A Hexbright flashlight, suitably reprogrammed, can activate and deactivate Lotek nanotags.
As of March, 2015, you can purchase one here, but you must reprogram it before
it will serve as a tag activator.
WARNING: the hexbright can damage your eyes - do not stare
directly into it.
Features
- activate and deactivate Lotek nano-tags
- tags do not have to be lowered into a cavity for activation
- also serves as a powerful, variable brightness, USB-rechargeable flashlight
- comes in a rugged aluminum housing
Usage
- turn on (into flashlight mode) by pressing rear button 0.5 seconds or longer
- Flashlight mode (rear button not lit up):
- a short button press (< 0.2 seconds) turns the flashlight off.
- longer button presses increase the flashlight brightess, wrapping around to dim after reaching max.
- tapping the flashlight against the palm of the hand, or giving it a single vigorous shake (e.g. a flick of the wrist)
switches to Activation mode.
- Activation mode (rear button lit with steady green LED):
- a button press causes the tag activation code to be flashed out 3 times at maximum brightness
- holding the button down 1.5 seconds or longer turns off the flashlight
- a tap or shake switches to Deactivation mode
- Deactivation mode (rear button lit with blinking green LED):
- a button press causes the tag deactivation code to be flashed out 3 times at maximum brightness
- holding the button down 1.5 seconds or longer turns off the flashlight
- a tap or shake switches to Flashlight mode
- recharge the battery by attaching the micro USB cable between the hexbright and a computer USB port or USB charger.
- the hexbright micro USB port is inside the flashlight - unscrew the top from the bottom to access it.
- charging a fully depleted hexbright battery takes 3 or 4 hours.
Notes
- a newly-purchased hexbright does not work as an activator/deactivator until you reprogram it.
This can be done via a micro USB cable using arduino software and the tagger.ino file attached below.
This might not be straightforward for all users.
- WARNING - POTENTIAL EYE DAMAGE: DO NOT LOOK INTO THE FLASHLIGHT WHEN ON, ACTIVATING, OR DEACTIVATING.
Its extreme brightness is sufficient to cause damage to your eyes!
- WARNING: VERIFY TAG (DE)ACTIVATION WITH A TELEMETRY RECEIVER! There is no guarantee any
single activation or deactivation procedure was successful.
- it might take several tries to activate / deactivate a tag. Try to centre the flashlight beam on the tag's
receptive surface, and hold it close to or against the flashlight's lens. You might need to try several orientations,
as tag packaging can deflect incoming light.
- UNIT LEFT ON BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE: if you leave the hexbright in activation or deactivation mode for more than 10 (?) minutes, it will
freeze. To reset it, you need to unscrew the light, slide off the outer cannister, and press the reset button, as shown here:
