Peace of Mind

Peace of Mind

Manual

Updated: Thursday 25 April 2024

This is the instructions manual for the M!nder.

Unboxing Test
How-To
Informational Sounds
Password
Hanging Position
Care
Rain, Liquids and Moisture
Temperature
Recharging
Behaviour

Unboxing Test

When you receive your purchased M!nder, it is natural to want to try it. Indoors, you ought to wrap the M!nder in a thick blanket, so as not to startle anyone; outdoors, please conduct your test far away (200+ meters) from other people.

  • Power the M!nder on: Press the power button until you hear 1 beep.
  • Type-in the default password, 1234.
  • If indoors, quickly cover it under a thick blanket.
  • After about 8 seconds, the system activates. Shakes may then lead to responses.
  • To de-activate, wait for any movement to subside, then type-in the password. The system will automatically power down.

Now, change the password.
Then record all the version numbers for future reference.

How-To

When you arrive at your parking spot:

  • Lock your bicycle with a D-lock/U-lock.
  • Take the M!nder out of your pack/bag/pannier.
  • Attach it to your bike or D-lock/U-lock, using a suitable padlock. Select a position that allows the M!nder to hang as freely as possible.
  • When you are ready to leave your bike, power the M!nder on: Press the power button until you hear 1 beep. (If the batteries have insufficient charge, you will also hear 3 beeps, followed by automatic power-down. Do not leave the M!nder on your bike, as it may then be attacked.)
  • Type-in your password. A good password will result in 2 beeps; a bad one, 3 beeps.
  • After the 2-beeps, the power button is disabled.
  • You now have about 8 seconds before the system activates, at which point you will hear another 2 beeps.

When you return to your parking spot:

  • Be careful not to move the bike; the system is alert! If it has been recently tampered with, the system will be in a _heightened_ state of alert!
  • Type-in your password to de-activate it. You will hear 2 beeps (for a good password; 3 beeps for a bad one), and the system will automatically power down.
  • Unlock the padlock, and detach the M!nder. Place it in your pack.
  • Unlock the bike’s D-lock/U-lock.

Informational Sounds

  • 1 beep: Power on.
  • 2 beeps: Good. (e.g. good password.)
  • 3 beeps: Bad. (e.g. bad password.)
  • 1 long beep: At the end of your parking session, you’ll type-in your password, hear the 2-beeps of a good password, then the system will automatically power down. If, however, the 2-beeps is followed by a single, long beep, then something bad happened during that session! The longer this beep, the worse the event(s) was:
    • 1 second is a caution;
    • 2 seconds is bad;
    • 3 seconds tells you not to park like that again (i.e. at that place/time/day/duration/anchor with that lock/bike)!

Password

When you purchase a new M!nder, it arrives with a default PIN of ‘1234‘. This must be changed immediately, or your bicycle will be stolen!
To change the PIN:

  • Write down your new, four-digit PIN. There is no PIN-recovery mechanism if you forget your new PIN! This is a security device.
  • Power-up the M!nder;
  • Type-in your old PIN;
  • After you hear the 2 beeps of a good PIN, you will have about 8 seconds to change your PIN:
    • Type ‘4‘. You’ll hear 2 beeps.
    • Type-in your new, four-digit PIN. You’ll hear 2 beeps.

Keep a written record of your PIN, preferably on a piece of paper you keep at home. Do so _before_ you change it! Do not carry it on your phone. Do not share it with anyone.

Whenever you are entering a PIN, type carefully. If there are too many failures, the system will get hyper, and might lock you out of typing, for a while.
Once activated, the system will not allow itself to be de-activated unless all movement has ceased. As such, if a thief has abandoned the theft attempt, ensure that the bike is stationary, before you attempt to type-in your PIN. You may need to wait for a few seconds!

‘I Forgot My Password!’

You’ll have to replace the mother PCB, or send it back to me for resetting. Email me.

Arriving

If you arrive at your parking spot, but cannot remember your password, do not attempt to guess the password more than 3 times: The device will become hyper, shrieking its siren; you will then have to wait till it runs out of battery!
Better yet, after 3 guesses, take the device home to open the enclosure to disconnect its battery.

Leaving

When you intend to leave your parking spot, the system has been activated, so it will be intolerant of bad passwords! After 3 guesses, stop!
You’ll have to wait till it runs out of battery–which might be much longer than you expect! Tampering with it will cause it to think you a thief.

Hanging Position

The M!nder must be hung where it can swing freely.
The higher the position of the lock, the better.

There is no perfect position, and different bikes have different limitations. Add to that the different anchors and the different parking situations (location, time, duration, weather, lock type, appeal of the bike).
Given the above limitations, the option available on most bikes may be to hang the M!nder from a D-lock/U-lock that locks the top-bar of the bike to a dependable anchor. But, your bike, and your parking situations, may offer safer options.

Care

Do not rattle the M!nder. It must be treated with care. There are objects within which are loosely placed.
Do not drop the M!nder. It is not designed to survive impact.
Do not expose the M!nder to heavy rain; it has not been tested for that.
Like all metals, the mounting plates need to be protected against rust.

Flights, Airplanes, Shipping
The device contains lithium batteries. All carriers’ regulations must be adhered-to when carrying, or shipping, the device.

Rain, Liquids and Moisture

The M!nder has not been tested for prolonged exposure to heavy rain. Operation may be affected, and damage may occur over the long term.
Like all metal, the plates used for hanging the M!nder will need care against rust. Even if the plates’ visible, top surfaces are regularly coated, and kept dry, the invisible, bottom surface of a plate might develop rust. Conceivably, the plates could be periodically unmounted to apply rust-protection, but this has not been tested.

Temperature

The M!nder has not been tested at 0 C or below, and is not expected to have reliable operation at those temperatures. Like with other lithium batteries, prolonged exposure to cold temperatures approaching 0 C will shut the device.
The M!nder is suspected to operate at up to 40 C, though it’s not been tested for that.

Recharging

After about 10 hours of usage, you should recharge the M!nder. An AC adapter with a suitable barrel jack must be used for this purpose; it must provide a current of 1 A (no more than 2 A), and a voltage between 8.4 volts and 15 volts.
The barrel jack must be 5.5×2.1 mm, with a _positive_ centre. In U.S. & Canada, this is the most frequently available.

Behaviour

Never activate the system on a bridge, or at locations similarly subject to frequent shaking. In particular, trains passing on a metal bridge will set off the siren!
While the system makes its best effort at reducing false alarms, it must err on the side of caution. As such, it is possible for the system to react when it should not. Passing, heavy trucks might generate responses, to cite another example. And, when returning to your parked bicycle, the system may be hyper-responsive due to a recent theft attempt, movements or tampering.

Wind

While typical winds might not be misdiagnosed by the system, gusts, storms, or particularly windy locations might result in false alarms. At such times or locations, brace the device against the bike frame so that it will hang less freely.

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