CollarID — Device Manual

Device Anatomy

Familiarising yourself with the parts of the CollarID Mk II makes every later procedure easier — every section below references components by the names introduced here.

Photo: Anatomy Hero

CollarID Mk II with cover removed, front view. Numbered callouts pointing to: (1) Status LED (paw print on top of cover, visible through polycarbonate), (2) Side power switch with silkscreen ON/OFF label, (3) USB-C charge/data port (top edge), (4) Charge LEDs (red & green) inside next to USB-C port, (5) SD card slot, (6) Six cover screws around the perimeter.

Save as: /media/manual/anatomy_hero.png

Components

Status LED — the illuminated paw print on the top face. Reports boot, GPS, BLE, and fault states. Visible through the closed cover.
Side power switch — on the front PCBA, accessible only with the cover removed. ON/OFF labelled in silkscreen.
USB-C port — on the top edge of the front PCBA, used for both charging and firmware updates. Cover must be removed to access it.
Charge LEDs — red and green LEDs inside the device, near the USB-C port. Visible through the closed cover.
SD card slot — inside the device. Holds schedules, configuration, and recorded data.
Six cover screws — secure the polycarbonate cover and compress the gasket for water resistance.
Solar cell — on the top of the cover, charges the internal battery whenever exposed to light.

Pre-flight Checklist

Run through this list before sending a device into the field. Most field failures trace back to one of these items.

Battery is fully charged — charge LED has switched from red to green.
SD card is formatted exFAT — preferably an industrial-grade card (see SD Card Notes).
Schedule is loaded — either pre-loaded on the SD card, or configured via BLE before going off-grid.
Initial GPS fix obtained — powered on outdoors with a clear sky view, the flashing-blue LED has gone out on its own (not from the 10-minute timeout).
Gasket is clean and seated — no dirt, hairs, or pinch points around the channel.
Long-term deployments only: Loctite 242 / 243 applied to the first few threads of each cover screw.
Six cover screws hand-tightened in a star pattern — snug, not over-driven.

Opening & Closing the Enclosure

Most procedures in this manual begin with removing the cover. Treat the polycarbonate cover and the gasket carefully — they are what make the device water resistant.

Opening

Lay the device on a clean, flat surface, top side up.
Loosen all six cover screws gradually, working in a star pattern (opposite screws first) so the gasket releases evenly.
Once all six are loose, fully remove them and set them aside in a small container so you don't lose them in the field.
Lift the cover straight up off the gasket. Avoid tilting or prying — the gasket can stretch or roll out of its channel.

Photo: Opening Sequence

Three-frame sequence: (1) all six screws labeled with star-pattern numbering (1→4→2→5→3→6 or similar) showing the loosening order; (2) screws fully removed and set aside; (3) cover being lifted straight up off the gasket. Use overlay arrows to show motion.

Save as: /media/manual/enclosure_opening.png

Closing

Confirm the gasket is clean, undamaged, and fully seated in its channel before lowering the cover.
Lower the cover straight down so the gasket is compressed evenly all the way around.
Start all six screws by hand a few turns each, then snug them in a star pattern so the cover seats flat.
Hand-tighten in the same star pattern. Stop as soon as the cover is firmly closed and the gasket is engaged. Do not over-tighten.

Photo: Gasket Seated

Close-up of the gasket sitting fully in its channel around the housing perimeter, with no dirt or debris.

/media/manual/gasket_seated.png

Photo: Star Tightening Pattern

Top-down view of the closed cover with arrows numbered 1→6 showing the star-pattern tightening order across the six screws.

/media/manual/star_pattern.png

Hand-tighten only. Do not use an electric drill or impact driver to close the cover. The polycarbonate is strong but the threads are easy to over-drive, which can crack the cover or strip the inserts. If a screw bottoms out and you can still turn it easily, stop — it's tight enough.

Powering On & Off

Turning the device on

Open the enclosure (six cover screws — see Opening & Closing).
Locate the side power switch on the front PCBA. The ON/OFF directions are printed on the silkscreen next to the switch.
Slide the switch to the ON position.

