Swann ThumbCam DVR-415 Operating Instructions Manual

Brand: Swann

Model: ThumbCam DVR-415

Type: Operating Instructions Manual

SR361-TCN

www.swann.com

™

Advanced security made easy

ThumbCam™

DVR-415

Operating Instructions

222 3

FCC Veriﬁcation:

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for

Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are de-

signed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residen-

tial installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency

energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may

cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be deter-

mined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to cor-

rect the interference by one or more of the following measures:

· Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

· Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver

· Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which

the receiver is connected

· Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prohibition against eavesdropping

Except for the operations of law enforcement ofﬁcers conducted under lawful

authority, no person shall use, either directly or indirectly, a device operated pursu-

ant to the provisions of this Part for the purpose of overhearing or recording the

private conversations of others unless such use is authorized by all of the parties

engaging in the conversation.

WARNING: Modiﬁcations not approved by the party responsible for compliance

could void user’s authority to operate the equipment.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:

· Make sure product is ﬁxed correctly and stable if fastened in place

· Do not operate if wires and terminals are exposed

ThumbCam Video Recorder

Belt/Pocket Clip

Wall Mount Clip

Pivot Clip

Lanyard

Latex Dust Cover

USB 2.0 Cable

Mini-CD (Drivers)

Table of Contents

Package Contents

Before You Begin 2

Package Contents 3

Overview 4

Before Using the ThumbCam 5

Layout 6

Operating the ThumbCam 8

Shooting Video 9

Mounting the ThumbCam 10

Setting the Time & Date 11

Connecting to your PC 12

Using the ThumbCam as a PC Camera 13

Shooting Guide 14

Troubleshooting & Technical Speciﬁcations 15

Helpdesk / Technical Support & Warranty Information Rear Cover

2 3

444 5

Overview Before Using the ThumbCam

Congratulations on your purchase of the ThumbCam, a miniature self-contained

digital video recorder which, as the name suggests, is the size of a thumb. With

an included rechargeable lithium-ion battery which will give up to sixty minutes

of recording time and recording video directly to micro SD card (not included),

the ThumbCam is a convenient and adaptable camera/recorder, with as many

applications as you can imagine for it.

The ThumbCam is an ideal solution for a temporary security camera, recording family

and social events, covert surveillance (be sure it’s legal!) or sports photography.

The ThumbCam also features audio-triggered recording, great for situations where

the camera needs to operate autonomously - great if you want the ThumbCam to

serve as a short-term surveillance camera.

Combine all these features with multiple mounting options and included belt/

pocket clip and lanyard, the ThumbCam is a versatile camera which can be worn

or mounted just about anywhere.

IMPORTANT - A Note Regarding Law

As noted on the inside cover in the ‘Prohibition Against Eavesdropping’ section,

the use of covert recording equipment is illegal in many countries and localities.

In some areas, the law only relates to public spaces, whilst in others it extends

to private spaces also. The laws regarding remote video recording and audio

recording can differ as well.

The ThumbCam is used on the condition that users research the law as it applies to

them in their locality. Make sure you know the law and thoroughly follow it whilst

using the ThumbCam or any other recording device. If the legality of recording is

at all ambiguous, we strongly suggest obtaining the express permission of your

subjects to do so.

The ThumbCam has a built-in lithium ion battery (the same sort of battery as most

mobile phones use, only smaller). We charge them up before we send them out –

however, due to time in transit, you’ll need to top it up before using it.

To charge the ThumbCam:

1. Locate the mini-USB port on the base of the ThumbCam.

2. Using the supplied USB-A to Mini-USB-A cable, attach the ThumbCam to a

spare USB port on your computer, or to a stand-alone USB charger.

3. Whilst charging, the both blue LED and the red LED will stay on.

4. The ThumbCam requires 3 ~ 4 hours to achieve a full charge. It is important,

particularly the ﬁrst charge, to leave the ThumbCam charging for the full

duration - not doing so can have a negative impact on the performance of

the battery.

