Recommendations for Nav lights.

[Ducky84]

Hey guys,

So I can fly quads pretty well, and I think that's partially due to having nav lights on the quads, so I can get a sense of orientation.

With my RC Aircrafts, I don't have nav lights, and I sometimes get a little turned around on direction when the aircraft is further away.

So I'm considering adding Nav lights to help with that, in addition to being a nerd and thinking it's kinda cool to have a realistic looking aircraft.

I see that Hobby king has a set of Nav lights here, however at 30 grams that's a bit heavier than I really want. Maybe it's not a big deal, and this would be the best solution for me, but I've done some research and it seems like there might be an easier (DIY) way of doing this.

I don't know where to start, and this part of electronics goes way over my head. Can I just wire an LED into my receiver, and control the lights through my transmitter, or is it more complicated than that?

My local hobby shop is chalk full of LED's, I'm just not sure where to begin.

 

[Ratcheeroo]

Hey guys,

So I can fly quads pretty well, and I think that's partially due to having nav lights on the quads, so I can get a sense of orientation.

With my RC Aircrafts, I don't have nav lights, and I sometimes get a little turned around on direction when the aircraft is further away.

So I'm considering adding Nav lights to help with that, in addition to being a nerd and thinking it's kinda cool to have a realistic looking aircraft.

I see that Hobby king has a set of Nav lights here, however at 30 grams that's a bit heavier than I really want. Maybe it's nd this would be the best solution for me, but I've done some research and it seems like there might be an easier (DIY) way of doing this.

I don't know where to start, and this part of electronics goes way over my head. Can I just wire an LED into my receiver, and control the lights through my transmitter, or is it more complicated than that?

My local hobby shop is chalk full of LED's, I'm just not sure where to begin.

yeah I put pretty much the same set on my FT P-40, easiest way to go. you can buy a remote to go into your receiver that you plug the lights into and program a switch on your transmitter to turn them on and off. This is the set I got

and this is the remote

 

[Ducky84]

yeah I put pretty much the same set on my FT P-40, easiest way to go. you can buy a remote to go into your receiver that you plug the lights into and program a switch on your receiver to turn them on and off. This is the set I got https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Qf31eTwFL._AC_SY355_.jpg

Are those bright enough to still see during the day?

 

[Ratcheeroo]

Are those bright enough to still see during the day?

that would depend on the type of day it is, what color your plane is etc. but they are fairly bright. I normally fly early morning or before sundown and they are great

 

[sprzout]

Are those bright enough to still see during the day?

That is absolutely key. I have some nice and bright lights on my UMX Timber and full size Timber, but I can't see them during the day. I put a strip of color changing LEDs in 2 of my Versa Wings, and at night, it's lit up like the 4th of July; during the day, however, even if the light is on, you can't see it.

Normally, though, you put a contrasting color on one of the wings, or on the top vs. the bottom. I've got a Gentle Lady that has a white wingtip on the top right wing, and it's easily visible against the bright orange that the rest of the plane is covered in - not easy to lose it when flying, unless you're in the sun and can only see a silhouette of the plane.

 

[LitterBug]

For daylight, you need "high intensity" LEDs. Look for "strobes" like these https://www.readymaderc.com/products/details/strix-strobes-green. That and/or the painting suggestions listed above.

 

[sprzout]

For daylight, you need "high intensity" LEDs. Look for "strobes" like these https://www.readymaderc.com/products/details/strix-strobes-green. That and/or the painting suggestions listed above.

That's a fairly bright light - I'm kinda curious as to how visible it is at 200 ft. away in daylight, though. It'd be fun to throw something like that into a wing for a night flyer!

 

[LitterBug]

That's a fairly bright light - I'm kinda curious as to how visible it is at 200 ft. away in daylight, though. It'd be fun to throw something like that into a wing for a night flyer!

I have a few other Strobon options that are currently out of stock. According to my Pilot buddy, AKA spotter, They are VERY visible at 1/4 mile in bright sunlight.

 

[LitterBug]

Here someone did some distance testing day and night

 

[NovemberLimaVactor]

It has been a while since these https://www.readymaderc.com/products/details/strix-strobes-red (and the green counterpart) have been in back order. I like the idea of strobe and nav lights. I have not seen a similar product anywhere else that brings both nav and strobe together.

I think this one looks pretty good although the installation will not be as clean IMO. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N8X8W93/?tag=lstir-20