Pix Controller UndercoverEye, UndercoverEye Trekker MiniDVR Instruction Manual

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR

Remote Surveillance System

Instruction Manual

Copyright ©, PixController, Inc. http://www.pixcontroller.com, all rights reserved

1

Introduction

The PixController UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR is a complete all-in-one groundhog video
surveillance recording system. Video recordings are saved on standard SD media cards in a
H.264 video recording format. Simply turn the internal power switch to the “on” position, close the
case, and wait the 1.5 minute motion control warm up time and the UndercoverEye™ Trekker
MiniDVR will be ready for motion event video recording. Capture more than 1 hour of footage at
640 X 480 @ 30 Frames per second in high resolution with sound on a 1 GB memory card.

The UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR system box can be buried into the ground for the
ultimate covert setup. Simply make sure the RF antenna is above the ground and has good line
of sight to the wireless sensors. You may use a SMA Cable extender to position the RF antenna
higher if needed.

The UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR is not limited to “groundhog” type setups. Because of its
small size it can be used for indoor or in-vehicle applications for covert recording operations. The
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR can be hidden in a false ceiling, desk drawer, or in a car
trunk.

Sound can also be recorded with your UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR which is a very
important feature. However, in situations where sound recording is not permitted you can simply
unplug the sound MIC cable from the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR unit.

The UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR can accept any 12V NTSC/PAL video camera. The
system is sold with a waterproof day color/nigh IR bullet camera, but any video camera such as
board cameras, pinhole cameras, or wireless video cameras can be used.

Being that there are no mechanical parts for running camcorder tape recording the
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR can be used in much lower temperature conditions where a
camcorder will often freeze, and it can be used in much more humid weather conditions where a
camcorder can be damaged by moisture, and will power up much faster than camcorders will.
The DVR and Video Camera are powered by a rechargeable 12V Li-Ion 4.5 AH battery, which
under normal use can last up to 3 weeks of unattended use.

The UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR included one wireless PIR motion sensors which can
cover a wide sensing area. If you are recording a trail area for example simply place one PIR
sensor up the trail and one down the trail, and one in the center where UndercoverEye’s video
camera is placed. In this scenario you can pre-trigger the UndercoverEye’s recording system
before the subject walks into the video camera range.

Note: If the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR is powered down while recording a video

clip, the current video clip will not be stored on the CF memory card.

2

What’s included with your UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR System

Your UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR system contains the following items:

• UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR water proof system case/motion control electronic

• Removable Tilt-Swivel RF Antenna w/ SMA connector

• Low-light Covert Bullet Video Camera

• 16’ Video/MIC Cable

• RF Wireless Remote Control

• 12V 4.5AH Removable Li-Ion Battery

• 12V battery charging unit

• PixController UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR CD with manuals and media player

Inspection/Acceptance of received products

The buyer shall be responsible for inspecting all products shipped prior to acceptance; provided,
however, that if Buyer shall not have given PixController, Inc. written notice via email of rejection
or shorted items to [e-mail] within ten (10) days following receipt by Buyer, the
products shall be deemed to have been accepted by Buyer.

All electronic products sent back for a full refund are subject to a 15% restocking within thirty (30)
days from purchase. Products authorized for return must be in their original unopened packaging
to receive credit. Unauthorized returns will not be accepted. After thirty (30) days from purchase
items may not be returned for a full refund. Your electronics are covered for a full 6 month period
coving all part failure under normal use.

Contact Information

Address:

PixController, Inc.
1056 Corporate Lane
Murry Corporate Park
Export, PA 15632

Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.pixcontroller.com

3

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR System Components

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR Exterior Components

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR Interior Components

4

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR Electronics Overview

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR Electronics

Note: you will need to remove the top cover to access the DIP Switches

5

Setting up the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR

Step 1

Connect the RF antenna to the SMA antenna
connector as shown. The RF antenna is a tilt­swivel antenna and should be pointed up when
installed. The Trekker case can be oriented in
any direction.

Step 2

Connect the video cable to the Trekker box as
shown. The connection is keyed. Once the
connection is made twist the cable end to make
a tight fit.

Step 3

The video cable fits most standard 12V video
camera. The cable comes complete with a
male 12V power connector (2.1mm barrel with
center positive), BNC video cable, and 3.5mm
MIC connector.

You can attach a microphone to record sound if
permitted using a standard microphone with a

3.5mm connector.

6

Step 4

Connect the video camera to the video cable
as shown.

