDE ANGLE:

Switch to ON if you want the Wide Angle Correction turned on. This will remove most of the fish-eye bowing as seen in the widest angle of the view.



DIGITAL ZOOM: (ATL-200S model only)

Turn this ON to engage the 4X Digital Zoom range of the camera. TIP: Best uses are for Macro time lapse.



DIS (DIGITAL IMAGE STABILIZATION: (ATL-200S model only)

Engage this feature when you might have slight movement in posting your camera on pole or tree. This will reduce lens camera shake. TIP: Definitely use this in your using constant capture for your interval for a short term drive or walking timelapse project.



AE OPTIMIZER:

Auto Exposure Optimizer Use this feature in a situation where the light will flicker i.e. sunset/sunrises. It assists with smoothing out the exposure.



ROTATE: 0° / 90° / 180° / 270°

This feature rotates the footage in the camera saving one more step in the post editing process. TIP: It's handy in those awkward posting situations where you find yourself hanging your camera upside down like a bat.



VIDEO COMPRESSION:

The file size will vary with settings. A rough answer is; Efficiency compression is equal to 30% smaller files than capturing in Compatible. We leave this setting at Efficiency. Select the image to read our article on Compression Mode ​



SPLIT FILE BY DATE: (ATL-200S/201S model only)

A new feature for the Afidus Time Lapse Camera. Turn on to have the files Split by Date. This is handy for weekday scheduling, files of course will be split by date with files sizes up to 532mb in size. ​



RECYCLE:

This is an optional feature. Turn this ON when you are recording repeating events and want to recycle your card. The system will record over the oldest content. Useful in surveillance situations when you are limited to using a 16gb card. TIP: Leave this off we don't want you have content that is written over unless you really want it that way.



LED INDICATOR:

This is the only external visual indicator on the camera signifying that it is recording or needs to be checked. LED Status Indicator Power on: Green on No SD card: Solid Red System Breakdown: Red flash /1 sec. * Battery Low: Red Flash/10 sec. Firmware update: flash/1 sec. Hardware Reset: flash 3 times ​ Recording Modes: Recording: Green flash/6 sec. Schedule Snapshot On Demand, Step Video: Flash 0.2 sec. x1 PIR, Hybrid: Flash 0.2 sec. x2 Blinking red led? NOW WHAT DO I DO? * If you happen to have a flashing red light 1/sec. then the best course of action would be to remove and change all the batteries to fresh brand name batteries. It doesn't hurt to reseat the card at this time as well. Then continue to power on the camera and connect it to your mobile device using the Wi-fi through your settings menu.



BUZZER

Keep this ON We generally keep this turned on for acknowledgment to ensure the camera is implementing all the changes. For each change you make the camera will have an audible 'Beep'. ​



RECORDING SCHEDULE:

This is where the programing magic happens. ​ Custom Time section: Select Custom Time. Which will turn blue when it is on. Scroll the wheel to select your start time and end time. The camera is set to Military Time. Select Set ​ Custom Day section: If you select Custom Day and turn it on (blue) then this will give you an additional option to enter a specific number of days to record. This feature comes in handy when you know you will only need to record for precisely two weeks etc. ​ Weekday section: Select the days you want to record. If the days are gray, the camera will NOT record. In this example you can see both Sunday and Saturday are grayed out. Therefore the camera will record Monday through Friday. ​ Select SET to confirm the camera has been set. You will hear an audible 'beep' and see a visual checkmark confirming this has been set. ​ TIP: You can check the camera's set recording schedule in the information flyout screen.



CAPTURE FRAME RATE:

New Feature arrived in 2021 Used only with Continuous Interval (selected from the first screen). This will adjust the Frame Rate to what is the speed at which those images are shown, or how fast you “flip” through the book. It’s usually expressed as “frames per second,” or FPS. So if a video is captured and played back at 24fps, that means each second of video shows 24 distinct still images. ARTICLE: On Frame rate for constant Capture TIP: We typically leave this at 30. ​



VIDEO LAPSE LENGTH:

Please Pay attention. This is ONLY applicable in the Video Lapse (Creative) Recording Mode. This will record a video burst set to the duration you choose. Typically, you will not need this feature, unless you intent to do a drivelapse. See Video Lapse under recording modes for more detailed information. and this Article for more information.



