Magpie Online Guide

About this guide

This is the Magpie Online Guide — the quick, video-first companion for setting up and operating your Magpie. Each section below is a short note plus a walkthrough video; the videos are captioned and meant to be watched straight through.

For the full written reference — specifications, the complete command list, status messages, troubleshooting, and detailed step-by-step procedures — see the Magpie Manual, which you can read online or download as a PDF. Where a procedure has written steps, this guide links straight to the matching manual section.

Quick Start

This walkthrough takes a new Magpie from powered off to logged, formatted data. Watch it straight through, or use the steps below as a chapter list — each links to short videos and detailed instructions below.

Note: The short videos in the sections below are clips taken from this same walkthrough.

: Magpie Quick Start walkthrough.

Connect the battery and power on the Magpie — details.
Connect over Bluetooth and view live data in the QTFM2 UI — details.
Record and export data from the UI — details.
Connect over WiFi and log through the MiniACB, then format the data with the QuSpin tools — details.

Connecting the Magpie

Bluetooth gives full command and control from the QTFM2 UI — reboot the unit, monitor status, and start or stop logging.

: Connecting the Magpie over Bluetooth.

Wi-Fi handles logger commands, data download, and firmware updates from any Wi-Fi-connected device.

: Connecting and logging over WiFi.

After logging, confirm your data matches the expected Magpie data structure →

Full written steps in the manual →

QTFM2 UI Quick Start

Record and review live scalar and vector data in the QTFM2 Windows app.

: Logging and reviewing data in the QTFM2 UI.

Full written steps in the manual →

Post-Processing

Drag a logged .txt onto Qlog_Processor to turn it into an analysis-ready .csv.

: Post-processing logged data into CSV.

Full written steps in the manual →

Hardware

Battery

Connect and disconnect the included Li-Po battery pack.

Warning: The Magpie is powered by a lithium-polymer (LiPo) battery. Do not puncture, crush, short, or expose it to water or excessive heat. For battery longevity, charge only with the supplied charger, do not leave it charging unattended, and avoid charging/discharging the battery simultaneously. Stop using any pack that is swollen, damaged, or hot — damaged LiPo cells can catch fire.

: Full Li-Po battery operation.

Full written steps in the manual →

Removing the Shell

Insert a screwdriver through the provided hole and use it as a handle to pull the sled free of the outer shell.

Full written steps in the manual →

Removing the SD Card

Push the SD-card holder away from the edge of the Magpie to release it, then lift the card out.

Full written steps in the manual →

Magpie Assembly

Lay out the sled, boards, and sensor head, then assemble them in order.

: Magpie Assembly Walkthrough.

Full written steps in the manual →

Integrating Alternate Cables

Swap the Magpie’s input cables for your own.

Warning: This procedure involves soldering. Proceed only if you are comfortable with electronics rework. Improper reassembly may damage the Magpie.

: Cable Integration Walkthrough.

Full written steps in the manual →

Hardwiring with a Standard Comms Board (SCB)

The SCB plugs into the flex-cable connector on the side of the MiniACB for a direct wired serial link to the sensor.

: Connecting an SCB to the MiniACB flex-cable connector.

An SCB can also be repurposed with spare connectors to power and sync a Magpie in place of the battery and sync cables — the manual covers this modification.

Full written steps in the manual →

Maintenance

Firmware Update

The Magpie logger and the QTFM2 sensor update independently.

Always use the latest firmware: The downloads and full step-by-step procedure live in the Magpie Firmware Update Guide, which is updated every release — it always has the current MINI_ACB_V<N>.ino.bin and .merged.bin files plus any release-specific notes.

Magpie logger firmware. Flashed from the Magpie itself — over Wi-Fi (Method 1) or by USB for recovery (Method 2).

: Updating the Magpie logger firmware over Wi-Fi (Method 1) and USB (Method 2).

QTFM2 sensor firmware. Flashed through a standard Comms board on the flex connector on the side of the MiniACB — remove the shell first.

: Updating the QTFM Gen-2 sensor firmware through a Comms board.

Full written steps in the manual →

Sensor Reoptimization

Semi-automated routines that restore a sensor that won’t complete autostart.

: Basic settings reoptimization.

Reset to defaults: If reoptimization won’t complete or the sensor still misbehaves, click “Reset Parameters” in the QTFM2 UI Advanced Settings to reset to defaults, then run the basic-settings reoptimization again from the start.