Anything brighter than Strobon CREE LEDs these days?

General Drone Discussion
21

Good man!

Be sure to head to eBay now and pick some some welders goggles to protect your eyes :sunglasses:

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22

Joking apart, PLEASE don’t have them facing you and look at them when you switch them on. They are seriously bright and everything everyone has said about white spots in your eyes and being momentarily blinded is true.

23

Top tip - when turning them on, always cover the entire LED with your thumb first. And still look away :smiley:

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24

I will let the wife try it first :smiley:

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25

And while she is seeing binary stars you can sneak out for a :beer:…:wink:

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26

I’VE GONE BLIND!!! :sunglasses:

Any advice on positioning this on the MA. I would like to put it on the battery so it can be seen from underneath but will the flashing be picked up by the camera?

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27

Can’t help you with placement on mavic air but can offer insight on the camera issue.

I’ve got 3 on MP. 1 on rear and 2 on rear legs facing forwards.

Daytime and dusk the strobes did not affect the camera at all.

At night with long exposures (5s+) I was getting some cloured haze on photo.
Was also showing on video one night when there was a haze or moisture In the air.

I wouldn’t think a downward facing strobe would cause any issues unless dark and lot of moisture in the air.

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28

Thanks @callum I will try it on the battery and see how it goes. If that doesn’t work I will move it to the top

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29

Ordered two on on the strength of your blindness…

Thanks

30

You used the GADC discount code, I hope?

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31

Yep it would be rude not to

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32

Just wondering what the minimum number of lights would be effective on the M2P and where to mount them to ensure no interference with neither the camera nor collision avoidance systems. Thanks.

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33

I have them on my MP … on the rear arms. I’ve not had any issues with them in that position.

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34

Some pics of my fitting in this post …

https://greyarro.ws/t/flytron-exclusive-gadc-discount-code/1875/11

36

There are clip on mounts, and 3M Velcro that people use … but I liked that I could leave them on permanently and use when needed without faffing about.

37

Thanks, just the job. I keep losing sight of my drone in this dull weather and having to abort runs

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38

I guess from flying planes, and instrument flying, I’m usually more than happy with the app map to show me where it is and where I am to fly it back to … which is why I still don’t use when others might.

I also kind of don’t want to draw attention to myself. People can’t have a moan about something they don’t know.

And … those strobes certainly draw attention to themselves, and to the drone, and to you.

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39

I was flying my M2P in a rectangular course above some wooded area when I lost sight of the craft after checking the map on my screen. It was a dull day and the drone was about 350m from me flying from left to right across my line of vision. From the telemetry, I had no reason to suspect there was anything wrong with my M2P. After a couple of map cross-references, I still couldn’t pick it out so I aborted the course and returned to home. Was I being over-cautious and what does everyone else do in these circumstances?

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40

To get the pic below, I’d parked up in a very tree-lined road (now disused and very overgrown), from where I had visibility straight up into the fog only.

Flew some 500m toward the hill, and above the fog, to get the pic … and used the map in the app to fly it back OK. (There were no features sticking through the fog where I was.)

20181021_084330_DJI_0660
20181021_084330_DJI_06603992×2992 2.57 MB

I guess some people, because of experience like flying and even video games, maintain a better idea of where everything is or a better trust in the information they’re getting, than others.

I know from my early days of instrument flying, when you’re not certain where you are or your orientation (I loved flying Chipmunks!!), it’s easy to both not believe what the instruments are telling you and to make the interpretation on that info fit your imagination rather than the facts.

So - trusting both the map in the app, and your trust in yourself to correctly interpret that and to fly where you want to - is probably key to being happy and not needing RTH.

Most times, my use of RTH has been one of expedience … or one day when my hands were frozen and I hit RTH, hopped back in the warm car, and re-took control when the drone was about 40ft straight above me. (I still didn’t get out of the car - that’s why I have a sunroof! :wink: )

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41

I too use the map to fly back if I have lost sight, there is only one time I haven’t got back and I was glad to have the strobes fitted that day :relieved:

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