TIME STAMP:

This is an optional feature useful if you want to include date/time information or include your custom name for your project/business on the video. When this is switched ON you enter your custom text and set the position to where you would like it to be displayed on the video. Select SET to confim this setting. ​ You will then be able to See the this added to your preview screen.



ANTI-FLICKER:

Various forms of lights flicker at different frequencies. After reviewing your footage, if you notice flickering change the selection from 50hz to 60hz. For more information on this read this great article which diving deeper into how to Avoid Video Flicker. ​ This feature is helpful for routine recording conditions where you will not change your light course. Ie. Workshop, laboratory, Studio, Kitchen or Office Area.



WiFi PASSWORD:

You can change your camera's password here. Cameras purchased and shipped from us at www.Timelapsecameras.com have their cameras password set to 87654321.



BACK UP/APPLY:

New Feature introduced in 2021. You can now have presets saved for your settings. If you are a die-hard time lapser using the Afidus camera in consistent daytime or night time custom settings, use this to create a preset for your recording scenarios.



 

Once you've framed your subject and entered your shoot settings from the settings menu, you are ready to start recording. Hit the "red dot" icon to enter record modes.

 

Select the recording mode you require from the icons along the bottom of the screen. Tap your chosen record mode and the camera will confirm your entered shoot settings. Tap to confirm these are correct and the camera will beep twice to confirm it is recording. You can double check the camera is recording as the LED will flash every 6 seconds. If the LED is NOT flashing every 6 secs, please restart the recording procedure again. Just remember, if the LED is blinking every 6 seconds you’re fine. It’s always worth double checking before leaving the camera!

 

To stop recording, simply press and hold the power button for 2 secs. The camera will emit a long beep, and the LED will illuminate green. This indicates that the camera has written the time-lapse video file and has turned the Wifi on. You can now connect your phone / tablet to download files, or change settings. 

 

QUICK TIP - you can quickly enter record mode without using the APP. Turn the camera on as normal (green LED light), then short press (<1sec) the power button again. The camera will enter record mode with the last shoot settings entered.

 

Again, it’s worth remembering, if the camera is left alone, or no settings are changed, it will turn itself off after 4 minutes of inactivity.

START YOUR RECORDING

ATL-200 Record Modes

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Select RECORD to start your typical time lapse. All record modes are explained below. There's a difference, choose wisely friend and read on. 

 
 

RECOMENDED INTERVAL SETTINGS

For every project, we always ask the following questions:

  • What are you recording?

  • How long is your project?

  • How much footage do you want to capture?

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Based off these questions the following chart is a great start to get you going.

All information is based off of 30fps. For recording working hours at 8 hours a day, the schedule feature is used within the settings. This is commonly based off of recording 9 am - 5 pm

 

RECORDING MODES

This section briefly describes what each record mode does, and when you might want to use it.

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(ATL-200 only)

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(ATL-200 & 201 )

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(ATL-200 & 201 )

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(ATL-200 only)

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(ATL-200 & 201 )

PIR Mode (motion sensing)

This mode is best suited for wildlife, backyard monitoring, intruder, basically low frequency movement. Should the built-in PIR sensor be triggered, the camera will record a preset length of footage. You can set the length of video the camera records under “burst mode” in the system settings page. The default burst length is 3 secs. The PIR can sense movement up to approx 10m. It’s worth noting, in this mode each time the PIR is triggered, every video the camera shoots will be stored as a separate file under the “PIR” folder section of the gallery. If you want one continuous file for, say, bird watching, the “Hybrid” record mode might be better suited for you. This video presents a walk through on what to expect when using the P.I.R. mode



Snapshot Mode

This mode takes an image capture with the camera. To operate: You'll need the patience of a saint to make a stop frame animation movie as 1 second of video contains roughly 24 frames, and 1hr of footage contains approx 3600 seconds, so that’s 86,400 frames / hr in total! That’s a lot of work, effort, and time! Snapshots are stored under the snapshot folder of the gallery. The app will collect all the capture and save them to one speedy fast .mp4 video file. If desired, you can further edit video into a final video project on your computer. This mode is also known as stop frame animation
This is one of the most challenging creative modes to work with. There is a 1-3 second time delay from when the shutter butten is pressed to when the camera records the photo and is saved to the cameras card. This video highlights the manual operation it of the camera showing what it takes to the generate the captured video before editing.