Step 5

Insert a SD card into the MiniDVR card slot.

Step 6

Power on the Trekker system as show.

Note: Before powering up the Trekker system
please read the remainder of the manual to
become familiar with the settings and sensors.

7

Powering up the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR

To power up the system turn the Power on/off switch to the "on" position. You will hear a short
melody from the PixController RF board letting you know it's powered on. Next there will be a 30
second delay. After this time expires you will hear 4 quick beeps which let you know the system is
going into a 1 minute auto walk test phase. If you walk past the Wireless PIR motion sensors at
this point you will hear 1 beep for a "A" Sensor or trigger sensor, and 2 beeps for a "B" sensor or
power up sensor. You may want to keep the case open so you can hear this from a distance.
After this 1 minute walk test phase expires you will hear 4 quick beeps again letting you know the
system is going "active". After this point the system is active.

How to customize the Trekker MiniDVR settings

RF Board User DIP Switch

The RF Sensor DIP Switch will let you customize how the remote sensors will trigger the
MiniDVR controller. Here you can adjust the address of which sensors to respond to (trigger the
MiniDVR), Walk-Test mode, use KeyFob or PIR sensor, and camera test mode.

Sensor Address Switch 1 Switch 2

“A” Address Down Down
“B” Address Down Down
“C” Address Down Up
“D” Address Down Up

Wireles PIR or KeyFob Mode Switch 3

Use Wireless PIR Sensor Down
Use KeyFob Up

MiniDVR
Recording Time

30 Sec./Cont. Down Down Down
30 Seconds Down Down Up
10 Seconds Down Up Down
45 Seconds Down Up Up
1 Minute1 Up Down Down
2 Minutes Up Down Up
5 Minutes Up Up Down
10 Minutes Up Up Up

Switch 4 Switch 5 Switch 6

Walk-Test Mode Switch 7

Test Mode Off Down
Test Mode On Up

Power Camera Switch 8

Camera test off Down
Camera test on Up

Setting the Address Code

Switches 1 & 2 control the address code of the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR controller
box. Both the SlimFire Remote Control or Wireless PIR Sensor, and UndercoverEye™ Trekker
MiniDVR controller box need to be set to the same address code in order for the unit to function
properly. There are 4 unique address codes you can set the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR
to respond to.

8

The UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR is compatible with the SlimFire remote and PIR wireless
motion sensors. The address code here is the “house code” from A-P, however, the
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR only will recognize “house codes” A-G. For more information
about setting the house code on your SlimFire remote or Wireless PIR Motion Sensor.

Out of the box both the SlimFire remote, Wireless PIR sensor, and Remote VideoEye™ will
be defaulted to the “A” Address Code.

Why set different address codes? There may be a situation when you want to have several
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR units in a recording session. You may want to only have
several UndercoverEye ™ units respond to SlimFire or Wireless PIR motion sensors. For this you
have the ability to set the address between each of these devices. It is a good idea to use a
marking pen and write the address code on your SlimFire remote or Wireless PIR motion sensor
if not set in the default “A” address code.

Wireless PIR Sensor or KeyFob Mode

Switch 3 is the setting to let the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR know if you are using the
KeyFob or PIR sensor.

In the Wireless PIR sensor mode, DIP switch 3 in the DOWN position the Trekker MiniDVR will
respond wireless PIR sensors. Note, the unit will still respond to the KeyFob by pressing the “on”
button on the KeyFob unit, however, it will not respond to the KeyFob “off” button. If using the
KeyFob in this mode the recording time is setup by switches 4, 5, and 6.

In the KeyFob mode, DIP switch 3 in the UP position the Trekker MiniDVR will respond to the “on”
button from the KeyFob to turn the Trekker MiniDVR on into recording mode, and by pressing the
“off” button on the KeyFob will power down the Trekker MiniDVR. Note, you can still trigger the
unit via the wireless PIR sensor but the unit will power down when the “off” command is sent by
the wireless PIR sensor. In default mode this is one minute after a PIR trigger, but this time can
be adjusted manually in the PIR sensor. Please see the paper instructions inside the PIR sensor
for more information.

MiniDVR Recording Time

Switch 4, 5 and 6 sets the recording time of the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR on a PIR
event

Walk-Test Mode

When Test Mode is set to “On” it will let you test out the “line of sight” distance between the
triggering unit, i.e., the SlimFire remote control or Wireless PIR motion sensors, and the
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR unit. This is useful to be sure the camcorder units can see
commands from the triggering units.

