Front LED voltage? And strobes...

[Higherperspectivect]

Ok so I've been searching for this answer and before I pull my case off just to check I thought maybe someone could give me the answer.

So I am adding a 5v strobe to my quad and I've been debating how I want to do it. Ideally I'd love to wire it into the front (red) LEDs. Reason being I fly with them off in the daytime so it would be a nice way to trigger on the strobe during flight at night or just at times I might need it.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Ok so I've been searching for this answer and before I pull my case off just to check I thought maybe someone could give me the answer.

So I am adding a 5v strobe to my quad and I've been debating how I want to do it. Ideally I'd love to wire it into the front (red) LEDs. Reason being I fly with them off in the daytime so it would be a nice way to trigger on the strobe during flight at night or just at times I might need it.

Thanks so much in advance!

Hi good idea,i did have v2 strobon each side under red lights(aways off)but run them off 3.7volt lipo batt in proper holder but huge plastic thing,been playin with lights for ages,,not so clever on milliamps or amps but phantom bit clever and might pic up odd current draw and play silly games with error alerts ????got more lights in mail so v2 back on bottom and top,,post a pic if you complete

 

[Higherperspectivect]

I will def post some pics of the project if I get into it. Hoping someone knows the details and can educate me a bit here.

Also thinking/wondering that if the current from the stock LEDs cannot supply enough to also run a strobe then maybe adding an external battery and using the ground of the LEDs as just a trigger to turn on/off.

 

[N017RW]

Definitely cannot run an add-on strobe with existing LED drive circuit.

The solutions most common are optically sensing the LEDs and then triggering an externally powered circuit.

 

[Higherperspectivect]

Definitely cannot run an add-on strobe with existing LED drive circuit.

The solutions most common are optically sensing the LEDs and then triggering an externally powered circuit.

Thanks for your response! I've never had great luck with optical sensors. And I'd be worried of them running in the daytime when I don't want them to.

would there be no way to install a self contained strobe and just tie into the LEDs for just the trigger?

 

[sparkycat]

hi, i did this not so long ago

pimp my ride part 2

 

[Higherperspectivect]

hi, i did this not so long ago

pimp my ride part 2

That is pretty cool setup there! I like your rig for the battery terminals. But correct me if I'm wrong you still need to manually turn it on right? I'm trying to devise a system that my add on strobes will turn on when i turn on my front arm (red) LEDs.

Side note what have you noticed with affect to battery life with that?

 

[epicdoom]

Use a photo sensor placed directly on the red LED cover that will trigger the strobe to turn on when the photo sensor detects the red lights come on. I would personally run them off a separate battery. if your versed in Programming at all you can buy a tiny Arduino Nano board program it for the operation and install it in a nice little compact box the size of a 9V Battery. I do Programming and could easily write you up a scetch for arduino that can be downloaded to the Board With the Board you can set up sequence of strobes flashes and pauses. tempo and a host of other operations.

 

[Higherperspectivect]

Use a photo sensor placed directly on the red LED cover that will trigger the strobe to turn on when the photo sensor detects the red lights come on. I would personally run them off a separate battery. if your versed in Programming at all you can buy a tiny Arduino Nano board program it for the operation and install it in a nice little compact box the size of a 9V Battery. I do Programming and could easily write you up a scetch for arduino that can be downloaded to the Board With the Board you can set up sequence of strobes flashes and pauses. tempo and a host of other operations.

Wow that sounds really cool actually... I'm def a novice in programming. But not with electrical work. But I think I'd be able to pull that off. Def interested in learning more about going this route... like the idea of customizing patterns.

I checked the boards out alittle bit today. Gonna research some more though to see how many strobes can be added and if I could hook up individual self contained strobes with built individual built in batteries...

 

[epicdoom]

Arduino took Programing to a whole new level. I learned programming using C+ Arduino took that language and simplified it into simple sketches there is a huge community for arduino and its quite possible someone has already written a whole sketch or enough that you can add what you want to an existing one. be sure to check out the community and forums someone may have a kit available with board lights and sketch ready to install. there are simple easy to follow instructions to writing sketches. I wrote a simple turn on led sketch that had pauses flash patterns and light durations on and off the very first time using it after only one day of reading how. took me all of two hours. had I done that in C+ it would have taken the entire day to write the same code, compile it and run it.

