MINDA PERSONAL PROTECTION SYSTEM
TX-500 INTELLIGENT KEY-FOB TRANSMITTER
Operating Instruction
Rev 1.3 Ju ne 2000
Tactical Technologies Inc.
1701 Se cond Ave
Fo lsom, P A 19033
610-522-0106
www.tacticaltechnologies.com
OVERVIEW
Thank you for purchasing a M I NDA Intellige nt Tr ansmitt er , which uses a low-pow er
microprocessor f or ‘house-keep ing’ and offers the following programmable opt io ns:
• A Unit Identity Code (TX ID number 1,2, 3, or 4) w hich will allow a s ingle rece iver to id e ntify up t o
four different transmitters.
• A very secure Family Identity Code, enabli ng sec ure use of multiple groups of t r ansmitt er s and
receivers together in the same locatio n - wit hout receiving alarms in ALL receivers.
• Full compatibility w it h other MINDA eq uipment
• Alarm signal repeat at programmable i ntervals
• Automatic transmission of Confidence signals is possible
• Transmitter ‘Low Battery’ alert sent to receiver
• Very low power consumption
Keep this instruction manual in a safe place
- it c o nta ins imp orta nt information a nd helpful t ips
whic h w ill a s sist you t o o b tain the be s t pos s ible p erfo rmance from y our ne w MINDA system.
OPER ATING F REQ UENCY
All MINDA systems for use in the United States oper ate on a frequency of 418MHz in the UHF
band. The operating radio fr equency cannot be changed to suit a specific customer’s needs.
BATTERY INSTALLATION
The MINDA TX-500 tr ansmitt er r equires an internal 12 volt 33mA/hour batt er y t ype GP 23A
(Duracell type MN-21).
To install a new batt er y into a key-fob style tr ansmitter, t he two-piece case must be pried open by
inserting and caref ully twisting a flat-bladed screw dr iver into the groove formed by the two c ase
halves. The old batt er y can then be removed and replaced by a new one, taking care to ens ure
that it is orientated in accordance with the polarity marki ngs on the inside of the case. The case
top should then be carefully aligned w it h the LED and gently but firmly snapped closed j ust usi ng
finger press ure.
OPERATION
The TX-500 wi ll only communicate wi t h an appr opr i at e MINDA receiver, su ch a s the RX-400
pocket recei ver, or t he RX-500 portable/mobile/tabl et op r eceiver.
The TX-500 is operatio nal immediately upon inser t ing t he batter y .
The unit is equipped with an On/Off switch that is magnetically controlled. To turn the TX-500
OFF, place t he unit firmly in its holder. To turn the TX-500 on, remove it from the holder.
The TX-500 has two buttons: RED and BL UE. The RED button sends a RED ALARM t o a
MINDA receiver. The BLUE button se nds a GREEN alarm to a M I NDA receiver. Press and hold
either button for at least 1 second to transmit your alarm.
The TX-500 may be programmed to automatica lly t r ansmit a G REEN or RED 'confidence a larm'.
This signal may be programmed t o t r ansmit every few seconds or every few minutes. The timi ng
of this transmission begins upon battery insertio n. See the section o n CONFIDENC E MODE for
more details.
The TX-500 has two LED's: RED and YELLO W. The r ed LED illuminates during transmissions .
In use, if t he red LED on the transmitter f ails to light, or is lit dimly, the transmitt er bat t ery probably
needs to be replaced. The yellow LED depicts the program med Unit Identity Number.
WH AT IS ACTU ALL Y TRANSM ITT ED
Whenever a ‘MINDA’ tr ansmitt er oper at es, t he actual digital data message transmitt ed contai ns
all of the following pieces of informatio n, repeated a number of t imes:
< I am a ‘MINDA’ tr a n s mi tte r >
and
< My Family Identity is ‘xxx’ >
and
< I am Un it I.D. ‘y’>
and
< My alarm status is ‘red/ gr een’ >
and
< My battery status is ‘OK/ low’ >
If the first tw o pieces of data in the above message exactly match the information programmed
into the ‘MINDA’ receiver, then t he r est of the inf or matio n will be decoded and displayed on the
LEDs. If they do not match, the entire message is ignored.