Photo: Power Switch

Close-up of the side power switch on the front PCBA with the silkscreen ON/OFF labels clearly legible. Overlay a colored arrow showing the direction to slide the switch into the ON position.

/media/manual/power_switch.png

What you should see at boot

Once you flip the switch to ON, the device runs through a fixed sequence on the status LED. Use this as your boot health check — if the sequence deviates, jump to Troubleshooting.

Boot animation — the status LED runs a short startup sequence: a green pulse fading in and out, followed by a soft white-cyan glow that fades in, holds briefly, then fades to off. This signals the firmware has come up.
Steady green — the system is scanning the SD card and verifying its integrity. This typically lasts a few seconds.
LED off (briefly) — the SD card check has passed and the device is preparing to acquire GPS.
Flashing blue — the device is searching for a GPS fix and synchronising its clock to UTC. This can take several minutes on a cold start. Bring the device outside with a clear view of the sky.
LED off (for the life of the system) — once the first GPS fix is acquired and time is set, the LED turns off and the device begins normal operation.

GIF: Boot Animation

Short looping GIF (or MP4) of a real device's boot animation: green fade-in, green fade-out, soft white-cyan fade-in, brief hold, fade to off. Loop should restart with a small dark gap so the start/end is obvious. Capture in dim ambient light so the colors render true.

/media/manual/boot_animation.gif

The full sequence runs every time the device is powered on. Each time you toggle the switch, or if firmware forces a restart, the device re-runs the boot animation, the SD card scan, and the GPS sync attempt.

GPS timeout. If the device cannot acquire a fix within ten minutes, the flashing-blue LED stops and the device begins executing its schedule without world time — meaning the schedule is not synced. The device will attempt to re-sync at its next scheduled GPS sampling interval. To avoid an unsynced first deployment, always confirm the LED turned off on its own (not from timeout) before sending the device out.

Turning the device off

Open the enclosure as before.
Slide the side power switch to OFF.
Close the enclosure when you're done (gasket seated, screws star-pattern hand-tightened).

The device can charge from solar and from a USB-C cable regardless of the switch position. Before a deployment we recommend leaving the switch in the OFF position while charging so the device boots from a known state when you flip it on in the field.

LED Reference

The CollarID Mk II uses the status LED (paw print, top of cover) and a pair of charge LEDs (red and green, near the USB-C port) to communicate state. This is the canonical reference for what each pattern means.

Pattern	What it means	What to do
Boot animation green pulse → soft white-cyan → off	Firmware has started up. Plays once at every power cycle.	Wait for the next stage. Should be followed by steady green.
Steady green	SD card is being scanned and verified.	Wait. Typically a few seconds, then LED turns off.
Boot animation → quick green flash → reset (looping)	SD card scan failed. The device cannot mount the card and is restarting itself in a loop.	Power off, remove the SD card, and reformat it as exFAT. Re-insert and power on.
Flashing blue	Searching for an initial GPS fix and UTC time.	Place the device outside under open sky. Will time out after 10 minutes if no fix is found.
Steady blue	BLE mode is active. Device is discoverable on the configurator and apps.	Connect within 10 minutes. The LED turns off ~10 seconds after you disconnect.
LED off	Normal operation. The device is asleep or executing its schedule.	Nothing — this is the expected steady state.
Flashing red	Hardware fault detected.	Power off the device and contact the developers for support.
Charge LED red (near USB-C)	Battery is charging.	Leave plugged in until the LED turns off.
Charge LED green (near USB-C)	Battery is fully charged.	Disconnect the cable when convenient.

Photo Grid: LED States

A 2x4 grid of tight crops on the paw-print LED, one per visible state: steady green, flashing blue (mid-pulse), solid blue (BLE), flashing red, plus a side-by-side comparison of flashing blue vs. solid blue — this pair is the most commonly confused.

/media/manual/led_states_grid.png

Charging via USB-C

Open the enclosure (six cover screws). The cover must be off — there is no USB-C pass-through.
Connect a USB-C cable to the port on the top edge of the front PCBA.
Plug the other end into any standard USB-C power source.
Watch the charge LEDs next to the USB-C port:
- Red LED on — battery is charging.
- Red LED off, green LED on — battery is fully charged.
Disconnect the cable, replace the cover, and close it in a star pattern (see Opening & Closing).

