STROBON Cree® LED Strobe Lights

[nintago]

If you can post pictures for everyone that would be awesome, they may even end up on the website if you don't mind. I've got you in the print queue, just 3 orders ahead of yours so they should be ready tonight and ship in the morning.

Awesome, sounds like a plan

 

[Dazzauk]

Here's a little video I made featuring dazzauksdad with his strobons.

 

[Indiana_pyro]

Dumb question before I order. Are these directional LEDs ?

 

[ryantrax]

They go about 180 degrees (since they are mounted to the circuit board (see below).

 

[Indiana_pyro]

Right on. when I don't want to look like a Christmas tree I was wanting to put one on top and hope its seen from all directions, other than that, I will have them all around because I do think it looks good all lit up. No need to look like that when doing firework shows.

 

[Dazzauk]

Dumb question before I order. Are these directional LEDs ?

See my video bud.

 

[Indiana_pyro]

See my video bud.

In your video they appear to be all in leg mounts, is that correct ?

 

[ryantrax]

In your video they appear to be all in leg mounts, is that correct ?

Most people have been mounting them to the legs because they are easier to see in all directions from the ground or manned aircraft in the sky. If you just put it on top of the Phantom your view of the strobe on the ground will be more limited.

 

[Indiana_pyro]

Yes sir- I'm not to worried about my view from the ground with the one on top, but when I am, we will have her lit up with the extra ones I will order.

How long will it take to get a few of these to Columbus Indiana?

 

[skeptic49]

Short video with my P3S about 150' high and about 100' downrange in very bright daylight. Blow up the image while you're watching. I found the white and red to be about equal in intensity under these very bright sunlight conditions.

 

[jephoto]

These strobes are awesome - I've got two white ones for night commercial work. I've had them 2.5 miles away and still visible. So small and light and so bright.

I wanted to be able to easily take them off when I wasn't using them so the drone can stay as close to stock shape and weight as possible, so I attached them with Scotch Dual-Lock (should be available somewhere local too):

Amazon.com : Scotch Reclosable Fasteners, Clear, 1 x 3-Inches, 2 Sets (RF9730) : Scotch All Weather Fasteners : Office Products

It's stronger than velcro and doesn't lose grip over time.

I've never had trouble seeing the flash at night, but know that if you floor it and the props enter your FOV, you'll probably see them. When I'm filming for keeps, I tend to fly slower, and it's not been as issue. Surely positioning is important here; I've got one mounted on the very top next to the DJI decal and one on the bottom of the landing gear all the way toward the back. My intent here is for a strobe to always be visible in every direction while keeping the flashes away from the camera and the front landing gear which could reflect back on the camera. Another bonus is that when the strobon's not attached to the bottom, the aircraft still sits square on its four pads, so no complications with landing. These are a fantastic addition and SO cheap - absolutely no reason not to get them!

Tastycat- are there any photos of how you mount these? And have you tested video/ stills at dusk & night to see if they affect the images???

 

[jephoto]

Has ANYONE actually taken long exposure Night photos with these lights on- mounted on front legs, and seen that they DONT affect the photos??
When doing dusk shots @.8 sec of 1 sec- which is a common exposure for me on Phantom 3 pro @100 iso- I always have to turn off the front legs LEDs. Of course they are out in front of the camera.

I'm thinking that red, on front legs, at 45° out probably would be fine- but no one here has actually answered this question.
Love to see samples if you have done long exposure stills.
Also I would think it could be an issue with video at dusk or night.
I don't want the bird to be just visible flying, if I can't get clean photos, it's less usable to me.

ANYONE???

 

[Brockrock]

I had a chance to fly yesterday evening with these strobes during pre-dusk, dusk, and after dark. The sky conditions were a high, broken to overcast cloud cover. I used a P4 with two red strobes facing forward in front via Aerial-Pixel's Version 2 mounts, and two white strobes mounted in the rear facing backwards, all four strobes mounted low on the gear legs.

During the pre-dusk (still daylight but sun low to the west) I could definitely see the white further out versus the red. I could see the white clearly out to 2500'. As others have said however, if I had not been watching it heading outbound the entire time, I probably would not have been able to quickly spot it at that distance if I had looked away. On the return, I was able to pick up the Red at 1000'. I then reversed the copter outbound with the red facing me, and lost the red at 1600'.

