PETTERSSON U256 USB Ultrasound Microphone User Guide

: June 5, 2024
: Pettersson

Table of Contents

PETTERSSON U256 USB Ultrasound Microphone
GUARANTEE
LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES
PRODUCT SAFETY NOTICE AND RESTRICTIONS
INTRODUCTION
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Getting started
Weather protection
u256 Specifications
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

PETTERSSON U256 USB Ultrasound Microphone

PETTERSSON-U256-USB-
Ultrasound-Microphone-PRODUCT-IMG

GUARANTEE

This product is guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. In order for the guarantee to be granted, proof of purchase (normally the original invoice/receipt) is required and the serial number label must not be removed from the product. Pettersson Elektronik AB, Sweden (“Pettersson”) will repair or replace the product if it proves to be defective during the guarantee period, provided it is returned to Pettersson. No other guarantee is expressed or implied. This product does not contain any user-serviceable parts. Always refer servicing to the manufacturer or any other party approved by the manufacturer. Opening the housing of the product voids the guarantee.

The guarantee covers none of the following:

Damage to the product resulting from abuse and misuse, including but not limited to (a) the failure to use this product for its normal purpose or in accordance with Pettersson’s instructions on the proper use and maintenance of this product and (b) the installation or the use of this product in a manner inconsistent with the technical or safety standards in force in the country where the product is used.
Damage to the product resulting from non-authorized modifications made to the product.
Repairs done by non-authorized technicians.
Accidents or similar causes beyond the control of Pettersson, including but not limited to lightning, water, fire, and public disturbances.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES

In no event shall Pettersson be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages of any nature including, but not limited to, damages resulting from loss of profit or revenue, recall costs, claims for service interruptions or failure to supply downtime, testing, installation or removal costs, costs of substitute products, property damage, personal injury, death or legal expenses. The customer’s recovery from Pettersson for any claim shall not exceed the purchase price paid by the customer for the goods, irrespective of the nature of the claim, whether in the warrant, contract, or otherwise. The customer shall indemnify, defend and hold Pettersson harmless from any claims brought by any party regarding products supplied by Pettersson and incorporated into the customer’s product.
Pettersson assumes no responsibility for any damage or loss resulting from the use of this manual. Pettersson assumes no responsibility for any loss or claims by third parties which may arise through the use of this product. Pettersson assumes no responsibility for any damage or loss caused by deletion of data as a result of malfunction, repairs or battery replacement. Be sure to back up all important data on other media to protect against its loss.

PRODUCT SAFETY NOTICE AND RESTRICTIONS

This product is intended for commercial use only. Products sold by Pettersson are not designed, intended or authorized for use in life support, life- sustaining, human implantable, nuclear facilities, flight control systems, or other applications in which the failure of such products could result in personal injury, loss of life or catastrophic property damage. If the customer uses or sells the products for use in any such applications

the customer acknowledges that such use or sale is at the customer’s sole risk;
the customer agrees that Pettersson is not liable, in whole or in part, for any claim or damage arising from such use; and
the customer agrees to indemnify, defend and hold Pettersson harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, expenses and liabilities arising out of or in connection with such use or sale. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Other company, product and service names mentioned in this manual, may be trademarks of others. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Note

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense. Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment under FCC rules.

INTRODUCTION

The u256 USB Ultrasound Microphone enables you to make high-quality, full- spectrum recordings of bat calls or other ultrasonic signals with a wide variety of computers/laptops/tablets/smartphones (referred to as ‘computers’ below), using the sound recording software of your choice. The u256 uses standard sound device drivers and does not require the installation of any custom drivers. The u256 comes in a small and durable aluminum enclosure. It is equipped with a micro-USB plug which allows it to be connected directly to a smartphone, without the need for a cable. It also ships with a micro-USB to USB Type-A adapter, to which various types of USB cables can be connected, enabling usage of devices with, for example, USB Type-C and Lightning ports. In order to plug the u256 directly into a USB Type-C port, we recommend this adapter: https://batsound.com/product/micro-usb-to-usb-c-adapter/. Other adapters are likely not to work. The u256 can be connected to iOS/Lightning devices if a “Lightning to USB Camera Adapter” (MD821ZM/A) is used. Low-noise technology, high sampling frequency, and efficient anti-aliasing filter provide high-quality recordings.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The u256 works with most operating systems, e.g. Windows, OS X, iOS, Linux, and Android, and on most computer devices. Due to a large number of possible combinations, it is not possible to guarantee full functionality on all computers and operating systems, though. Specifically, the hardware and software used to record from the u256 must support recording at a sampling frequency of 256 kHz and a resolution of 16 bits. A USB 2 or USB 3 (OTG/host enabled) with USB bus power is also required. For information on this, please consult the specifications for the computer and recording software. In order to reduce the load on the processor and increase the performance, we recommend you to:

Run only the sound recording program/app. Close all other programs/apps, if possible.
Disable anti-virus scanning, if an anti-virus program is used.
Disable computer functions such as WiFi, Bluetooth and Power Saving features. Set the device in “flight mode”, if available.

USING THE u256

Getting started

First, you need sound recording software. There are quite a few suitable programs – both free and paid – on the market. The Pettersson BatSound Touch is one example of Windows devices. BatSound Touch Lite is free and can be downloaded from Pettersson’s website, www.batsound.com. Audacity is another popular program available in versions for Windows, OS X, and Linux. For Android devices, the app ‘Bat Recorder’ is available at Google Play Store. As mentioned, the program/app you choose must support recording via USB at 256 kHz sampling frequency and 16 bits resolution. Most programs have to be specifically set up to use these recording parameters. Next, connect the u256 to your device, either directly to a micro-USB port, or to a port of a different type through a suitable adapter. Usually, the computer will acknowledge this, e.g. with a sound. This process may take a few seconds. The u256 is now ready to be used.
If no “USB device connected” acknowledgment sound is heard, please disconnect the u256 a few seconds and then connect it again and wait to let it establish the USB connection. Please note that some devices may require that you first turn on the USB port in the device’s settings menu. The way recordings are made, depends on the recording software. Please refer to the software manual for information about this.

Weather protection

The u256 is not waterproof and should be protected against the elements if used e.g. under humid conditions. The housing and circuit board are relatively insensitive to humidity, but the microphone element and USB connector may require protection.