Photo: USB-C Connected

Cover off, USB-C cable plugged into the port on the top edge of the front PCBA. Show the orientation of the cable.

/media/manual/usbc_plugged_in.png

Photo: Charge LED States

Two side-by-side close-ups of the charge LED area: red illuminated (charging) on the left, green illuminated (full) on the right.

/media/manual/charge_leds.png

The status LED (paw print) and the charge LEDs are independent. The paw print does not light up to indicate charging. Both sets of LEDs are visible through the closed cover, but you still need to remove the cover to physically plug in the cable.

The device charges whether the power switch is ON or OFF, and from solar as well as USB-C. We recommend keeping the switch OFF while charging in preparation for a deployment, so the device boots cleanly when you flip it on in the field.

Low-battery hibernation

If the battery falls to roughly 10 % SoC during a deployment, the firmware enters a hibernation mode rather than dying outright. While hibernating, the device wakes every 8 hours, samples the battery, and goes back to sleep if SoC is still below threshold. As soon as solar (or a USB-C top-up, if you've retrieved the unit) brings the battery above 20 % SoC, normal scheduled operation resumes automatically.

This means a flat collar in the field is recoverable on its own. A unit that has gone dark under canopy or after a stretch of overcast weather will resume on its next sunny day without you having to retrieve it. You don't need to assume "no telemetry" means "device lost."

Entering BLE Mode

BLE mode is required to update the schedule or run a firmware update. There are two ways to enter it.

Method 1: Insert a freshly formatted SD card

If the device boots with an SD card that has no schedule on it (a freshly formatted card), it will enter BLE mode automatically once the boot sequence completes:

Power off the device, open the enclosure, and insert a freshly formatted exFAT SD card.
Power the device on.
Wait for the boot animation, steady green (SD scan), then a steady blue LED — this signals BLE mode is active.

Method 2: Hold a magnet over the status LED

You can trigger BLE mode at any time, with the cover still on, using a magnet:

Hold a magnet directly over the paw print on the top of the cover.
Keep it in place for at least 3 seconds, then pull it away.
The device will reset and run through the boot sequence: boot animation, steady green, then steady blue (BLE mode).

Photo: Magnet Trigger Sequence

Three-frame sequence: (1) magnet held flat over the paw print LED on the closed cover, with a clock icon overlay showing "hold 3s"; (2) magnet pulled away; (3) resulting steady blue LED visible through the cover.

/media/manual/magnet_trigger.png

Magnet strength. Any magnet strong enough to trip the internal sensor will work. We've found N52 neodymium magnets are reliable, but even a household refrigerator magnet held close has worked. If your magnet doesn't trigger after 3 seconds, try a stronger one or hold it slightly closer.

BLE mode times out after 10 minutes. If you don't connect within that window, the device will exit BLE mode. From there it will enter low-power mode if no schedule is configured, or begin executing its schedule if one exists on the SD card. Re-trigger BLE with a magnet swipe if you need more time.

Updating the Schedule

Schedules live on the SD card. The device supports up to five schedules, and the configurator shows a power-budget estimate for each one so you can preview battery life before committing.

Where to configure

Three configurator surfaces are supported. All three can edit schedules and show power estimates; only the website can update firmware.

Feature	Web (CollarID.org)	iOS app	Android app
Edit schedules (up to 5)	✓	✓	✓
Power-budget estimates	✓	✓	✓
Firmware updates	✓	—	—

Web BLE is only available on Chrome and Firefox — Safari and most mobile browsers don't expose Bluetooth APIs, which is why the iOS and Android apps exist.

Procedure

Place the device in BLE mode (see Entering BLE Mode). Confirm the steady blue LED.
Open one of:
- Web: visit CollarID.org in Chrome or Firefox, sign in, and click Configure.
- iOS: install the CollarID app from the Apple App Store and open it.
- Android: install the CollarID app from Google Play and open it.
Pair with your device when it appears in the list.
Edit your schedules — you can configure up to five. Each schedule shows an estimated power budget so you can compare options.
Disconnect from the device. The new schedule writes to the SD card on disconnect.
Roughly 10 seconds after disconnect, the steady blue LED turns off — this confirms the schedule has been committed and the device has begun executing it.