Hybrid Mode

Hybrid mode is very useful for recording wildlife, or where the subject matter might occasionally move. It combines the standard time-lapse mode with the PIR sensor mode. e.g. set Interval at 10 minutes and PIR burst mode set at 3 secs The above setting will take a shot every 10 minutes, but each time the PIR senses any movement; the camera will take a 3 second burst video, then return to snapping a shot every 10 minutes. This sequence will continue until you finish your recording. The benefit of this mode is the camera will only produce one video file for the whole project, not individual files as would happen if you used PIR mode. This mode is perfect for recording wildlife. Hybrid video files are stored in the normal time-lapse.



Video Lapse Mode

This mode takes short video clips at set intervals. You might want to use this mode instead of the normal time-lapse mode if you prefer to watch your project in short bursts of (near) full motion video. Note that the video “burst” length can set in the “system settings” page. The default video clip length (burst) is 3sec. E.g. Set capture interval to 2 minutes and burst mode to 5 secs. The above will produce short 5 second video clips every 2 minutes until you have finished your project. Video files recorded in this mode are stored in the normal time-lapse folder of the gallery. Our favorite uses for this feature are used on Drive Lapses or with the camera is positioned in one corner of the room to document the project steping allong rather than one continuous timelapse. For this video example the Drive Lapse was timed to last 5 hours capturing a 3 second burst every 10 minutes. This video was sped up to fit within Instagram viewing perameter restriction of one minute.
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Record Mode (Standard Time Lapse)

This is your standard time-lapse record mode. Choose the interval settings you want to use and off you go. It will record according to the setting you specifiy within the menu flyout. For most projects remaining within the "Minute-to-Win-it" guidlines covers most of the action for a week up to one month long capturing during working hours Monday-Friday 8 am to 5pm.



OPERATING BEST PRACTICES

First screen of the
Afidus App 

Menu Flyout contains the Setting Menu, Tools and Home

Information Screen.

This is a critical location to double check all your settings.

  • Get to know the Afidus App features and your camera. Test it before you start a larger project. Consider making an easy time lapse test recording at an interval of 10 seconds for 2 hours.

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  • Check your card and battery status in the upper right hand corner of the app. Always start your projects with a fresh set of leading name brand batteries and a cleared card.

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  • For long term daytime projects, and after inclement weather, we recommend checking your camera more frequently. In most cases, if you are recording during weekday hours Monday – Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at an interval of one minute, check your cameras monthly.

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  • Use lithium batteries when temperatures drop below 30F/0C to extend the run time and prevent unwanted voltage drops.

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  • It is always better to have more footage than not enough. You don’t want an editing nightmare, but you don’t want to wish you had captured more. Many customers come to us and say they have a year long project, only to find out, the major action happens over a few months. Plan for the major action, everything else is a bonus. We are happy to discuss your settings at any time.

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  • For a long term project, there is no reason to capture during dusk to dawn hours. Dark-light-dark-light transitions can be annoying in a time lapse. You won’t notice an hour cut out of everyday, concentrate on the best light and save yourself an editing headache. We recommend setting your camera’s timer for daylight hours only. 

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  • If you need to install your camera a good distance from the ground out of arms reach, install the camera upside down. Use the Afidus App to rotate the footage180 degrees. This allows you to check the LED indicator from the ground. Video link on this feature. 

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  • After selecting record, listen for the "Beep-Beep" audible noise from the camera. Look for the blinking green LED light to verify the camera is recording.
     

  • Check your cameras. For long term projects we recommend checking your cameras monthly. Arrive to your site with an extra set of batteries and card-just in case. Any job sites can be tricky, you never know when the camera may be bumped or moved from it's initial location. Taking screen shots as mentioned above and using the Snap shot feature from the camera will allow you to match your initial camera position.

