I resently made David Windestal's Tricopter V3, which is awesome, and put some LEDs on it with a Turnigy receiver controlled switch so I could turn them off and on. The thing I was concerned with is that I'm using a 4s battery for the setup and the LEDs are of course for 12v. Will the be alright or do I need something to lower the voltage to them?
LEDs With 4s
- Thread starter RCjim
- Start date
You will probably need a voltage regulator for it. If you can't find one appropriate, Bruce Simpson of RCModelReviews made a video a while back about changing a resistor on a Hobbyking BEC to change the output, and I remember in the Youtube notes he put down the resistor values for different voltage outputs, including 12V.
That said, another way you CAN feed them direct, seeing as LEDs have a very low power draw, is by feeding them off of 3 of the 4 cells directly through the balance lead. On a 4S balance lead you have 5 pins, you find what end is the first positive, and mark that one as pin 1, then put the LED positive in that one, then count to pin 4 and put the LED negative into that pin, as that will give you 3S (11.1V) output (the same can be done putting the LED positive in pin 2 and the LED negative in pin 5). You can probably get a 4S connector to plug into the balance lead and just solder it direct, then when you power up, plug the balance lead in too.
This is perfectly safe to do, just remember that 3 of the 4 cells will discharge slightly faster than the forth, and remember to balance charge them correctly.
This is perfectly safe to do, just remember that 3 of the 4 cells will discharge slightly faster than the forth, and remember to balance charge them correctly.
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Would this work? http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=18788
Yes. Used that exact model to power my VTX and LEDs on a 4S tricopter.
I think the FPV argument is a little moot anyway. Whether you're using a switching or linear regulator, you probably will want a filter on your FPV gear anyway, because your motors are going to make so much noise. I guess if you were running off a separate pack, you could choose a linear regulator and avoid the filter.
I've been using this little guy to run more 5V lights than my BEC can supply. Has a trim pot to set the voltage, anywhere from 1-30V. Need a voltmeter to set the voltage. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CYX78HY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hi RCjim, you are running the exact setup as me:
Lights on a Windestal tricopter with a turnigy switch from HK. I read that it could decrease the lifetime of the LEDs but it should work, so I recently bought a 4S Lipo to get the full power for my motors and power my LEDs directly. They seem to be a little brighter, it will probably affect life expectancy of them...
I calculated like that: The less weight the better. I don't have much space for another regulator. I don't want to spend money on something that isn't needed. LEDs have a lifetime of about 5000hrs. Even if this procedure lessens the lifetime by 90%, I will never get 500hrs of flighttime on this copter with the lights on (I turn them off while FPV flying and proximity line-of-sight, I do turn them on when its darker, or when I'm flying farther away for orientation).
I've read that those LED strips that I run are often used in car-applications. In a car, you also get 14.5V of peak voltage or something like that. So I figured I should be fine running them off of a 4S.
Don't sue me, if yours don't. It should be better to get a regulator. Decide on your own
-1387
Lights on a Windestal tricopter with a turnigy switch from HK. I read that it could decrease the lifetime of the LEDs but it should work, so I recently bought a 4S Lipo to get the full power for my motors and power my LEDs directly. They seem to be a little brighter, it will probably affect life expectancy of them...
I calculated like that: The less weight the better. I don't have much space for another regulator. I don't want to spend money on something that isn't needed. LEDs have a lifetime of about 5000hrs. Even if this procedure lessens the lifetime by 90%, I will never get 500hrs of flighttime on this copter with the lights on (I turn them off while FPV flying and proximity line-of-sight, I do turn them on when its darker, or when I'm flying farther away for orientation).
I've read that those LED strips that I run are often used in car-applications. In a car, you also get 14.5V of peak voltage or something like that. So I figured I should be fine running them off of a 4S.
Don't sue me, if yours don't. It should be better to get a regulator. Decide on your own
-1387