General Guidelines

These are just a couple of points to keep in mind whilst using the ThumbCam:

• Do not point the ThumbCam towards exceedingly bright light sources such as the

sun, high-powered headlights or stadium lights. The bright light may damage the

image sensor, either leaving a permanent ‘shadow’ on your videos where the light

source has damaged the sensor, or rendering the sensor completely inoperable.

• Avoid adverse weather conditions. Excessive heat (direct or ambient) and

moisture (such as rain or humidity) will cause the ThumbCam to behave

erratically or not work at all. Acute exposure to these elements may permanently

damage the ThumbCam.

• Do not dispose of in ﬁre. Lithium-ion batteries can, when exposed to signiﬁcant

heat, explode quite dramatically.

• The small lens on the ThumbCam can be difﬁcult to clean. Avoid dusty or dirty

environments.

• If the lens does become dirty, clean with cleaning alcohol and/or a specialized

lens cleaning cloth (these are available from all good camera stores).

• Follow proper disposal guidelines in your locality if you intend to dispose of

the ThumbCam. Many localities have strict guidelines as to the disposal of

electronic items, particularly those with built-on rechargeable batteries.

666 776

Record / Stop

Microphone / LEDs

Lens

Mode Select

Micro SD card Slot

Reset Button

Power

Lanyard Clip

Lens: The business-end of the camera, used to focus light on to the image sensor.

For best results, ensure the lens is clean and free from debris.

Mode Select: Changes the recording mode of the camera.

Micro SD card Slot: The slot for inserting the micro SD card which the ThumbCam

records to. To insert a card, simply push it into the slot. To remove it, push it in

again, and it will ‘pop’ right out.

Reset Button: Used to quickly return the ThumbCam to it’s initial booted state.

This is typically used only if the ThumbCam freezes and needs to be reset.

Lanyard Clip: Used to attach the included lanyard. Alternately, it could be used

to attach the ThumbCam to just about anything - such as a key-chain or similar.

Power: Press to turn the ThumbCam on and off. Do not turn off the ThumbCam

whilst recording, or immediately after recording.

Record/Stop: Starts and stops the ThumbCam recordings.

Microphone: The device which records sound. If these holes are blocked, then the

range and quality of the audio recording will be signiﬁcantly reduced.

LEDs: Small colored lights which will indicate the current state and function of the

ThumbCam. There are two LEDs, one red and one blue. In bright light (such as

sunlight) these might be difﬁcult to see.

Layout

888 9

Operating the ThumbCam Shooting Video

To turn the ThumbCam ON:

• Press and hold the Power Button for approximately one second.

• The blue and red LEDs will come on. When the red LED turns off and the blue

LED stays on, this indicates that the ThumbCam is now ready to record.

To turn the ThumbCam OFF:

• Press the Power Button for approximately one second.

• Do NOT turn the ThumbCam off whilst recording video, or immediately

after recording video.

• The ThumbCam needs several seconds after stopping a recording to write the

video the micro SD card – turning the ThumbCam off during the writing to

card process will corrupt the data, and render the video ﬁle unusable.

Low Power & Automatic Shutdown:

When the ThumbCam’s battery starts to run low, it will automatically shut itself

down. If it is currently recording a video, it will stop recording and ﬁnalize writing

the video ﬁle to the micro SD card before turning itself off. Recharge the battery

fully before turning the ThumbCam on again.

The ThumbCam will also automatically shut itself down when about to run out of

recording space on its micro SD card. To ﬁx this, replace the micro SD card with a

fresh (or, at least, not full) one, or connect the ThumbCam to a PC and clear data

off the card by cutting and pasting it, or simply deleting it.

Resetting the ThumbCam:

Occasionally, particularly during long periods of constant use, the ThumbCam may

freeze and stop working correctly. If this happens, the ThumbCam needs to be

reset.

To reset the ThumbCam:

• Locate the Reset button, located immediately below the micro SD card slot.