Screenshots: Web Configurator

4–6 screenshots of the CollarID.org Configure flow: device list with the device discoverable, schedule editor showing all 5 slots, the power-estimate readout for a configured schedule, and the disconnect button. Add red box overlays on the click target in each frame.

/media/manual/web_configurator_*.png

Screenshots: iOS & Android Apps

Equivalent screenshots from the iOS and Android apps: app store listing, BLE pairing screen, schedule editor, power estimate, disconnect. One column per platform.

/media/manual/app_ios_*.png, /media/manual/app_android_*.png

Schedules commit on disconnect. You don't need to press a "Save" button. As long as the steady blue LED turns off ~10 seconds after you disconnect, your schedule is live on the device.

Updating Firmware

Firmware updates use a combined BLE + USB-C path: BLE puts the device into firmware-update mode, and the new firmware image transfers over the USB-C cable. Firmware updates are only available on the web configurator (Chrome or Firefox).

Open the enclosure (six cover screws) — the USB-C port has no pass-through, so the cover must be off.
Place the device in BLE mode (see Entering BLE Mode). Confirm the steady blue LED.
Connect the device to your computer with a USB-C data cable. Many USB-C cables are charge-only and will not work for firmware updates — if you're not sure, use a cable that came with a phone or tablet.
In Chrome or Firefox, sign in to CollarID.org and open the Firmware tab.
Connect to the device when it appears, then follow the on-screen instructions to flash the new firmware.
When the update completes, the device will restart and run through the normal boot sequence. Once you see steady-green-then-off (or whatever post-boot state matches your config), you can disconnect, replace the cover, and close it up.

Photo: Device + USB-C + Computer

Cover off, USB-C cable plugged into the device on one end and a laptop on the other. Status LED visible (steady blue, BLE active).

/media/manual/firmware_setup.png

Screenshots: Firmware Tab

Walkthrough of the Firmware tab: connect button, file selection, progress bar mid-update, completion message. 3–4 screenshots.

/media/manual/firmware_tab_*.png

Use a USB-C data cable, not a charge-only cable. If the firmware tab can't see the device after you connect it, the cable is the most likely culprit. Try a different one before assuming a hardware issue.

Preparing for Long-Term Deployment

Loctite the cover screws

For deployments where you don't expect to retrieve and reopen the device for months at a time, secure the cover screws with threadlocker so they can't back out under vibration.

Power off the device, open the enclosure, and complete all your other deployment prep (charge, schedule, GPS fix).
Remove each cover screw one at a time and apply a small dab of Loctite 242 / 243 to the first 2–3 threads only — not the entire screw.
Re-insert and hand-tighten in a star pattern as usual.
Allow the threadlocker to cure per the manufacturer's instructions (typically 24 hours for full strength) before deploying.

Photo: Loctite on First Threads

Macro shot of one cover screw with a small bead of blue Loctite 242 / 243 applied to the first 2–3 threads only — not the full screw. Make the "first few threads" coverage visually obvious.

/media/manual/loctite_threads.png

Use Loctite 242 / 243 (medium-strength, blue), not stronger grades. Avoid Loctite 263, 271, or 277 (red, high-strength) unless the device is a one-time-use deployment you do not plan to recover. Red threadlockers typically require heat and significant force to break, and can damage the polycarbonate or strip the inserts during retrieval.

Mount for solar exposure

The device is solar-charged in the field. To maximise charge throughout the deployment, mount the collar so the cover is on the upper hemisphere of the animal — the side most exposed to direct sunlight as it moves and grazes.

The configurator (web and apps) shows estimated system longevity for each schedule across different solar environments — for example, open sky vs. dense canopy. Use those estimates to size your schedule for the conditions of the deployment site.

Photo: Field Mounting

CollarID Mk II mounted on a deployment animal (goat, etc.) with the cover/solar cell oriented up toward the sky. The existing buena cabra deployment photo could work here.

