Garden Prep - Cleanup

There are less than 30 days before my first planting of the square foot garden plot.  It is time to clean up the garden and flower beds in preparation for spring growing.


I started by turning over the shredded leaves that sit atop my 4' x 4' square foot garden plot.  I also added some coffee grinds and egg shells. [see 2:27 time stamp of video below]  Both will add nutrients to the composting leaves.  Some of the leaves were soggy from recent rains, others were bone dry.  Mixing the pile serves two purposes.

1. Aerate - the leaves become compacted over the winter from their own weight, snow and rain, turning them over, mixing, the pile brings oxygen to the bacteria that break down the leaves
2. Homogenize - mixing brings bacteria into contact with more food sources, water and oxygen

I would really like to get the compost pile to a high temperature so the leaves will be compost before I turn them into the garden plot.  

I then move on to clean out dead plant stalks, weeds, dried tree leaves and other debris from the beds and from the patio.  In that process I noticed some new life already sprouting green leaves.  Leaves pushing up from my perennials like asters, lilies, hyacinths, Mascari.  My common sage, oregano are also sending out new leaves as was the Swiss Chard I seeded last spring.  My climbing rose has new green leaves as do my Butterfly bush (Buddleia) and Burning Bush (Euonymous alatus).  I also noticed a few dandelions in the lawn.  

While working I heard and saw a robin on a tree branch high above my head.  These are all signs that Spring is not so far away.


©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Brinno TLC 100

On 11 Jan 2012, USPS delivered to my home, one Brinno TLC 100.  I received the camera with the batteries and flash drive included.  I plugged the flash drive into the proper socket and properly installed the four AA batteries.  I wanted to change the interval between image capture to 7 seconds.  I could not.  The camera is programmed in Windows.  I do not have a Windows machine.  I settled on using the factory settings (7) to record time lapse images on the flash drive at 5 second intervals.

Today, all video formats are recognized by my iMac.  So I was not worried about being able to view the recorded time lapse file.  After one day of recording, I removed the flash drive from the TLC 100 and plugged it into my iMac.  QuicktimePlayer.app  opened and played the video fine.  It had captured several images of a squirrel poaching from the feeder.  Not what I had in mind when I put out a bird feeder but not unexpected, either.

I still wanted control of the camera time lapse.  In order to do that I would need access to Windows.  Ever since Apple began installing Intel processors in Macs, Windows can run natively on a Mac.  So I had several options to gain control of the camera program.

1. Purchase an inexpensive computer that runs Windows
2. Configure my iMac as a dual boot computer:Windows and Mac operating systems
3. Install a virtual application to run Windows and OSX simultaneously 

Not wanting to spend an excessive amount of money and still get access to the Windows world, I opted for an app at the Apple app store, WinOnX.

I installed the app on my iMac.  I connected the flash drive to my iMac.  I double clicked the self extracting file and the window you see above opened.  

I then opened the TimeLapse Camera app.  The date and time signature were already changed when the app window opened.  I changed the time interval.  I was satisfied I was able to make the changes without making my computer a dual boot system and buying Windows 7.


I ejected the flash drive from my iMac, disconnected it and plugged it into the waiting TLC 100.  I took the camera outdoors and mounted it onto the external side of one of the windows in the breakfast room, so that the camera was about 20" from the bird feeder.  I then held the power button until the green light lit.  I backed away from the camera, out of its field of view, and waited to hear the double beep signal warning me the camera was energized and capturing images.  I returned to the house to let the camera do what it does, capture still images every seven seconds.


I returned the next morning to find the power light off.  I pressed and held the power button to turn off the unit.  Instead the light turned on and the signal beeped twice.  That meant the camera was already off when I arrived.  I held the power button again until it beeped three times signaling the power was off.

I removed the flash drive and connected it to my iMac.  There was no recorded .avi file.  None!  I figured something was wrong.  So I opened the Disk Utility. app on my iMac.

I seems that my dragging the recorded .avi file into the trash didn't erase the file and the drive was close to full.  Not having a way to format the drive in the camera, I decided to erase and reformat it using my iMac.

In the Disk Utility.app I pressed Erase after choosing the MS-DOS (FAT) format.  Once that was finished, I dragged and dropped the two files from the Brinno website for the TLC 100 into the reformatted flash drive.  Now the flash drive was mounted and there was 3.4 MB of data on the drive as seen below.

