Hi, Im building the ready build kit of the Simple Cub and was wondering what the best way of lighting it up would be. An idea is that the led strips should shine through the foam, but I also want to paint it and im not sure if they will shine through the paint and how well. im also thinking of putting them on the outside of the plane, but im worried they may come loose in flight, or mess up the aerodynamics too much. Any advice on how I should proceed?
Solved Ready-build Simple Cub with lights?
- Thread starter Cody .H
- Start date
Ryan O.
Out of Foam Board!
What kind of paint scheme are you planning on? If you are going to do stripes you can put the lights in the gaps between the stripes. If it is a light color paint scheme you can likely use the lights under that too.
FDS
Elite member
Little LEDs or short strips won’t make any difference to the aerodynamics. You will have to look at how they are powered, the strips are pre resistored for 12v input (3s lipo) but individual LEDs are not and typically want less than 5v.
If you have the new maker foam they will shine through it, mask the areas with LEDs in with low tack painters tape (stick it on your T shirt first to reduce adhesion) then the paint won’t cover it up. If you use a thin coat it might not stop the light anyway. Test on scrap pieces of foam, that’s what I do.
If you have the new maker foam they will shine through it, mask the areas with LEDs in with low tack painters tape (stick it on your T shirt first to reduce adhesion) then the paint won’t cover it up. If you use a thin coat it might not stop the light anyway. Test on scrap pieces of foam, that’s what I do.
I am thinking of the bright yellow of the Piper Cub, But am worried that to get that type of color would require multiple coats, thus blocking the lights.
That may work, but im worried that the LEDs may come off mid-flight after a while. to prevent this I could use packing tape or something similar, but might that ruin the look im trying to achieve. (When it comes to detail, im kind of obsessive.) As for powering the LEDs, that won't be a problem. it's just the look im concerned about.
BATTLEAXE
Legendary member
If you are a decent RC pilot then I would remotely worry about them falling out after time, but it's a rare occurrence. If you are a beginner then there is a high chance that there will be crashes. The crashes will do more damage to the plane before you even need to worry about the lights. The lights if anything will get in the way of fixing the plane in some cases. I an guessing since your question is more about the build of the plane as opposed to the skill set, that this is not your first time to fly, lights suggest you want to fly at dusk. If you set them in with hot glue then I am sure they will hold to the plane just fine.
Bricks
Master member
You are in a conundrum as for me most of my planes with lights are mostly used for night flying so I put minimal tape for orientation during daylight hours. You could use yellow tape may not be the yellow you want but might suffice for you. Adding lights is going to add considerable weight and adding paint is going to add even more weight. To help with the weight problem for lights I use this wire from Aliexpress it it used for winding electric motors very light and is coated so no worries about separating wire.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