 

[Higherperspectivect]

Arduino took Programing to a whole new level. I learned programming using C+ Arduino took that language and simplified it into simple sketches there is a huge community for arduino and its quite possible someone has already written a whole sketch or enough that you can add what you want to an existing one. be sure to check out the community and forums someone may have a kit available with board lights and sketch ready to install. there are simple easy to follow instructions to writing sketches. I wrote a simple turn on led sketch that had pauses flash patterns and light durations on and off the very first time using it after only one day of reading how. took me all of two hours. had I done that in C+ it would have taken the entire day to write the same code, compile it and run it.

I just was on a site that had a code for police lights and it did seem very simple and straight forward. I'm having alittle problem finding an optical sensor that is small enough to use though. I just bought 2 strobon self contained strobes (only need 1 but just Incase i burn it out lol)

 

[epicdoom]

a sensor the side of say 5-6mm dia. would do you would adhere it to the lens cover. check digikey.com and Mousers.com both are large electronic supply places with no min. purchase. if you cant find what you need hit me back Ill also look tomorrow and measure a few that I have on hand to see how they can mount up. I'm wanting to put a spotlight on my drone with a spherical lens to cast the beam of light much like the Nightsun search light on helicopters. I build very powerful flashlights so that part will be easy to work out. planned on turning it on and off with an light sensor attached to the front lights

 

[Higherperspectivect]

a sensor the side of say 5-6mm dia. would do you would adhere it to the lens cover. check digikey.com and Mousers.com both are large electronic supply places with no min. purchase. if you cant find what you need hit me back Ill also look tomorrow and measure a few that I have on hand to see how they can mount up. I'm wanting to put a spotlight on my drone with a spherical lens to cast the beam of light much like the Nightsun search light on helicopters. I build very powerful flashlights so that part will be easy to work out. planned on turning it on and off with an light sensor attached to the front lights

I would probally put the sensor inside of the shell right above the led. So the only light will be from them. And also wouldn't block the led shining through the cover... and would just look neater. Probally run the wire down the 1 landing gear that doesn't have anything on it.

 

[Higherperspectivect]

I'd love to see that spotlight project. I've also built a few 18650 powered flashlights...

 

[sparkycat]

hi, your corect that it does need to be turned on , i would think a direct plumbing job of the wires into the drones light wires would probably work...(bet the techies might have something to say on this,)also because its led ive not seen any power drop at all...think you would not anyway depending on how aggressive you fly the drone..fast and abrupt monoveures etc

 

[epicdoom]

hi, your corect that it does need to be turned on , i would think a direct plumbing job of the wires into the drones light wires would probably work...(bet the techies might have something to say on this,)also because its led ive not seen any power drop at all...think you would not anyway depending on how aggressive you fly the drone..fast and abrupt monoveures etc

I looked into the set up you have and it seems pretty straight forward if its taking any power I cant see it being enough to be detrimental to anything on the drone. its just some simple lighting maybe you loose a whole minute of flight time, That's not so bad IMO

 

[Higherperspectivect]

I'll have to look into those. My flytron strobes came in last night and I've been playing around with them trying to fig out where I can interrupt the signal with an optical sensor i ripped out of lawn stake light lol. Not having any luck yet though.

 

[Higherperspectivect]

Not sure what you mean but they work well for night flights simple easy and the new model due out in a couple weeks has a strobe and fixed solid light mode so serves dual purpose for steady and strobe lighting

Did you read my original post about what I'm tryingv to accomplish?

 

[Higherperspectivect]

a sensor the side of say 5-6mm dia. would do you would adhere it to the lens cover. check digikey.com and Mousers.com both are large electronic supply places with no min. purchase. if you cant find what you need hit me back Ill also look tomorrow and measure a few that I have on hand to see how they can mount up. I'm wanting to put a spotlight on my drone with a spherical lens to cast the beam of light much like the Nightsun search light on helicopters. I build very powerful flashlights so that part will be easy to work out. planned on turning it on and off with an light sensor attached to the front lights

been having allot of trouble finding the right optical sensor. Wondering if you have a moment if you could point me in the right direction.

Also I don't know if I will be able to use these self contained strobes for this purpose. I already burnt 1 out trying to fig out where to tap into.

 

[Trt_Smrt]

In case there are users still wondering about the LED voltaga it is 4.05 V DC on red navigation LEDs. Not sure that it would have enough current to drive the micro-relay coil, so i'm making it work with a transistor to drive the relay witch would then turn on the big headlights that would be used for fimling inside the caves