Note: To put the UndercoverEye back into “recording mode” when using Test Mode.

Power Camera Test Mode

Switch 8 controls powers up the video camera and UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR for
reviewing video in the field with a hand held video monitor, viewing video at home on your TV, or
making changes to the DVR settings with the DVR remote control.

.

Note:

When changing switch setting you must re-boot your UndercoverEye. When re-booting
you must wait approximately 30 seconds before turning power on again.

9

Using the SlimFire Remote Control KeyFob

Your RF wireless remote control unit is used to power up your
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR via a wireless command by
pressing the buttons on the remote control.

By pressing the “On” button, note there are 2 sets of “On” and
“Off” buttons which are redundant. This will power up the
camcorder and start it recording. By pressing the “Off” button the
camcorder will stop recording and power down the camcorder.

Your RF wireless remote control can control your
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR from a distance up to about
180 feet “line of sight”. For best reception be sure to have a clear
view of the Remote VideoEye™ from your controlling location.

Introduction to the Wireless PIR Motion Sensor

The PixController DigitalEye RF (Radio Frequency) is a
wireless camera controller which works in conjunction with the
wireless PIR motion sensor. The PixController RF boards
"listens" for wireless commands sent from the wireless PIR
motion sensor when the motion sensor is tripped. When the
RF board receives a trigger event it will trigger the attached
camera or camcorder to take a photo or record video.

There are 2 AAA batteries that power the motion sensor
which will last for a year of continuous use. To replace them
just remove the battery door.

Never touch the PIR lens as this could damage the PIR
sensor

RF Wireless Remote Control

KeyFob

Setting Wireless PIR Motion Sensor Addresses

Each wireless PIR sensor can be setup to send out a unique address. Wireless PIR sensors are
assigned an 'address', which consists of addresses between “A” to “P.

To change the Address that the Wireless PIR transmits:
First, remote the 4 screws from the back of the case and
take off the cover as shown. Press and hold the Address
button (under the battery compartment lid) the red LED
flashes first and then blinks the current setting (once for
A, twice for B, etc.). Release and immediately press the
button the desired number of times for the House Code
you want to set (once for A, twice for B, etc.) and hold
the button on the last press. 3 seconds after the last
press (while holding the button) the red LED blinks back
the number of times for the code you set. Release the
button.

10

temperature and temperature of the target. The hotter the target

Mounting the Wireless PIR Motion Sensor

To mount the Wireless PIR motion sensor first remove the
battery door and remove the AAA batteries. You will see 2
screw holes in which you can mount a small mounting plate or
screw it to the surface of the mounting area.

Try to keep the sensors at 2’ to 3’ from the ground if you want
to get the best detection of targets on the ground.

The range of the PIR detection is 40’ to 80’ depending on air

the longer detection range you will have. For example a car can
be seen at a greater distance.

The RF wireless range back to the DigitalEye unit is about 100’
to 150’ depending on line of sight.

11

Setting up the Trekker MiniDVR and viewing videos in the field

When setting the Trekker MiniDVR in the field users often
wish to see the camera view. To do this you must supply a
hand held video monitor.

Simple connect the Video Out and Audio Out RCA type
cables to your monitor as shown. With the Trekker system
off move DIP switch 8 into the UP position then power on
the Trekker MiniDVR unit. This will power up both the video
camera and MiniDVR unit.

If you wish the make changes to the MiniDVR such as the
time-date and other features you can do so at this time by
using the MiniDVR remote control unit. Just point it towards
the IR LED on the MiniDVR unit.

You may also play back videos captured at this time.

12

Setting up the MiniDVR

Before setting up the MiniDVR unit you must connect the Trekker unit to a monitor as shown
above. By using the MiniDVR remote control unit you can setup the time/date, recording quality,
and triggering settings.

Remote Control

13

OSD Menu

Press ‘MENU’ button on remote control to access to MiniDVR OSD
menu. Please refer the page above about how to use remote control
buttons. Password is ‘0000’ as default. The password can be
changed on ‘[SUB MENU] [PASSWORD CHANGE]’.

In order to select cameras for recording, set recoding quality,
schedule recording times and to set other operation parameters, you
will need to access the MiniDVR’s menu.
Numerals can be selected by pushing up/down button on remote
control.

Main Menu

In the main menu, the ‘indicator ‘>’ will be shown on the left of each
menu. Press ‘UP/DOWN’ button on remote control to select a desired
menu. After placing ‘>’ on the desired menu and press ‘ENTER’
button to enter the menu.

System Setup

Configure current time and ‘DAY LIGHT SAVING’ option. On
setting the current time, the field order should be as
follows;
2004/02/17 = year/month/day 19:44:32 = hour/minute/second

1. TIME SET > DAY LIGHT SAVING

SELECT ‘ON” when you want to use day light saving time. You
can set up a time of period when day light
saving is applied.

2. LANGUAGE SETUP

English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish

3. VIDEO OUTPUT

Not selectable. Display NTSC or PAL according to unit’s CCD
type.

4. BRIGHTNESS:

Select brightness value among low, medium and high.

N

Video Setup

Resolution:

Video Quality: Set as “HIGH” for best recording quality.
Frame Rate: Set to “30” for best recording quality.
Pre-Recording: Must be set to “OFF”
Post-Recording Time: Must be set to “5 SEC”
Auto Recording: must be set to “ON”

14

Event Setup

The following setting MUST be setup as shown in order for the
Trekker MiniDVR unit to function properly. These settings will be
setup correctly leaving the factory; however, in the event of any
systems changes it’s a good idea to verify these settings.

Alarm Input: Must be set to “On”
Input Type: Must be set to “Normally Open”
Alarm Output: Must be set to “Off”
Output Type: We don’t care what this setting is

Motion Detection: Must be set to “Off”

Playing the UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR Video Files on your PC

To play the saved video files first remove the SD card from the
Trekker MiniDVR unit and place the card into the USB reader
as shown. Insert the USB reader into the USB slot of your PC.

Next, be sure to install the AK40H software on your PC. Follow
the instructions on the Trekker MiniDVR CD for installing the
AK40H software. The AK40H software will let you play back
the recorded video files and convert the video files to .AVI
format.

15

UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR 12V Battery & Charger

Included with your UndercoverEye unit is a
rechargeable 12V Li-Ion battery and 12V charger.
The 12V battery is completely removable from the
UndercoverEye unit for replacing or recharging.
To recharge the 12V battery simply connect the
barrel connector to the 12V wall charger unit.

When charging the red LED on the wall charger
will be lit and will change to green when the 12V
SLA battery is fully charged.

Replacement 12V Li-Ion batteries can be
purchased from www.pixcontroller.com.

Trekker MiniDVR CCD Bullet Video Camera Specs

• Sony 1/4"CCD Color Bullet Camera

• Color Day, IR Night

• 420TVL Resolution

• Shutter Speed NTSC: 1/50th to 1/120,000th

• Weatherproof, mini-compact Bullet Camera

• Lens 3.6mm 90° Field of View

• 0.05 LUX Rating 0.5 AGC Auto Gain Control

• Dimensions 1" (D) x 3"(L)

• Signal to Noise Ratio >45dB

• 12V DC Power Input – 2.1mm x 5.5mm center positive

• NTSC Output – BCN connection

16

Using other Video Cameras with your Trekker MiniDVR

Board and Pinhole Cameras

You can use any 12V video camera with a standard NTSC
or PAL output with the Trekker MiniDVR unit. Some
applications may require other video cameras than the
bullet camera supplied with the Trekker MiniDVR unit.

Cameras such as board cameras and microphones as in
the photo shown can be used. Applications such as indoor
where you may need to hide the video camera in
something for covert recording are possible with the
Trekker MiniDVR unit.

Board Video Cameras

Room setup: PIR Motion sensor trigger, video

camera connected to a wireless transmitter

Recording Setup: Video receiver connected to the

Trekker MiniDVR video input

Wireless video cameras with motion sensor trigger

The Trekker MiniDVR unit can also be used with various
wireless video cameras. In this setup the Trekker
MiniDVR recording unit can be hidden in another room or
a distance of 100’ from the wireless video camera.

An example setup show here would consist of one room
setup with a wireless video camera connected to a video
transmitter. The camera and transmitter can be hidden for
covert setup, but power must be supplied to the video
camera and transmitter. Simply setup the PIR motion
sensor or motion sensors within the room.

Next, in another location setup the Trekker MiniDVR by
connecting the video receiver to the video input cable of
the Trekker MiniDVR unit. Connect the power and video
output connections to the cable.

Upon motion detection from the room with the wireless
video camera the Trekker MiniDVR unit will power up the
wireless video receiver and start recording the incoming
video signal.

