Customizing the drone body colors

Jthomp · Jun 28, 2017

The P3S is very hard to see in the air if there is an overcast sky, and even harder to get a good visual orientation under that condition. Was wondering if anyone has had experience using a dye to color the two of the motor arms so that the operator can tell which direction the drone is facing under those conditions. Yes, I know a person could just install different colored props on the front than what are on the back, but those don't show up all that well when the drone is low on the horizon and some distance away from the operator.. I also know there are vynyle skins that can be applied to the drone which might do the job, but am just curious as to what brand name or type of dye might work here.

sparkycat · Jun 29, 2017

Hi..ive been looking at this too...was thinking of the silicon skins ...luminous ones..and extra lights from Amazon..finger lights I think...held on with bands...pimp my drone out...think you get a hundred pack of lights for about 10 pounds or about 13 dollars or do

macoman · Jun 29, 2017

sparkycat said:
Hi..ive been looking at this too...was thinking of the silicon skins ...luminous ones..and extra lights from Amazon..finger lights I think...held on with bands...pimp my drone out...think you get a hundred pack of lights for about 10 pounds or about 13 dollars or do

I use a silicon skin and looks extremely well!

sparkycat · Jun 29, 2017

something like this
Amazon.co.uk: silicon cover for phantom 3

and this
Amazon.co.uk: finger leds

and this
DJI Phantom 3 LED Light Kit

Jthomp · Jun 29, 2017

macoman said:
I use a silicon skin and looks extremely well!

This looks really cool! Does the whole thing just stretch to cover the drone body or do you have to fasten it underneath with something?

Jthomp · Jun 29, 2017

sparkycat said:
Hi..ive been looking at this too...was thinking of the silicon skins ...luminous ones..and extra lights from Amazon..finger lights I think..

I thought about skins too, but I really need something with two distinctive solid colors so that I can tell the front from the back at a distance. These 73-year-old eyes just ain't what they used to be...

macoman · Jun 29, 2017

Jthomp said:
This looks really cool! Does the whole thing just stretch to cover the drone body or do you have to fasten it underneath with something?

Does not cover the entire body but half... See the product here: Owoda Silicone Body Cover Thickened Case Protection Shell for DJI Phantom 3 (... | eBay

nogo · Jun 29, 2017

Just program in home lock. Bird could be faceing sideways, and if you pull back on right stick, it will fly back to you going sideways

Rensi · Jun 29, 2017

nogo said:
Just program in home lock. Bird could be faceing sideways, and if you pull back on right stick, it will fly back to you going sideways

Awesome tip! I was not aware of this.

anotherlab · Jun 29, 2017

macoman said:
Does not cover the entire body but half... See the product here: Owoda Silicone Body Cover Thickened Case Protection Shell for DJI Phantom 3 (... | eBay

Does that cover make it easier to find the AC in the sky?

Jthomp · Jun 30, 2017

nogo said:
Just program in home lock. Bird could be faceing sideways, and if you pull back on right stick, it will fly back to you going sideways

Yes, I know that works. What I am thinking of is that if the drone is far out there and I want to hand fly it ut where it is and know which direction the front of it is pointed. And, yes, DJIgo has the little "radar scope" display in the lower left corner of the screen and it has a little triangle in it which shows the 'copter's orientation, but that takes the operator's eyes off the drone itself while looking at that display.

sparkycat · Jun 30, 2017

check this for diy lights cheap and dirty but very effective

macoman · Jun 30, 2017

anotherlab said:
Does that cover make it easier to find the AC in the sky?

Definitely and looks different as well... mine does, especially when I have landing gear protector too.

nogo · Jun 30, 2017

Jthomp said:
Yes, I know that works. What I am thinking of is that if the drone is far out there and I want to hand fly it ut where it is and know which direction the front of it is pointed. And, yes, DJIgo has the little "radar scope" display in the lower left corner of the screen and it has a little triangle in it which shows the 'copter's orientation, but that takes the operator's eyes off the drone itself while looking at that display.

The orientation of the drone can be facing any direction, and if you turn the left stick to the right, the drone will fly right, stick left the drone flies left, forward stick and it fly's away from you. Pull the stick back and it fly's toward you. You don't have to be looking at the small box. Also If you loose sight of your bird. just pull the stick back and it comes home to you. More fun to fly then having to worry which way the drone is faceing.

anotherlab · Jun 30, 2017

macoman said:
Definitely and looks different as well... mine does, especially when I have landing gear protector too.

Does it add much to the weight? Was there a reason why you picked a silicon shell instead of a vinyl decal?

macoman · Jun 30, 2017

anotherlab said:
Does it add much to the weight? Was there a reason why you picked a silicon shell instead of a vinyl decal?

It does not add weight at all, it's silicone plastic. I prefer silicone because it protect better the shell and also looks cool as well.

Deleted member 62848 · Jun 30, 2017

macoman said:
It does not add weight at all, it's silicone plastic. I prefer silicone because it protect better the shell and also looks cool as well.

Yip does look good,just been on ebay but ended up getting decal for phantom

bit of flames on there might go faster,

Deleted member 62848 · Jun 30, 2017

Jthomp said:
I thought about skins too, but I really need something with two distinctive solid colors so that I can tell the front from the back at a distance. These 73-year-old eyes just ain't what they used to be...

Hi white on front and i got red on back,can see this over 2km away,,v2 strobon from flytron running off 3.7volt lipo batterie cable tied on landing gear,very light weight and efective,,day or night

and have just got these

cheap

Jthomp · Jul 1, 2017

Just a little update: Today i purchased a hair-dye kit from Wal-Mart and dyed a couple of standard DJI props which came with my P3S. They turned out fantastic!

I'm not sure if I want to dye the body or not - kinda sittin' on the fence and being a mugwump about that ( mugwump - mug on one side, wump on the other) Even though this dye is easy to apply (wipe on - wipe off) and gives a beautiful finish (no streaks, light/dark areas, smooth surface, etc.) - dye is SO permanent. Maybe with a little practice I can come up with a visual scheme that will look good and still give me the effect I want vis-a-vis being able to tell the orientation of the drone at a distance.

Will post pictures when I can.

BTW: Dark blue props do not show up well when the copter is in the air. I thought maybe they would, but they spin so fast you don't really see any color at all.