During dusk and after dark, that is where they really shine. I could see both the red and white as far as I felt comfortable flying based on my battery. On a clear and low-humidity night (which it was), I would say that these little strobes are visible for three miles. They truly are amazingly bright for their size.

Regarding any affect on the camera, after dark, I did notice a very, very slight red 'ghosting' on the outer edges of my iPad's camera image. I did not notice this during daylight or dusk, but obviously, it was there. After landing and taking a closer look, I noticed that the mount itself transfers light to the sides via the whole mount glowing briefly with each flash of the strobe. I think if the mount was not there, there would have been no 'leak' of the strobe's light sideways, since these things are like laser beams. So, I am wondering if these mounts could be made out of a black material that would block sideways transfer.

 

[Indiana_pyro]

ordered 5 of these beauties

 

[jephoto]

I had a chance to fly yesterday evening with these strobes during pre-dusk, dusk, and after dark. The sky conditions were a high, broken to overcast cloud cover. I used a P4 with two red strobes facing forward in front via Aerial-Pixel's Version 2 mounts, and two white strobes mounted in the rear facing backwards, all four strobes mounted low on the gear legs.

During the pre-dusk (still daylight but sun low to the west) I could definitely see the white further out versus the red. I could see the white clearly out to 2500'. As others have said however, if I had not been watching it heading outbound the entire time, I probably would not have been able to quickly spot it at that distance if I had looked away. On the return, I was able to pick up the Red at 1000'. I then reversed the copter outbound with the red facing me, and lost the red at 1600'.

During dusk and after dark, that is where they really shine. I could see both the red and white as far as I felt comfortable flying based on my battery. On a clear and low-humidity night (which it was), I would say that these little strobes are visible for three miles. They truly are amazingly bright for their size.

Regarding any affect on the camera, after dark, I did notice a very, very slight red 'ghosting' on the outer edges of my iPad's camera image. I did not notice this during daylight or dusk, but obviously, it was there. After landing and taking a closer look, I noticed that the mount itself transfers light to the sides via the whole mount glowing briefly with each flash of the strobe. I think if the mount was not there, there would have been no 'leak' of the strobe's light sideways, since these things are like laser beams. So, I am wondering if these mounts could be made out of a black material that would block sideways transfer.

Easy enough to paint them black. Or use some Electrical tape.
But black or opaque plastic would be nice.

For long exposures, and nighttime video, pulsing red - visible in anyway- would wreck the shots for me. Again thinking about nighttime shooting.
But I'm sure there's a way use them & not screw up the visuals.

I'm a photographer who flys drones. Not a pilot that "takes pictures"....
The image quality is my main concern.

 

[Brockrock]

Easy enough to paint them black. Or use some Electrical tape.
But black or opaque plastic would be nice.

For long exposures, and nighttime video, pulsing red - visible in anyway- would wreck the shots for me. Again thinking about nighttime shooting.
But I'm sure there's a way use them & not screw up the visuals.

I'm a photographer who flys drones. Not a pilot that "takes pictures"....
The image quality is my main concern.

Yeah, agreed. Like I said, these LED lights are a bit like lasers really. The spread is very specific to the direction they point with no 'bleeding' around the edges, unless there is something to transfer the light. I suppose a high moisture content in the air could also cause ghosting too. I'm going to take a black Sharpie to my front mounts and try again. I'd bet this will take care of the issue perfectly, as it was very slight and only noticeable since I was looking for it.

 

[ifly2high]

Have you guys had lights stop working? I have a red that I charged maybe 3-4 times, and it won't take a charge today after running it completely dead last night.

 

[msinger]

I have a red that I charged maybe 3-4 times, and it won't take a charge today after running it completely dead last night.

What happens when you press the power button after placing it on the charger for 2 hours?

 

[ifly2high]

Don't think I had it on the charger that long...Just plugged it back in, will check in a couple hours.

 

[Brockrock]

This was approximately 30 minutes after sunset last night. If you look in the lower corners, you can see some red 'ghosting' from the red strobes attached in front. I am very confident that this was light that was transferred to the camera lens through the mount material and not directly from the strobes themselves.

Importantly, this is not meant to sound in any way negative about these mounts, as they are awesome - lightweight, clean, and secure. A very nice product. My plan is to coat my front mounts with black ink, and I am confident, that will be that. Alternatively, for hardcore photographers who want to see their copter very clearly after dark and are concerned about possible 'light bleed' into their footage, place white strobes on the rear facing rearward and red on the rear just above them facing sideways. You will see it for miles for sure.