/media/manual/field_mounting.png

SD Card Notes

The SD card is where schedules, configuration, and recorded telemetry, audio, and accelerometer data live. Card quality has a direct impact on deployment reliability.

Format

Cards must be formatted as exFAT. This is the only filesystem the firmware mounts. There is no formal capacity limit — we have tested up to 2 TB with no issues.

Recommended brands

Kioxia — the brand we test against most. Industrial-grade Kioxia cards have been reliable across our deployments.
SanDisk — limited testing. Has worked in our trials so far, but mileage may vary.
Other brands — not recommended.

Why card brand matters in the field:

Power-loss tolerance. Industrial cards survive sudden power drops without losing the last block of writes; consumer cards often corrupt the file system when power dips.
Sustained write endurance. Continuous logging writes a card much harder than typical consumer use; cheap cards can fail silently after a few thousand writes to the same blocks.
Temperature range. Field deployments swing through hot and cold extremes that consumer cards aren't rated for.
Controller behaviour. Consumer cards sometimes misreport free space, throttle unexpectedly, or pause for garbage collection — any of which can drop data on a real-time logger.

If you do try a different brand and run into trouble, please report what happened to the developers so we can document it.

Retrieving from the Field

When you bring a device back from a deployment, follow this order so you don't lose data and can re-deploy cleanly.

Open the enclosure (six cover screws). Take care if you Loctited — 242 / 243 should release with steady hand pressure, but go slowly.
Slide the side switch to OFF.
Remove the SD card.
Inspect the gasket and the inside of the housing for moisture or debris.
Charge the device for the next deployment if needed.

Reading the data

Insert the SD card into your computer and use the metadata parser on the website to view what's on it. From there, you can also access the audio and accelerometer channels:

SD Card — the on-site parser. Open the page, point it at the card, and explore the recorded data.
Cloud Data — if your device also reports over the network, your bulk telemetry export lives here.

Sensor Axis Map

The onboard accelerometer and magnetometer report values along fixed device axes. Use this reference to interpret raw motion and orientation data in the context of how the collar is worn on the animal.

Both sensors share the same body-frame X/Y/Z axes. The accelerometer WAV files (/accelerometer/…) and the magnetometer rows in METADATA.CSV (mag,x,y,z) all use this convention.

Download axis map (PDF)

Troubleshooting

The boot animation keeps looping with a green flash

The SD card scan is failing. Power off, remove the card, reformat it as exFAT, re-insert, and power back on. If the loop continues with a known-good freshly formatted card, contact the developers.

The status LED is flashing red

Hardware fault. Power off the device and contact the developers with the serial number and a description of when the red flash appeared.

The flashing-blue LED never turns off

The device is searching for a GPS fix. Bring it outside under open sky and wait. If it has been more than 10 minutes the device will have already given up and moved on — the LED would be off, not flashing — in which case the device is now executing its schedule but is unsynced from world time. It will resync at its next GPS sampling interval.

BLE doesn't appear in the configurator

Confirm the status LED is steady blue (not flashing). Flashing blue means GPS, not BLE.
Re-trigger BLE with a magnet swipe or a fresh-SD-card boot.
On web, confirm you're using Chrome or Firefox — Safari and most mobile browsers don't support Web Bluetooth.
On mobile, confirm Bluetooth is enabled in the phone's system settings and the CollarID app has Bluetooth permission.

Charge LEDs don't light up when I plug in USB-C

The cable may be charge-only. Try a different USB-C cable, ideally one that came with a phone or tablet.
The USB-C port has no pass-through — confirm the cover is off and the cable is fully seated.
Try a different power source (different wall brick or computer port).

My schedule doesn't seem to have been saved

The schedule commits when the steady-blue LED turns off, ~10 seconds after you disconnect. If you closed the configurator before that or lost BLE connection mid-edit, reconnect and re-apply your changes. The card-resident schedule is the source of truth.

Firmware update can't find the device

The device must be in BLE mode (steady blue LED) and connected to the computer via USB-C at the same time.
Use a USB-C data cable. Charge-only cables are the most common cause of this failure.
Use Chrome or Firefox — firmware updates require Web Bluetooth.