Go Night flying for cheap

Nitro Blast

Junior Member
Locally here at our swap meet (which is probably no different than other flea markets) there are some of those vendors that have rows and rows of $1, $3 & $5 boxes of china import .... stuff...

I get 2 of these packs for $5 (and usually buy 4 packs)

finger_light_1_medium.jpg


finger_light_3.jpg


I then simply cut the little elastic strap off and attach a little sticky of velcro to the finger light itself.

When put on in strategic locations, its very easy to light up any plane you don't mind sticking a few little patches of velcro to.

Ive been successful lighting up gliders, slow-sticks, and even more expensive models. No muss, no fuss, stick on and go. I usually buy a new pack for any night session, then give them to my kids to play with and kill.

I've also found good sources for the flat keyfob lights too, and those are very bright. When choosing a keyfob light, be sure it locks on, where the colored finger lights always lock on.


Glow4.jpg
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
I think those 1m LED strips from HK are really good and bright as well. I thought of using them on a depron plane and because it has a hollow airfoil, I tought I would glue the LED´s INTO the inside of the airfoil so the bright light will shine through the 3mm depron. The question is just how many mAh they need, because the plane just flies for about 5 minutes with a 500 3S.

Does anyone of you have experiences with them?
 

mipi

Junior Member
I have Yellow and White LED strip from HK, and they both take 400mA with 12V. How ever, they are made of 5cm segment (each 5 cm pulling about 20mA) So if you want to use less current, just shorten the strip.
With your plane (500 3S, 5 mins) the effect to flight time with full 1m LED strip would be about 30 seconds
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
Thanks so much for telling me that!

Next week I wanted to use a full LED strip for that plane and as I would have to glue the Strip into the wing, I wouldn´t be able to get it out again! I think I will use a 5 cm segment on each tip of the wing, and one on the back of the plane (not sure about that though) and yeah I´ll see then.
Btw, do you mean that the full 1m strip will take 400mA with 12 V per minute?
Thanks again for telling me that!
 

mipi

Junior Member
The full 1m strip takes 400mAh (with 12V), so in one minute it takes about 400mAh/60=6,5mA.
In the same time, your motor&servos take close to 100mA (15 times more than LED strip)
So if you would connect your 500 3S battery to LED strip , theoretically the battery would last 500mAh/6,5mA = 73 minutes
 

BigDon

Junior Member
The planes in the following video are kitted out with the LED strips. One of them uses a 30 LED/meter strip and the other a 60 LED/meter strip....not much difference between them in terms of visibility.

 

Nitro Blast

Junior Member
Don, thats a bit spastic for a music track for such graceful flights.... I didnt know the Chipmunks were so popular in Scotland!
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
A flying UFO :D

Looks almost like a star or a passing meteorite when it flies a straight line :D

Love the fact that you simply took LED strips and put them all over the wing.Just looks awesome.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
Is it advisable to do night-flying on a Bixler? Cause I'm only seeing night-wings... (I know, stupid question)
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
Is it advisable to do night-flying on a Bixler? Cause I'm only seeing night-wings... (I know, stupid question)

Well I mean it depends really.
The Bixler is not really that maneuvrabel (I definitely spelled that wrong, if someone could please correct me :D ) and needs large places for nice turns.

Wings are much more sporty and aerobatic and can fly against a tree without breaking immediatly. Also because they are so maneouverable (this time correct? )you can fly them better at smaller areas.
A Bixler would break much easier then a wing, so you also lower the risk of something break.
 

Brian fred carr

Site Moderator
Mentor
Them finger lights are perfect nitro...good one
I killed a cheap heli not long ago and pulled it to pieces and i have 8 leds out of it and they light up lovely with the dinky little
power pack that was in the heli it all weighs only 18 grams so will go on a foamie no problem....love recycling keep flying
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
Of course that way you can fly much more often than having to keep waiting for another parcel with the right parts.
 

Manfet

Member
Yeah, but it's theoretically possible? If you have enough space?

BTW: Maneuverable.

Searched someplace to make this post.

The Bixler should be okay to fly in the night. But you will need at least the same space as flying in daylight.
I did put some LED strips on my AXN Floater Jet/Clouds Fly. You can get them cheap on 5m rolls on ebay.
Unfortunately I got the waterproof version thinking there would be clear paint on it. But it is clear rubber. And the rubber generates much drag and does weight some grams so I am probably tearing of the rubber (Buy the non waterproof ones).
A picture for better understanding. I tore some rubber away so you could see it better.

So FliteTest Team I want to thank you for the nice videos on night flying. It did help me alot with making this:
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
I see your problem... Is it hard to take off the rubber?

Your plane looks awesome, it's like saying "Pimp my Plane!"
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
Yeah it does!

I like how they all put red and green on each wing because these are the nautical colors.
 

ananas1301

Crazy flyer/crasher :D
Yeah I know but I wonder why the nautical colours are the same as the navigation lights.

Probably just because these are the easiest recognisable but still differing colour
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
LOL I can remember on the HobbyLobby J5 Cub they had led's on the wing tips. They were reversed.