It must be set up prior to deployment using a network connection (see ). Used to store the date and time of recordings and is powered by a button cell battery (CR1220). from XLR to 3♵ mm jack) 2–3 V of plug-in-power can be supplied to the microphone via the CLAC if required. The CLAC supports an external microphone (mono or stereo pair) with a 3♵ mm jack input (converters are widely available, e.g. The CLAC also has an internal stereo microphone, but this is difficult to weatherproof and an external microphone is recommended for field deployment. Provides a high-fidelity (up to 192 kHz sampling rate) interface between the Raspberry Pi and an external microphone. The Raspberry Pi A+ was used during all field testing because it has the lowest power consumption. The following Raspberry Pi models have been tested: A+, B+, 2B, 3B, Pi Zero (the last model requires soldering). Hardware options Raspberry Pi (essential) It also supports the CLAC high definition audio card, which has a sampling rate of up to 192 kHz.īox 1. Although other suitable single board computers are available, we chose the Raspberry Pi as the foundation of the Solo because it was the first single board computer to be generally available, it was rapidly successful and the software is now widely supported and debugged. The core system comprises a Raspberry Pi single board computer (Farnell element14, Leeds, UK), PiFace clock module (OpenLX SP Ltd, London, UK) and Cirrus Logic audio card (CLAC Cirrus Logic, Austin, TX, USA). 1) are operated using custom-written software, and the current version is available online from (Supporting Information). Solos have proven to be robust during extensive field testing in temperate and tropical environments, and users can customize the software or hardware configuration to suit research needs. The Solo is straightforward to build and operate and is constructed from inexpensive hardware and freely available software. The system records audible sound up to 22♰5 kHz for long periods (>1 month) without user intervention and can also record audio up to a Nyquist frequency of 96 kHz (i.e. Here, we introduce the Solo audio recorder. These features make single board computers like the Raspberry Pi highly customizable, and they have many potential applications in ecology. Furthermore, they are operated using freely distributed and readily available open source, Unix-based operating systems, and can be powered by any DC battery, such as USB charging devices or vehicle batteries. These and similar devices, such as the BeagleBone Black development board, consume minimal power and use high-specification hardware relative to their small size and low cost. £20 at time of writing), which was originally developed as an educational tool, has been adapted for a broad variety of applications. For example, the Raspberry Pi single board computer ( c. Inexpensive single board computers have become widely available in the past decade. However, the core components of these systems are rarely user-serviceable and they often contain unnecessary hardware and software that becomes redundant when used for bioacoustic research. Relatively inexpensive systems based on tablet computers have become available more recently (Aide et al. for landscape-scale studies) can be costly. Wildlife Acoustics’ Song Meter) can be affordable (Mennill et al. However, although deploying small numbers of commercially available recording units (e.g. Such systems are indispensable for studying cryptic taxa such as bats, and for detecting elusive, nocturnal or rare species. These are suitable for a variety of ecological applications ranging from simple species presence/absence surveys to tracking acoustically active animals in three-dimensional space, and identifying individuals from their unique vocalizations. Automated systems that record continuously or in response to acoustic triggers have become increasingly popular and can be deployed in isolation or complex spatial arrays (e.g. Outside the laboratory, ecological sounds are typically recorded using remotely operated or hand-held devices (Efford, Dawson & Borchers 2009 Bardeli et al. Acoustic recordings can therefore reveal a wealth of information about individuals, populations and the environment. Calls and songs are often unique to a species and, in many instances, convey the biological, behavioural and ecological characteristics of the source. Many birds (Aves) and invertebrates produce territorial song, bats (Chiroptera: Microchiroptera) use ultrasound to detect prey, and elephants Loxodonta sp. Bioacoustics has improved our understanding of evolution, taxonomy, wildlife conservation and animal physiology (Blumstein et al.
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