Fr Robert Ballecer, SJ Now that I 've got my KH250 off the ground (and back down safely) one o...

[G+_Steve Prior]

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Now that I've got my KH250 off the ground (and back down safely) one of my top priorities is putting some LEDs onboard to make it easier to keep track of what direction the drone is facing from a distance, especially late in the day.  This sounds like it should be a no brainer, but seems to be more complicated than it sounds.  At the moment I've got a 4S battery attached, but could very well end up switching back and forth between 3S and 4S packs.  So it seems like there might be voltage issues.   While it would be acceptable to hook the LEDs directly off the power board, maybe it would be useful if the Flip 1.5 had a little control, maybe flashing to indicate fail safe mode, maybe just turning the light on/off from a transmitter switch.  I ordered the Tunigy receiver controlled switch, but not totally sure I'll end up using it for this.

 

You said you're taking a few weeks off from covering quads in KH episodes to let people catch up, but I'd really like some guidance on this sooner rather than later.

[G+_610GARAGE]

What's your led voltage. If they are 5 volt, you could use a BEC. Just check your amp draws.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZNWOYY

[G+_Steve Prior]

I don't have a specific LED set in mind, I'm looking for guidance on a complete solution.

[G+_Steve Prior]

Part of the issue is that I have the minimum requirement of steady LEDs to indicate orientation, but if there are more advanced related features which are worthwhile to have then I'm open to that - I just don't know what good options are out there which  may interface with the Flip and/or the receiver.

[G+_Quadflyingmedic]

Buy the led strips off of ebay. Can get them in 1 meter lenths and they can be cut every 3 leds and hooked directly to 3s battery will work on 4s too just may burn out a little quicker, but you have a meter so just replace them. Get the 60led per meter density a 3 led group fits perfectly under the arm of a 250

[G+_Steve Prior]

I think I'll skip the machine gun noises for the moment.  I have been surprised at how loud my quad is.

 

The link to the rctimer LEDs was useful because the close up of thr LED shows that they just have two resistors there, one for 3-4S and one for 5-6S, but the point is that they don't do anything to differentiate 3S from 4S and there's no voltage regulator involved.  I have just enough electronics knowledge to know what you're supposed to do, but not enough experience to know what you can get away with - this can leave a person hamstrung.

[G+_David Keeler]

Steve,  As an alternative I decided to go completely "maker" and used lights normally used for RC cars and simply strung them through to the edges I wanted lit up.  You could even bundle 2 or 3 sets for even brighter effect.  They are simply powered by a 3.7v battery that I have separate so I am not dependent on what battery I use.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bastens-Headlight-Parking-Accessory-Traxxas/dp/B007ZHU5QA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438100962&sr=8-2&keywords=white+led+lights+for+RC+cars

 

http://www.amazon.com/Venom-600mAh-3-7V-LiPO-Plug/dp/B00DR7CZRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438101128&sr=8-1&keywords=3.7v+lithium+ion+battery+jst