• Using a thin (not sharp!) object such as an unfolded paper clip or hair pin,

press and hold the Reset button for approximately one second.

• Wait whilst the ThumbCam resets. The procedure is the same as when it is

ﬁrst turned on.

• Once the ThumbCam has been reset, you’ll need to set the Time and Date

again (see page 11).

Recording video is the main function of the ThumbCam. To do so:

• Turn the ThumbCam on.

• Wait several seconds for the ThumbCam to properly initialize.

• When the red LED goes out and blue LED is on, the ThumbCam is ready to record.

• Press the Record/Stop button to begin recording video.

• Whilst video is being recorded, the blue LED will stay on and the red LED will

ﬂash slowly.

• To stop the recording, press the Record/Stop button again. The red LED will

ﬂash quickly whilst video data is being saved.

Important Notes:

• When you stop a recording, it takes several seconds for the ThumbCam to

write video data to the micro SD card. If the Record/Stop button is pressed

again or the power is turned off whilst the ThumbCam is writing data to the

micro SD card then the video data will be corrupted, resulting in either an

corrupt ﬁle (which is bad) or a corrupt ﬁle structure on the SD card (which is

worse). If the former happens, the video quality will be greatly reduced, if the

ﬁle works at all. If the later happens, you might need to reformat the SD card,

and risk losing all the data on it.

• See the Shooting Guide (page 14) for more information about recording.

Sound-Activated Recording:

The ThumbCam can be conﬁgured to operate as a sound-activated recording

device. This makes the ThumbCam a great solution for a set-and-forget recording

device. The internal battery will last for more than 10 hours of standby time if

nothing triggers the ThumbCam to record.

Soft sounds (for example, softer than a person speaking in a loud voice

approximately 3ft/1m away) may not trigger the ThumbCam to record.

To engage Sound-Activated Recording Mode:

• Turn the ThumbCam on in the usual way.

• Wait until the red LED goes out, and the ThumbCam is in standby.

• Press the Mode button.

• The blue LED will stay on, and the red LED will ﬂash slowly to indicate that the

ThumbCam is in sound-activated recording mode.

• While armed in this mode, a moderate to loud sound will trigger the

ThumbCam to record.

• Once triggered to record, the ThumbCam will continue recording for a

minimum of two minutes, or longer if the sound continues.

• To deactivated sound-activated recording mode, simply press the mode

button. Once the red LED goes out, sound-activated recording mode has been

deactivated.

101010 11

We’ve included a number of options for you to mount the ThumbCam, whether

you want to use it as a personal video recorder, a PC camera, a short-term

surveillance camera, or whatever other uses you might imagine for it!

Lanyard

Using the lanyard is pretty straight forward, and a great way to make sure you

never lose the ThumbCam - it’ll be round your neck!

• Attach the clip on the end of the lanyard to the small tab on the top of the

ThumbCam.

• Sling the lanyard around your neck.

• For best results, hold the ThumbCam steady whilst you’re shooting video -

leaving it on the lanyard will result in a very random, frenetic video which will

rarely capture what you want. Then again, this might be exactly the effect

you’re after - if so, go for it!

Belt/Pocket Clip (or Silicon Sleeve)

• Insert the ThumbCam into the clip.

• The four corners of the clasp will lock into position on the four corners of the

ThumbCam.

• The ThumbCam can now be clipped onto a belt, pocket, collar, or any other

location which offers suitable support for the clip.

• To remove the ThumbCam from the clip, hold it in the middle and twist gently.

The clip is easiest to remove one corner at a time.

• The silicon sleeve works in a similar manner, and has a loop on the back to

attach to a belt or similar. The differences are primarily that a) the silicon sleeve

is more delicate, and could tear if mistreated and b) the silicon sleeve will offer

some degree of protection from dust and moisture.

Wall/Ceiling Mounting Options

The ThumbCam comes with two options for permanent mounting, a permanent

clip and a clip-to-wall mounting. If you want to use the ThumbCam with the belt/

pocket clip, use the free-pivot mounting that the clip can attach to. To mount the

ThumbCam only, use the standard wall clip.

