11. Specifications
Physical Specifications
Height | 4.0 in. (102 mm) |
Width | 2.8 in. (71 mm) |
Depth | 1.4 in. (35 mm) |
Weight with no batteries | 0.26 lb. (118 g) |
Weight with max number of batteries (typical) | 0.62 lb. (281 g) |
Enclosure Material | Polycarbonate |
Environmental Specifications | IP67 Rated |
Operating Temperature Range | -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C) Batteries may have a narrower operating temperature range. |
Audio and Microphone Specifications
Acoustic Microphone Specifications
Directional Characteristic: Omnidirectional
On-Axis Sensitivity: +12 ± 4 dB FS re: 1 Pa at 1 kHz, measured at 18 dB gain setting
The following charts reflect default gain (+18 dB), 48 kHz sample rate, calibrated sound source one meter from the recorder, perpendicular to microphone axis.
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Batteries and Power
Types of AA Batteries
AA batteries are available in several distinct categories:
Alkaline: This is the standard, single-use battery. When using AA batteries, the Song Meter Configurator app's battery life estimations assume this type of battery.
Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH): This is the most common type of rechargeable AA battery. A single use-cycle of NiMH batteries will last between 50% and 70% as long as a set of alkaline batteries.
Lithium/iron disulfide, sold as Energizer® Ultimate LithiumTM: This is a type of single-use battery. At room temperature, and when used with a low-power device like the Song Meter Micro 2, they last slightly longer than typical alkaline batteries.
However, in near-freezing or below-freezing temperatures, Lithium/Iron Disulfide batteries maintain their performance significantly better than alkaline batteries.
Power Consumption and Expected Battery Life
The tables in this section display measured power consumption for the Song Meter Micro 2 in various recording modes. All measurements were taken using the same SanDisk® SD card.
Note
SD cards can vary significantly in the amount of power they draw. Two cards of the same model from the same manufacturer will likely have different power requirements. These differences will affect the overall battery life of the recorder.
Battery life duration is estimated based on the nominal energy capacity of high-quality, brand-new alkaline AA batteries or freshly-charged Li-ion batteries. Real-world battery capacity can be altered by factors including ambient temperature. Rechargeable batteries lose their capacity with repeated use, and the rate of this loss is affected by the quality of the charger and the rate of recharge.
Inactive Power Consumption
The Song Meter Micro 2 consumes a small amount of power when turned off and when sleeping during an inactive schedule period. This power consumption is only significant during long deployments with very infrequent recording periods.
State | Power Consumption (mW) |
|---|---|
Off | 0.4 |
Sleeping | 0.5 |
Acoustic Recording Power Consumption
The power consumption measurements below were taken using a single SanDisk® 64 GB Extreme microSD card. Power consumption can vary significantly between cards, even among those with similar labels from a single manufacturer.
Expected battery runtime has been calculated from the typical energy capacity of four alkaline AA batteries.
Sample Rate (Hz) | Power Consumption (mW) | Expected Battery Runtime (Hours) |
|---|---|---|
8,000 | 38 | 394 |
12,000 | 45 | 330 |
16,000 | 55 | 274 |
22,050 | 60 | 249 |
24,000 | 53 | 283 |
32,000 | 67 | 224 |
44,100 | 76 | 197 |
48,000 | 68 | 220 |
96,000 | 96 | 157 |
microSD Card Compatibility
microSD Card Capacity Range: 4 GB - 2 TB
The Song Meter Micro 2 supports SDHC and SDXC cards. These two formats encompass microSD cards between 4 GB and 2 TB in capacity. We recommend SanDisk® cards as the first choice, but other major brands from a reliable electronics retailer will also work.
Beware Counterfeit SD Cards!
Large, online marketplaces that allow third-party sellers may include listings for counterfeit SD cards, which are likely to have misleading specifications and may lead to data loss.
We recommend buying SD cards from a reputable electronics or photography supply retailer.
"SD Card" and "microSD Card"
Language in the Song Meter Configurator app and in this documentation may use the term "SD card" generically. This refers to both the full-size SD card used by the Song Meter Mini family and the microSD card used by the Song Meter Micro family.
The Song Meter Micro 2 only supports the use of microSD cards.
SD Card Speed
Minimum Speed Class: C4 (4 MB/s)
Modern SD cards and microSD cards are designed to handle the output of video cameras, which may be writing over 100 frames of high-resolution video to the card each second. By those standards, the data throughput requirements for audio recording are tiny, even when recording on two channels or at the high sample rates required for recording bats.
SD cards and microSD cards are marked with speed classes that indicate the card's minimum sustained write speed. The minimum speed class required by the Song Meter Micro 2 is C4, meaning a minimum sustained write speed of 4 MB/s.
The Song Meter Micro 2 gains no benefit from faster cards, though backing up files to your computer may be faster.
SD Card Power Consumption
SD Cards and microSD cards can vary significantly in power consumption, even among cards manufactured by the same company and sold under the same product line. These variations can affect the battery life of the Song Meter Micro 2.
As a general trend, SD Cards with lower speed classes tend to draw less power than faster cards.
Bluetooth Specifications
Supported Bluetooth Technology | Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.2 |