UNIT IDENTITIES
A MINDA TX-500 Intellige nt Trans mitter can have each of its four possible Unit Identities (1, 2, 3
or 4) configured to signal in different ways and with different timings to suit particular operational
needs.
The user can easily alter t he pre-pr ogr ammed Unit Identity Code (shown on the label on the back
of the case) w henever required.
CHANGING THE UNIT IDENT ITY
To change the Unit Identity of a M I NDA TX-500 transmitter , carefully open the case as if you
were installing a batt er y , and locate the small double switch adjacent to t he large 18-pi n chip. Set
the two switches in accorda nce with the table show n below i n order t o determine the initial ‘start up ’ Unit Identity of the transmitter.
Unit I.D. Switch 1 Switch 2
1ONON
2OFFON
3ONOFF
4OFFOFF
The Unit Identity of t he TX-500 tr ansmitter can also be temporarily changed by simulta neo usly
holding down both push buttons for about 2 seconds. When this is done the yellow LED will bl ink
an appropriate number of times to show the new identity it has assumed.
Each time the two buttons are pressed t oget her the sequence will cycle through all four possible
identities (ie. 1, 2, 3,4,1,2,3...) but
note that
if the power supply is interrupted by switching off or
chang ing th e b a tte r y the t ransmitte r will revert to it s s tart-up Unit I.D. once po wer is re-a p p lied .
Please note:
This user option can, if required, be modified in format or completely inhibited by suitab ly reprogrammi ng the unit.
Check that you k now the Unit Identity (1,2,3,or 4) of the transmitter that you i ntend to use
Note
:
by sending a test signal to a ‘MINDA’ receiver and noting w hich of its LEDs illumi nates. I f
necessary, cha nge the Unit Identity to the one you require.
The transmitt er ' s antenna is the external small black cor d.
Never
attempt to shorten, fold up or
modify the transmitter antenna since s uch action will s e rio usly degrade t he ra nge of t he MINDA
system. When us i ng the key-fob transmitter, hold the case so that the short cor d antenna points
away from you, and then press the appropriate button for at least one second. The small red LED
shou ld ill u minate.
FAMILY IDENTITY CODE
Each MINDA system, when supplied to a customer, w ill ha ve a lr e a d y be en pro gram med a t time
of manufacture w ith a common default ‘Family Identity Code’ (hexadecimal 94) enabling it to be
used with any other of t he standard MINDA products. The Family I dentity Code f or a par t icular
family of MINDA units can easily be re- pr ogr ammed by returning all of t he equipme nt to Tactical
Technologies Inc. or , if a MINDA computer interf ace pack age has been purc hased, by t he user.
For a MINDA system to operate with, and recognize up to four independent tr ansmitt er s, the
Family Identity Code of the recei ver and t r ansmitt er ( s) all have to match
AND
each of the
transmitters must have a different Unit Identity (1,2,3 or 4).
A micro proce s s o r c o ntrol le d MINDA receiver will o nly r e s p ond to s ig na ls fro m t hose tra ns mitte rs
sending the same Family Ide ntity Code t hat it has been pre-pr ogr ammed t o acc ept . This
capability minimi zes the risk of interf er ence between similar syst ems that happe n to be operat ing
within radio range of one anot her. I t is
absolutely vital
therefore, to ensure that all transmitter
and receiver units that ha ve to operat e toget her are pr ogr ammed with the same Family Ide ntity
Code. Signals received f r om any ‘alien’ tr ansmitt er oper at ing within range will not be de c od e d
and, instead, tr eat ed by the receiver as radio interfer ence on the channel.
LOW BAT TERY WARNING
When the batter y voltage of a MINDA TX-500 transmit t er dr ops to a level where batt er y
rep lac e ment is d e s ir a ble, eac h s ubse quent transmission made will be ‘tagged’ to i ndicate this f act
to the receiving end. When a MINDA recei ver recognizes a ‘t agged’ sig nal fr om a MI NDA
transmitt er , the LED indicator appropr iat e t o that transmitter’s Unit I dentity w ill s tar t to ‘bli nk o ut’
briefly about once per second.