• The free-pivot clip (used with the belt/pocket clip) is magnetic, and can be

attached easily to any suitable surface. This is handy for mounting the clip onto

a refrigerator, PC case, or similar metallic surface. For permanent installation,

use the screw holes.

• The standard wall clip needs to be screwed, glued or taped into place. Screws

are typically the most resilient mounting option.

Mounting the ThumbCam Setting the Time & Date

You can setup the ThumbCam to print the date and time that a recording was

taken directly onto the video, like a watermark. To enable this function, you’ll just

need to set the time and date - the ThumbCam will keep track of it from there.

To set the Date and Time:

• Open Notepad. It’s usually located in the Accessories folder in the Start Menu

(assuming you’re using Microsoft Windows

). If you don’t have Notepad, any

plain text editor will work ﬁne (but not a word processor, and these do not

create plain .txt ﬁles).

• Write out the date and time. Leave a single space (i.e. press the spacebar once

before pressing enter or return: represented by “_”) after each line.

• Enter the date and time in the following format:

[date]_

YYYY/MM/DD_

HH:_MM:_SS_ (where “_” indicates a blank space)

So, if it was thirty-three minutes past nine in the morning on the fourth of

December 2009, then the ﬁle would read:

[date]_

2009/12/04_

09:_33:_00_ (where “_” indicates a blank space)

• Save this ﬁle, naming it “tag.txt”.

• Copy this ﬁle to the micro SD card.

• With the micro SD card already inserted into ThumbCam, turn the

ThumbCam ON.

• The ThumbCam will read the text in the ﬁle, and update it’s internal clock to

match the date and time as set by you.

Notes:

• The date and time will be updated to the ThumbCam’s internal clock when it

is turned on. Before this, the time will not be updated to ‘keep up’ with real-

time. Thus, if you set the time accurately in the tag.txt ﬁle and copy it to the

micro SD card, but then leave it an hour before turning on the RemoteCam,

the time stored in the RemoteCam will be one hour behind.

• You may need to reset the time (i.e. go through this procedure again) if the

internal battery in the RemoteCam is completely drained of charge, or if you’ve

pressed the Reset button (which clears the memory of the ThumbCam.)

121212 13

You can also connect the ThumbCam to your computer and use it as a PC camera.

A typical use of this feature would be to use the ThumbCam as a webcam for

Internet chat programs.

To use the ThumbCam as a PC camera, ﬁrst install the driver:

• Insert the CD-ROM into your computer.

• Locate the ﬁle on the CD-ROM called: “SPCA1528_V2220_M…Setup.exe”

• Run this ﬁle, follow further on-screen prompts.

• You may be asked to conﬁrm your choice to run this ﬁle, or be warned that

this driver is “not digitally signed”. This is normal: choose to continue running

and installing the driver.

• Depending on the version of your operating system, you may need to be an

administrator to install software and/or drivers.

• Once the installation is complete, you will now have an icon on the desktop

labelled “AMCAP”.

To Connect the ThumbCam in PC Camera Mode:

• Connect the ThumbCam to your computer via the USB 2.0 cable as normal.

• If you have not already done so, turn the ThumbCam on.

• Wait until your computer has detected the ThumbCam as a removable USB

Mass Storage Device.

• Press the Mode button. This will instruct the ThumbCam to act as a USB PC

Camera.

• Double-click the AMCAP icon on your desktop. Once the program runs, you’ll

be able to use the ThumbCam as a PC camera.

Using the ThumbCam as a PC Camera

You can read the data on the micro SD card in the ThumbCam by connecting

the ThumbCam to your computer.

To do this:

• Locate the mini-USB plug on the bottom of the ThumbCam.

• Find a spare USB port on your computer.…

• For maximum speed, ﬁnd a free USB 2.0 port on your computer, and avoid

using USB extension cables or hubs.

• Connect the spare USB port on your computer to the mini-USB port on the

ThumbCam using the supplied USB 2.0 cable.