In situations where you may need to monitor an area of a
building but do not have access to the recording area this
is the ideal setup. Simply setup the Trekker MiniDVR in
the basement our outside the building in order to get
access to the recorded video files.

17

Room setup: PIR Motion sensor trigger, video

camera connected to a wireless transmitter

Wireless video cameras with KeyFob trigger

The Trekker MiniDVR unit can also be used with a
wireless video camera and a KeyFob for manual triggering
of the Trekker MiniDVR recording unit.

An example setup show here would consist of one room
setup with a wireless video camera connected to a video
transmitter. The camera and transmitter can be hidden for
covert setup, but power must be supplied to the video
camera and transmitter.

Next, in another location setup the Trekker MiniDVR by
connecting the video receiver to the video input cable of
the Trekker MiniDVR unit. Connect the power and video
output connections to the cable.

In situations where you may need to record covert
operations such as in a car this is the ideal setup. Simply
setup the Trekker MiniDVR in the trunk of the car and
press the “on” button on the remote control KeyFob to
start the Trekker MiniDVR recording. Press the “off” key to
stop the recording.

Recording Setup: Video receiver connected to the
Trekker MiniDVR video input with manual KeyFob

trigger

18

Typical Field Setups

The PixController UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR Surveillance Camera System is an
unattended groundhog video surveillance system can be used for unattended covert outdoor
surveillance of targets ranging from, but not limited to:

• Marijuana fields

• Drug/meth labs

• Metal theft including copper theft

• Anhydrous ammonia theft

• Illegal dumping

• Graffiti

• Vandalism

• Construction site theft

• Sting operations

• Illegal/Trespassing ATV riders

• Monitoring remote locations

Typical outdoor setups are often used with multiple PIR sensors. This is especially useful when
monitoring an area into our out of a site to catch vehicle traffic. When using multiple PIR sensors
in this type of setup we recommend using a PIR sensor in front of the Trekker MiniDVR unit, one
up and one down from the unit. This will pre-trigger the Trekker MiniDVR to start recording before
the vehicle enters the Trekker MiniDVR camera view.

Remote criminal activity such as metal and anhydrous ammonia theft is among the hardest types
of crimes to solve. Due to the random nature and the timing needed to get law enforcement
agencies on site to witness the crime it makes it almost impossible to catch criminals in action.
The UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR was designed just for this purpose.

This system is very simple to use and fast to deploy. A single person can deploy
UndercoverEye™ Trekker MiniDVR giving audible feedback from sensors triggers during setup.

19

Using Personal Video Players (PVP)

Personal Video Player

Insert SD Card into PVP

Connect PVP to your computer via USB

Personal Video Player Overview

Personal Video Players or PVP's are a great tool for
your UndercoverEye. Many PVP's today come with
a large internal memory or hard disk, which means
you can download your videos from the Trekker
MiniDVR to the PVP when checking your camera
system. This means you no longer have to purchase
2 memory cards per system, which will save you
money in the long run too.

Simply plug in your CF or DUO card into the PVP
and watch the movie clips your UndercoverEye has
captured. Most PVP's also have a TV input, so you
can plug the TV output cable from your
UndercoverEye into the TV input of the PVP and
change DVR settings in the field.

Once you return from the field simply plug your PVP
into your Home PC via the USB port (found on
almost every PVP) and download the photos to your
PC.

Copying files from the SD Card

The PVP is a great tool to copy the contents of the
SD card in the field. Simply insert the SD card into
the PVP SD slot and select the option to copy the
SD card onto the internal hard disk of the PVP.

When the transfer is done just erase or format the
SD card and replace it into the Trekker MiniDVR
unit.

Connecting the PVP to your computer

When you return from the field you can copy the
contents or play the video files on the PVP directly
from your PC computer by connecting the PVP to
the PC via the USB port.

The PVP will now show up as an external hard disk.
You can copy the files from the PVP and store them
on your PC.

20

Using the PVP as a TV Monitor

You can use the PVP player as a TV monitor by
connecting the Audio/Video cable from the PVP to
the Audio & Video output connectors inside the
Trekker MiniDVR unit.

This is very useful when setting up the camera angle
of the Trekker MiniDVR in the field or adjusting any
MiniDVR settings.

Connect the Video Input of the PVP to the Trekker

MiniDVR Video Output for camera setup

Copyright ©, PixController, Inc. http://www.pixcontroller.com, all rights reserved.

PixController, Inc.

21