Guide for a noob to fit High Intensity LEDs..

[dp106]

Is there anyone who might be able to spell it out to me in plain English how I would go about fitting some of the high intensity LEDs that Giant Shark sell please?

I know this much, at least I think I do..

1.  I would need to solder wires onto the strip. This is my first problem, I bought a power distribution cable so I wouldn';t have to solder anything, but this means I have nothing to solder the cables from the leds onto. Maybe I could connect these to a servo plug and power from my transmitter but then would I not get enough power to them and they wouldn';t be bright enough?

2. What sort of cable do I need to solder onto the strips?

Really struggling with keeping track of the orientation of my quad so need these to be visible in daylight..

[sendtohim]

if you solder them directly to the esc wires they will work fine are you able to do that

[Balders]

Those leds need up to 12v to work and more than 8 so you can';t run them off a receiver. They run perfectly off a 3S battery though. I have used the balance plug before and even cheap speaker cable for wire. They hardly draw any current.

[fruitsalad]

get yourself a brushed esc..
tap the brushed esc power wires to the power source(battery terminals),
the other end of the brushed esc to the leds..
plug into a spare rx channel..
now you can turn leds on and off via a switch on your tx..

[dp106]

if you solder them directly to the esc wires they will work fine are you able to do that

Not sure :-S I bought multistar escs specifically because they already have bullet connectors attached. I';m a bit loath to mess about with the connectors in case I screw them up.

[sendtohim]

Not sure :-S I bought multistar escs specifically because they already have bullet connectors attached. I';m a bit loath to mess about with the connectors in case I screw them up.

if you power it all up first then attach the led wires to see if they light up, do you have any close up pics you can put up then we can advise where to go and what the best option is 

[dp106]

if you power it all up first then attach the led wires to see if they light up, do you have any close up pics you can put up then we can advise where to go and what the best option is 

I haven';t bought any yet, just seeking advice first to make sure I can do it. :-)

At the moment I have my escs connected to the power distribution cable with bullet connnectors. So im thinking, rather than mess around with the esc cable create myself a new cable between the esc and the power distribution cable. I can then also solder cable from this to power the LEDs. Perhaps not so neat but if I mess up the soldering I haven';t screwed up the esc connector.  Not sure if that all makes sense.

Current setup uses this to distribute power: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=25483
To these escs: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=25365
No soldering required :-)

[Balders]

The giant shark LEDs come with wires attached with a barrel plug you will not be using. However you will also have to cut the strips to length and solder on to the pads. Just run some the two core wire back to a pair of bullet connectors and use your distribution board.

[sendtohim]

my leds i got here http://www.fast-lad.co.uk/store/epoxy_coated_100cm%EF%BC%88purple%29_aeo-nf004-p-p-21265.html they are very good quality, but you gonna have to get your setup together then decide after the best way 

[dp106]

The giant shark LEDs come with wires attached with a barrel plug you will not be using. However you will also have to cut the strips to length and solder on to the pads. Just run some the two core wire back to a pair of bullet connectors and use your distribution board.

Solder onto pads?

[fruitsalad]

your easiest way would be get this..
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23133__JST_XH_to_JST_LED_Power_Distribution_Lead_4_JST_.html

solder a jst plug to leds,plug leds to jst connecter other end goes into the batterys white plug.
you have 4 connections available if you wish to connect all leds strip seperately,
4 seperate leds strips connected in parallel to the outlets would be better as if one led fails you lose just that one strip,connected in series(one continuous strip) one led fails the whole lot go out..

[Balders]

Solder onto pads?

On the led strip there are two exposed copper pads, that';s what you solder some wires onto.

[dp106]

Ah ok cool thanks. I should probably get some extra wire as well I think.. What sort of wire do I need?

[Ross]

12mm seven starnded hookup wire ok for strips from 12v.....get it at the model railway shop and ask for "Hookup" wire.

[dp106]

your easiest way would be get this..
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23133__JST_XH_to_JST_LED_Power_Distribution_Lead_4_JST_.html

solder a jst plug to leds,plug leds to jst connecter other end goes into the batterys white plug.
you have 4 connections available if you wish to connect all leds strip seperately,
4 seperate leds strips connected in parallel to the outlets would be better as if one led fails you lose just that one strip,connected in series(one continuous strip) one led fails the whole lot go out..

Ooo cool that looks like it could be simpler for me :) Will the leds still get enough power going through the balance plug?

[fruitsalad]

yes will be fine,gets it 12v direct from battery..
i hook up my planes this way or i use the brushed esc method to have them switchable..

[Balders]

Ooo cool that looks like it could be simpler for me :) Will the leds still get enough power going through the balance plug?

More than enough...they burn next to nothing :)

[XH558]

It may help you to see my installation - not pretty  - but functional ...

Connected to the power distribution board by a 2 pin plug then connected to the strip ends ..... at each arm end I drill a hole and take two wires through to the next strip in the length rather than wrapping them around the arm ends where I consider them vulnerable to damage. So on mine there are 8 strips connected to the one 2 pin plug and they are very bright and make orientation much easier in the day .... green to the front - red to the back ....

[dp106]

Cool thanks for the photos, gives me an idea of the task ahead :-) Although I can';t do exactly the same as I';m not using a distribution board.

[XH558]

It matters not .. on my Hex I';ve done exactly the same thing - that is strips of LEDs with joining wires but just soldered 2 wires into the plug that takes the battery supply to the Naza... no plug - no distribution board - just a direct soldered connection. 

[dp106]

Guys thanks for all your help so far, I have one more question..

I like the idea of powering the leds from the balance plug. Only problem is I have an alarm plugged in at the moment to warn me when the voltage is low. So could I use something like this to plug both in? http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__27077__JST_XH_Parallel_Balance_Lead_3S_250mm_2xJST_XH_.html

Looks to be the wrong way round to me but someone has commented you can use it for just this purpose so maybe I';m missing something..