• The ThumbCam will be detected as a USB storage device, and can be accessed

in the same way as you would any other USB ﬂash drive.

• The video recordings are stored as an AVI ﬁles in folders called 100MEDIA,

101MEDIA, 102MEDIA, and so on.

If you have any difﬁculty playing any the recordings from the ThumbCam, we

recommend using a different video player. We suggest VLC Player - this program

is available free for a wide variety of computer platforms and operating systems,

and plays just about anything.

It’s available from: http://www.videolan.org/vlc

About AVI Files:

AVI is a popular video format, which is highly compatible with most computers

and computer-like devices (such as recent mobile phones and even video game

consoles). AVI is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave, and has been a popular

video ‘container’ for many years. The term ‘container’ means that it is a type of

ﬁle which holds video data, rather than specifying exactly what kind of video data

it should hold.

Connecting to your PC

System Requirements for Webcam Functions:

Interface Type USB 2.0

Processor Pentium IV or above

RAM 1GB or greater

Video Card Intel 945 or greater

Hard Drive Space Minimum 1GB free

Operating System(s) Microsoft Windows XP

Microsoft Windows Vista

Microsoft Windows 7

The drivers for the webcam functions are not compatible with Mac-based systems.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Mac is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries.

141414 15

Shooting Guide Troubleshooting

Technical Speciﬁcations

Framing:

The ThumbCam has a ﬁxed lens (a vari-focal lens would, simply, not ﬁt) – so the

size of subjects in your shots depends only on how close to the subject you hold

the camera.

• Typically, about 3 feet (1m) is about right if ﬁlming a shot of someone’s face

– this way, their face will occupy approximate half the vertical space in frame.

• To get a whole person in frame (assuming they’re approximately six feet tall)

then you’ll need to be about 10ft (3m) away from them.

Focus:

• The ThumbCam has a ﬁxed focus lens, which means you’ll never need to

adjust focus.

• The wide angled ﬁxed lens will achieve focus within approximately 30cm (1½

ft) from the lens, varying slightly depending on the amount of available light.

It will hold focus to inﬁnity.

• Basically, keep everything more than two feet from the lens, and you’ll have

no worries!

Exposure:

The ThumbCam will adjust exposure automatically, varying its gain setting

autonomously, reacting to the amount of available light. There are a couple of

things to bear in mind, however:

• Shooting a dark subject in front of a bright background can cause the auto-

exposure feature of the ThumbCam to become confused, and drop the

exposure down so that the background is correctly exposed whilst the subject

becomes a silhouette. Avoid brightly lit backgrounds, unless you want this

effect.

• To decrease exposure, the ThumbCam shortens its electronic shutter speed,

thus exposing each frame for a shorter time. This means that you’ll get better

high-speed photographic performance in bright light – useful for shooting fast

events, like sports.

• On the other hand, in low-light, each frame needs to be exposed longer to get

enough light into the (very small) lens. This can be effect can be minor (such as

shooting in a shopping mall or a stadium under lights) or particularly serious

(in situations such as shooting under a street lamp).

• The image quality, depth of ﬁeld and exposure range will all improve

dramatically as more light is available.

Tips & Tricks: Photography is an art - there is no right or wrong way to shoot.

Practise really does make perfect - or, at least, better. The best way to get better

results is just to keep using the ThumbCam. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be wasting

ﬁlm; just clean off the micro SD card now and then, and you’ll be set!

Problem: I’ve recorded videos, but the micro SD card seems to be blank.

Solution: Chances are that this problem is caused by turning the ThumbCam off

before the video ﬁles have been properly saved to the micro SD card. Always use

the Rec/Pause button to stop recordings and waiting until the red LED has gone

out before turning the ThumbCam off.

Problem: The ThumbCam won’t turn on.