I ejected the flash drive and removed it from the iMac.  I plugged it into the TLC 100, installed fresh AA batteries, mounted the TLC 100 outdoors, pressed the power button until the green light lit and stepped out of its field of view and waited for the two beeps.  Once it beeped I returned to the house and let the camera do its thing until the morning.

In the morning I turn off the camera, pulled the flash drive and connected it to my iMac.  The camera again didn't capture any images.


I emailed the manufacturer in Taiwan explaining my problem.  I emailed the manufacturer twice and as of today I have still not received a reply.  So I emailed the company in California that sold me the camera.  The very next day I received a phone call from the California company.


It was explained to me the TLC 100 is not Mac compatible.  I figured that out on my own.  The person on the phone had no experience with Macs and could not help me.  He did inform me their new TLC 200 is Mac compatible and a raincoat is available to make it weather resistant.


So I have this new Brinno TLC 100 that will not record images on either of the two flash drives I have.  I have two flash drives I am unable to reformat.  I am contemplating purchasing a TLC 200 that has all of the controls in the camera.  Then I won't need to use Windows at all.


I wonder how long it would take for delivery?


©Damyon T. Verbo

Bird Feeder Time Lapse Camera

I placed my new bird feeder, which I received as a Christmas present, outdoors by my breakfast room window at 13:00 Christmas Day.  For one week, I saw no activity at the feeder.  On New Years Day, I saw a squirrel eating my sunflower chips.  Damn squirrels!

There is no way I can sit and watch my feeder 24/7 or even just during daylight hours.  I needed an automated device to record the activity at the feeder.  I could have used my video camera from inside the window.   With the video camera, I would get a few hours of recording before the media filled to capacity or the batteries were expended.  That wasn't going to work.  I could purchase the hardware and software to allow my Nikon to capture images in a time lapse fashion.  That would be costly.  

I remembered seeing on the web somewhere, a programmable time lapse camera that is small, weather proof and under $150.00.   I did some research and purchased from Amazon a Brinno TLC 100 and a Fat Gecko Single Suction Cup Camera Mount, all for under $200.00.  I ordered both on a Friday and they arrived on Wednesday.


I opened the Brinno package and read the manual.  Windows operating system is needed to program the camera.  I only own Apple computers.  I have always only owned Macs.  My children own Macs.  Without Windows I was unable to change the application or the time stamp in the camera.  I would figure out something later.  For the present, I would only use the camera default time intervals and live with the wrong time stamp.

The camera was larger than I thought it would be.  From the images I saw online I thought it was 3" tall.  I made the above image to give you an idea of the size of the camera.  I have large hands.  If I stretch out my hand, from the tip of my small finger to the tip of my thumb is close to 10".  The actual dimensions of the camera are 3.66" x 7.55" x 2.08".

Included in the package were four Panasonic AA batteries and a 2GB USB flash drive.

The back of the TLC 100 has a locking mechanism that closes securely.  Once open, the batteries easily slipped into the appropriate holders.

It was time to choose the time intervals between exposures.  I originally chose time setting #2 or five minute intervals.  After one day of exposures I removed the flash drive and viewed the video.  I caught only two exposures of a squirrel.  That meant the squirrel was at the feeder more than five minutes but less than fifteen.  That was not enough exposures for me.  I changed the intervals to time setting #7 which is factory set at 5 seconds.

The flash drive is then inserted, the back is locked on and the camera is ready for service.

I didn't want the camera on a tripod inside the window for various reasons.  I purchased a camera mount with a suction cup to mount the camera outside to my breakfast room window.

The Brinno has a threaded socket to accept a standard 1/4-20 machine screw.  The Fat Gecko has a standard 1/4-20 stud to mount the camera.

I was now ready to place the camera outside on the window.  I cleaned the window to make the glass as smooth as possible for the best suction.

The suction cup was then placed on the glass and locked in position.  I adjusted the mount so the camera was pointed at the feeder and locked all the adjustable handles and locking rings.  I measured the distance from the camera to the feeder and placed the focus dial a the closest setting 20" - macro.

View from inside the breakfast room

I activated the power and the exposures began.

The above video was from Monday, 16 Jan 2012, three weeks to the day elapsed since I first hung the feeder.  Nothing happening in this time lapse video except wind blowing the feeder, the sun moving through the back yard and at elapsed time 0:57 through 1:00 one bird appears at the feeder.  It turns out to be a Junco.  A Junco that I stated earlier would never eat at this hanging feeder.  Mea culpa.  I would never have known this fact without the camera.

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved