LED placement and wiring...

[Hjones62]

Sup guys, I'm in the process of adding these to my F550. I received my led's today and was trying to decide or how to wire these led's to power on when I connect the battery. I have 2 red and 2 green to favor my Phantom. Should I have another battery for this or is this something I can easily splice the positive and negative in to?? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

 

[OI Photography]

I honestly sometimes run a small (450mAh) batt for lights and gimbal and vTx and it doesn't seem to impact flight time on the 550 nearly as much as it would on a Phantom, or at all really. But you still need to be conscious of weight even on a larger platform like this so directly wiring to the main power is probably the best option. You can wire all the lights in parallel at one connection point (i.e. where the battery connects to the bottom board) or however you want to really, assuming you're running a 3S battery. If you have a 4S you'll just need a BEC in between the batt and the lights at some point.

 

[Hjones62]

Yes i'm currently using 5000mah 3-cell batteries. So I was thinking to link all positives and negatives and maybe even installing a really small toggle switch to power them on and off. Led's come with 3m adhesive on one side and really want to put them on the bottom of the arms but of course esc's are partially in the way...

 

[OI Photography]

Sounds like a good plan, and I'm currently testing some options for remotely-controlled switches for that purpose (I tried two last night, couldn't get either to work).

Usually on a 450/550 mounting those LED light strips to the sides of the arms give plenty of visibility from the ground, doesn't necessarily have to be on the bottom.

 

[FangsCPO]

Sup guys, I'm in the process of adding these to my F550. I received my led's today and was trying to decide or how to wire these led's to power on when I connect the battery. I have 2 red and 2 green to favor my Phantom. Should I have another battery for this or is this something I can easily splice the positive and negative in to?? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

That's going to be a lot of work but worthwhile...where did you get those from? When I got mine from GetHeliRC...they came wired together with a controller switch added to allow for strobe, blinking, solid, brightness level, etc. All I had to do was add a connector and I added them to the open line that was available for accessories on my F550. I recently added additional lights to the ends of the arms and added an on/off switch so I don't have to run them in the daytime. I'll post a few photos when I get a chance. Nonetheless, the LED lights are a great addition for flying at dusk and at night.

Definitely put them on the sides of the arms. If you try on the bottom, I don't think they'll last very long and just peel off.

 

[Hjones62]

Good looking out with all the info. I actually purchased these from eBay and they light up really nice, http://www.ebay.com/itm/RC-GREEN-Waterp ... 233693e745. I've figured it out, I will mount and wrap the end of 2 arms in green and opposite arms in red...Now is figuring out how to wire these bad boys.

 

[ladykate]

I am using something different (vanity LEDs used on a car). You can easily wire LEDs into the balance connector on the battery. Get a male connector from eBay or any of the hobby shops. I think I got 10 sets for less than $10.

Next time I pop open the top, I'm going to put in a JST connector for just this kind of need.

 

[OI Photography]

I am using something different (vanity LEDs used on a car). You can easily wire LEDs into the balance connector on the battery. Get a male connector from eBay or any of the hobby shops. I think I got 10 sets for less than $10.

I've been meaning to ask if you have a link or example of the car LED's you bought.

Also, here's the balance tap to JST adapter you're talking about: http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index. ... cts_id=500

 

[FangsCPO]

Here's how I mounted/installed my LED Lights on my F550. Keep in mind that these are two sets of LED lights from to different websites. Luckily they arrived already wired and spliced together. All I had to do was install a connector, install them and connect them to a power source. I also added the on/off switch. Just to give you an idea. Good Luck on your installation.

 

[ladykate]

I've been meaning to ask if you have a link or example of the car LED's you bought.

Also, here's the balance tap to JST adapter you're talking about: http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index. ... cts_id=500

I don't particularly like the balance connector but it suffices as a source for power. I want to solder a pigtail onto the power board when I get the top off next time. Put a JST on the other end. I think that would be a little cleaner but requires a bit of effort - saving it to do when I have another reason to go into the system.

I don't know that my selection of automotive lights was the best - mostly because they are housed in a metal housing and are heavier than other solutions. They probably weigh 15 grams each (maybe) after you trim the pigtail back. They could be lightened much more by trimming the mounting threads back (maybe with a Dremel). I bought 10 in a pack for my side by side UTV and didn't use them... so they were sitting on my bench begging me. As it happens, they fit perfectly into the bottom hole on my unused stubby landing gear. They have a 5/8 or so threaded shaft on the back that snuggles into the hole. They are very bright and are focused so they really look like headlamps. They don't heat up. Here is a pack of two: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-2X-9W-LED-B ... 07&vxp=mtr - There are other solutions of this type that are just as cheap and probably lighter.

Here is what they look like installed. Notice the beam on the one nearer manages to catch the camera - gives an idea of the brightness.

 

[FangsCPO]

If you lived in San Diego folks would think u are border patrol. LOL!!

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[ladykate]

Was playing last night to see if the lights I installed could be useful for seeing what was out there - essentially, they can be used but you have to be within about 30 feet for the camera to start seeing things. Looking at them from the front, they look like auto headlights. Made me think of ornery ways to use them. Hover it in the road and wait for a car to come into view. Then, at the last minute, zoom it up and out of sight. :twisted:

 

[JTheed]

Looking at them from the front, they look like auto headlights. Made me think of ornery ways to use them. Hover it in the road and wait for a car to come into view. Then, at the last minute, zoom it up and out of sight. :twisted:

I was thinking of something similar when I first saw your picture.
(Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

 

[FangsCPO]

Looking at them from the front, they look like auto headlights. Made me think of ornery ways to use them. Hover it in the road and wait for a car to come into view. Then, at the last minute, zoom it up and out of sight. :twisted:

I was thinking of something similar when I first saw your picture.
(Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

That's exactly it!! Close Encounters of the third kind. Those high beams look awesome!!

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[OI Photography]

Made me think of ornery ways to use them. Hover it in the road and wait for a car to come into view. Then, at the last minute, zoom it up and out of sight. :twisted:

Better yet, get right in behind them and follow them for a bit, where all they can see is the lights in their rearview. When they stop at a light or something, just casually pull up next to them :lol:

 

[FangsCPO]

LMAO!!!

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[FangsCPO]

My LEDs are not as big as yours but here's how mine look.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZnz5Z1Senk[/youtube]

 

[ladykate]

My LEDs are not as big as yours but here's how mine look.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZnz5Z1Senk[/youtube]

That would be GREAT for the Holidays - bring it up every now and then in the neighborhood. That thing is really decked out. Funny enough, all those LEDs probably draw no more juice than my two.

Nice.

BTW: I took the 's' off the http to get it to show. The utility on here is pretty picky I noticed. Took me several tries with different formats before I got it to work over on another thread.