Solution: The most likely culprit is the battery. Check out the instructions on page

4 regarding charging the battery. Try completely charging the battery. When doing

so, avoid using a USB hub - some USB hubs will not provide a full 5V to attached

devices and thus will not charge the battery properly. You can also charge the

ThumbCam from a stand-alone USB charger.

Problem: My videos and pictures seem blurry.

Solution: If the lens becomes dirty, this can cause the ThumbCam’s videos to be

distorted, soft and blurred. Clean the lens using a dedicated lens cleaning cloth

and lens cleaning solution (typically a type of cleaning alcohol).

Problem: My videos seem too shaky.

Solutions: As a general rule, this usually indicates that the mount you’ve used

for the camera (or arm, if you’re shooting hand-held) needs to be more stable.

Generally, this will occur if you use the lanyard or belt/pocket clip whilst recording

video, and are moving or travelling in a vehicle which is moving. Generally, you’ll

achieve the best results holding the ThumbCam with both hands in front of you,

resting your elbows on your torso. That way, your body and both arms form a kind

of rudimentary tripod, greatly steadying your videos.

Video

Video Format AVI

Resolution 720 x 480

Video Size Variable

(avg. > 10,000kbps)

Audio

Microphone Yes (built in)

Audio Range 3m (typical)

Recording

Recording Mode Manual /

Voice Activated

Frame Rate 30fps

Storage Type Micro SD card

Storage Capacity Up to 8GB

Storage Time 10min/GB

General

Battery Type Rechargeable

Lithium-Ion

Record Time per Charge 60 mins

Charging Method USB

Dimensions 2.2” x 0.8” x 0.8”

50mm x 30mm x 30mm

161616

Advanced security made easy™

Swann Communications warrants this product against defects in workmanship

and material for a period of one (1) year from it’s original purchase date. You

must present your receipt as proof of date of purchase for warranty validation.

Any unit which proves defective during the stated period will be repaired

without charge for parts or labour or replaced at the sole discretion of Swann.

The end user is responsible for all freight charges incurred to send the product to

Swann’s repair centres. The end user is responsible for all shipping costs incurred

when shipping from and to any country other than the country of origin.

The warranty does not cover any incidental, accidental or consequential

damages arising from the use of or the inability to use this product. Any costs

associated with the ﬁtting or removal of this product by a tradesman or other

person or any other costs associated with its use are the responsibility of the

end user. This warranty applies to the original purchaser of the product only

and is not transferable to any third party. Unauthorized end user or third party

modiﬁcations to any component or evidence of misuse or abuse of the device

will render all warranties void.

By law some countries do not allow limitations on certain exclusions in this

warranty. Where applicable by local laws, regulations and legal rights will take

precedence.

Warranty Information

Helpdesk / Technical Support Details

Swann Technical Support

All Countries E-mail: tech@swannsecurity.com

Telephone Helpdesk

See http://www.worldtimeserver.com for information on time zones

and the current time in Melbourne, Australia compared to your

local time.

USA toll free

1-800-627-2799

(Su, 2pm-10pm US PT)

(M-Th, 6am-10pm US PT)

(F 6am-2pm US PT)

USA Exchange & Repairs

1-800-627-2799 (Option 1)

(M-F, 9am-5pm US PT)

AUSTRALIA toll free

1300 138 324

(M 9am-5pm AUS ET)

(Tu-F 1am-5pm AUS ET)

(Sa 1am-9am AUS ET)

NEW ZEALAND toll free

0800 479 266

INTERNATIONAL

+61 3 8412 4610

Swann Communications

USA Inc.

12636 Clark Street

Santa Fe Springs CA

90670

USA

Swann Communications

PTY. LTD. Unit 13, Citilink

Industrial Estate, Corner

Ingles & Turner Streets,

Port Melbourne, Victoria

Swann Communications

LTD.

Stag Gates House

63/64 The Avenue

SO171XS

United Kingdom

Swann ThumbCam DVR-415 Operating Instructions Manual

Swann ThumbCam DVR-415 Operating Instructions Manual

Swann ThumbCam DVR-415 Operating Instructions Manual

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