BATT ERY LIFE
The MINDA TX-500 tr ansmitt er consumes about 400 times more power when actually
transmitting compared to that required when it is dormant. If the unit is programmed to send
frequent confidence t r ansmissio ns, or is used ma nually a great deal, t he batter y drain will be
significantly incr eased. The following table shows the typical lif e t hat can be expected of a
transmitter in relation to the time interval between automatic transmissio ns made.
Time between each
automatic transmission
Typical batt er y life (hours) Typical batt er y
l ife (d ays)
15 seconds 37 1.5
30 seconds 68 2.8
1 minute 120 5
2 minutes 195 8
5 minutes 309 13
15 minutes 418 17
30 minutes 458 19
1 hour 482 20
The above times have been calculat ed on the assumptio n that the MINDA TX-500 transmitter is
programmed to send the defa ult (normal d uration) automat ic confidence signal and that it has
been fitted with a new MN-21 alkaline batter y and switched on to run co ntinuously. Sw it ching t he
unit on and off fr equently and manually sending a number of alarm signals longer than 1 second
in length both consume additional pow er f r om the batt er y and will reduce it s life belo w the
estimated fig ures show n above.
CONFIDEN CE SIGNALLING
A MINDA TX-500 intellige nt transmitter can be programmed so that for any or all of the four
identities it can assume a GREEN or RED transmission as an “I’m here and OK” signal.
In order for confidence to be transmitted, the transmitter must be in the MODE of the
programmed sig nal.
The transmitter defaults to GREEN mode up o n reset, or when it is turned o n.
If Confidence mode is pr ogram me d for GREEN MO DE -
Transmi tter 's tarts up' i n GREEN MODE, theref or e confi dence i s automatical ly enabled upon start
up.
Confidence signal will be transmitted at each interval.
If a RED alarm is pressed manually - confidence mo de i s temporaril y disabl ed.
To re-start conf i dence m ode, pr ess GREEN alarm manually
.
If Confidence mode is pr ogram me d for RED MODE -
Transmi tter 's tarts up' i n GREEN MODE, theref or e confi dence s equence m ust be STARTED by
manually activating a RED alarm.
Confidence signal will then be transmi tted at each interval.
If a GREEN alarm is pressed manuall y - confidence m ode is tempor arily disabled.
To re-start conf i dence m ode, pr ess RED alarm m anuall y.
...Here's an idea...
If a MINDA receiver has been programmed (1) t o r emain silent whenever a valid ‘green’
transmission is received, and (2) to signal an alarm if nothi ng is heard from one or more of its
associated tr ansmitt er s within a pr e- designated period of time, then the following sce nar io
becomes possible:
When an initial ‘green’ tr ansmission is r eceived f r om any of its associated t r ansmitters the
rec e iver will re mai n si lent a nd one of four pr e -pr og rammed i nt e rnal t ime-c lo cks w ithin it will st a r t
counting. Each subsequent ‘green’ transmission from that same transmitter unit will ag a in be
received silently and reset the time-clock to zero. If, however, the pre-set time period elapses
before another ‘green’ sig nal has been receive d t hen the appropriate LE D on t he receiver w ill
begin to flash and a ‘Lost Signal’ audible alarm w ill b e s igna le d. Unti l the per s on usi ng the
receiver pushes the ‘RESET’ button to clear the audible and visual alarms, a w ar ning alert tone
will c ontinue to b e emitte d at the pre - p rogr a mmed interval( s ).
If a different transmitter unit (but of the same family) is the n receive d, anot her time-clock
commences operation independently in the same way as desc r ibed above. If a valid ‘red’ alarm
sig nal is r e c e ived from any of its as s oc ia ted transmit ter s the rec eiver will, of c o urs e , genera te all
of the normal audible and switching alarms.
In a situation where a receiver and an intellige nt MINDA TX-500 transmitter ar e being used to
pro tect a perso n clos e -by but out of sight, t he re g ular c onfidence t rans mission will k ee p the
receiver sile nced all the while it is present. If the transmitter moves out of radio range, its batter y
fails , or it is otherwise d is a b led the r e c e iv e r will emit an alar m signa l a s s oon as the co nfid ence
signal has been missing for t he pre-programmed period of time. This enables, for example, a VI P
to be prot ected at night by a bodyguard in an adjoining room, or a per son going into a potentially
hazardous situatio n to be support ed by a back- up team in a vehicle close-by. The intelligent
MI NDA trans m itte r will send the confidence signa ls entir e ly automatically without d is turbi n g the
user unless he or she wishes to send a ‘red’ alarm signal in the usual way.