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BATTERY LIFE OVERVIEW:

  • ATL-200 / Day Scene / 24 Hrs per day / Full HD / Time lapse mode

  • 4xAA Alkaline batteries (battery brand: Duracell Ultra)

* Manufacturer claim:

 

1. The table is base on an ATL-200 manufactured from Feb 2019 or later

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2. The estimated battery life is tested under temperature 77F (25C).

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3. Battery life may vary based on battery brand, environmental conditions, operating temperature, and other factors.

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4. Rechargeable batteries are NOT recommended for time-lapse projects.

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5.Use lithium batteries when temperatures drop below 30F/0C.

 

LED INDICATOR

Wait what does this mean?

Power on: Green on

Firmware update: flash/1 sec.

Hardware Reset: flash 3 times

No SD card: Red

System Breakdown: Red flash /1 sec.

Battery Low: Red Flash/10 sec.

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Recording Modes:

Recording: Green flash/6 sec.

Schedule Snapshot On Demand, Step Video: Flash 0.2 sec. x1

PIR, Hybrid: Flash 0.2 sec. x2

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Power on: Green on

Firmware update: flash/1 sec.

Hardware Reset: flash 3 times

No SD card: Red

System Breakdown: Red flash /1 sec.

Battery Low: Red Flash/10 sec.

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Blinking red led? NOW WHAT DO I DO?

If happen to have a flashing red light 1/sec. then the best course of action would be to remove and change all the batteries to fresh brand name batteries. It doesn't hurt to reseat the card at this time as well.  Then continue to power on the camera and connect it to your mobile devise with the Wi-fi 

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FIRMWARE UPDATE

Afidus has been instrumental in the advancement of TimeLapse technology remaining competitive and current in the demands of the industry and customers.  Without pro-level requests and feedback they cannot continue to advance their product.

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In the past year, 2019, Afidus has had four major firmware updates to their system.  All for the betterment of their camera and how it responds to the ever changing iOS and Android updates.   When you receive your camera from us at TimeLapseCameras.com we ensure each camera has been updated to the newest firmware. 

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In this video we walk you through step-by-step how to update your firmware.

 

TRANSFERING FOOTAGE

There are several ways to transfer your footage from the camera.

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Method 1: Pull the Card

When the project is complete and you can pull your camera from the site you may (with patience of a saint who has small fingers or use tweezers, not supplied) remove the card from the interior of the camera and save your footage using a micro SD adapter to your computer. TimeLapseCameras has found this is the fastest transfer method. 

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Method 2: Use the cord

If you don't want to pull the card from the camera you may transfer the footage via MicroUSB cord supplied. The camera will be detected by your computer and you will be given the option to explore the cameras DCIM folder for the files you want to transfer. Select, or drag and drop, the files you want to transfer. 

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Please note, you will not be able to enter transfer mode if the camera is still recording. Either turn the camera off, or have the camera in standby (Green LED on) before you can access transfer mode. 

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Method 3: Use the WiFi app.

Instructions below:

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Transfer Via WiFi app

Note: Transfering a large 512 MB file will take time.

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ATL-200 & ATL 201 Cameras.

Approximately five minutes to download a single file to your mobile device.

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ATL-200S

Approximately 3.5 minutes 

to download a single file to your mobile device.

On the viewfinder page, click the bottom left-hand icon, as shown in the picture.

 

This will take you to a page with two options.

  1. The top icon relates to files on your camera 

  2. The bottom icon relates to (transferred) files on your phone / tablet

 

Simply tap the top camera icon to access all the files stored on your cameras internal SD card.

​Here you will see a list of all the files stored and their accompanying snapshot icons. Note - tapping the image will playback the video file.

 

Choose the file you would like to transfer by tapping its download icon. Your file will begin to download to your phone / tablet and you will be given the transfer progress until the file is completely transferred.

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To view transferred files on your phone or tablet, simply select the “gallery” icon on the main page.

Got Questions? 

You will be given three ‘types’ of files to choose from – Snapshot, time-lapse, PIR triggered.  These folder types are purely there to help you find the file you’re looking for. 

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Select the file you would like to view. Once selected, you are given the option to playback the footage. You are also given the option to convert the video file to MP4 format, or to send the file to: email, Google drive, Instagram, etc, etc. 

Have a question? Ask Us!

All content created, produced and copyright 2021 by TimeLapseCameras.com

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