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
If signals from a TX-500 tr ansmitter ar e not bei ng received by a MI NDA receiver the following
tests should be undertaken:
1.) Check that the transmitter is not out of receiver range by temporarily reducing the distance
between the units to 10 yar ds or less. Begin to increase the dista nce aga i n until signals
tr a nsm itte d a r e not rece ived r e lia bly. This will give a good indic ation of t he likely maximum
working range that can be achie ved in the particular locatio n used for t hese test s .
2.) Observe the red LED on the transmitter. If it fails to light, or is lit dimly, when a button is
pressed the batt er y pr obably needs to be replaced.
3.) If the units still fa il to co mm u n ic ate, c heck that the MI NDA receiver is oper at ing correctly by
pressing and releasi ng its RESET b utton and confirm i ng that the eight LEDs br iefly illum inate. If
this does not happen, replace t he batter y in the receiver wit h a new one and try again.
4.) Confirm that interference or another signal is not jamming the receiver. If necessary, move the
receiving location away f r om the source of the interfer ence.
5.) Check that other transmitt er s ( in the same family) are being recei ved OK.
6.) Return the faulty transmitt er for check-out and/or r epair.
MAINTENANCE
The MINDA transmitt er s r equire minimal maintenance. Problems wit h the internal electronics are
unlikely unless the unit has been s ubjected to some p hysical damag e. The most likely so urces of
difficulty w ill b e a s s oc ia ted with the transmitter b a tte r y or its cont ac ts, the mechan ic a l s witc h e s , or
the antenna. These items should be inspected r egularly and corrective act ion taken, where found
to be necessary.
TRANSMITTER SPEC IFICAT IO N
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FCC CO MPLI ANCE:
THIS DEV ICE COM PL IES WITH PART 1 5 OF THE FCC RUL ES. OPERATION I S SUBJECT
TO THE FOLLO W ING TWO CONDITIONS:
1. T HIS DEVICE MA Y NOT CA USE HARM FUL IN T ERFERENCE, AND
2. THIS DEV ICE MUST ACCEPT ANY INTERFERENCE RECEIVED, IN CLUDING
INTERFERENCE THAT MAY CAUSE UN DESIRED OPERATIO N.
U.K RADIO AUTHO RITY'S COMPL IANCE:
The unit is fully com pli ant with the U.K. Radio Authority’s Specifi cati on MPT1340 for s hor t-r ange
radio alarm systems.
Operating frequency:
Overall freq. accuracy:
Operating r ange:
Transmitter E.R.P.:
Internal power source:
Current drain:
418.00 MHz nominal
± 100 kHz
50 to 150 metres (depends on the local environme nt)
0.5 milliwatt (-6dBm) ty pical
12 volt alkaline battery ( M N-21)
< 80 µA when on and in stand-by mode
< 20 mA while actually transmitt ing
Operating temp. range:
Battery life:
-10 to +55 degrees Celsius
Depends on number of transmissio ns - see t ext
GUARANTEE
Tactical Techno logies Inc. guarantees these MINDA products f r om any faults due to defect ive
materials or wor kmanship for a per iod of 12 months from the date of purchase. Where the fault is
the result of misuse, neglige nce or inexpert r epair, Tac t ical Technologies Inc. reserve the right to
make a charge to cover the extra costs involved.
RE-PROGRAMMING OF OPTIONS
Re-programmi ng of any MINDA equipme nt - w it h the exception of the TX-400 key-fob ‘dumb’
transmitt er - requires specialist elect r onic knowled ge, a PC and peripheral equipment. For t his
rea s on, mos t cust omer s will fin d it more c on venie nt to r eturn the equipment t o T a c tical
Technologies Inc. f or r e- programming. Customer s with a significant number of MI NDA units and
who also have their own electronic workshop, with access to a PC and peripherals, may wis h to
consider purchasing the special MI NDA programming kit which comprises hardwar e interface,
custom softwar e on disk, and full instr uctio ns. Further details o n this product can be obtained
from Tactical Technolog ies I nc.
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