12v LED strips - stupid questions ....

[XH558]

So can someone talk me through - or even better show me with pictures - what these LED strips are all about ?

I';ve been to ebay and it all looks lovely - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-LED-STRIP-LIGHT-3528-SMD-300-LEDS-5M-UK-/320681128958

But I don';t understand how the ';drivers'; work with our Lipo supplies and how the cutting of the strips works with connecting them to power again....

If you cut a strip how do you then connect the power?

And if I had say 6 different strips how the hell are they all connected up - and to what??  :embarrassed :embarrassed :embarrassed

[Gav]

The strip has 2 copper rails/ tracks running the whole length with +12V and gnd.  Snip in the length you want in multiples of 3.  At each cutting point the copper tracks widen so you can solder your power wires back on. Think these strips use about 800milliamps per meter /  9.6W

[icedfusion]

Gaz has pretty well summed it up.

The reason you use a driver is to keep the voltage constant so as not to destroy the LEDs. I, along with the majority of people connect these straight to a 12v lipo. If you do destroy an LED, they are so cheap you can easily replace the strip.

ice.

[teslahed]

There are two standards of LED tape, 3528 and 5050;

LED 3528 and LED 5050

I';d go for the brighter stuff if you want to fly during the day or twilight and the dimmer stuff if you really want to fly during the night and don';t want to ruin your night vision. Although you can always look into making a dimmer for the brighter ones ( http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php/topic,765.0.html ).

The high density stuff is very nice that you can get from giantshark. Hobbyking also stock loads.

http://www.giantshark.co.uk/high-density-flexible-stripred-1mtr-p-404318.html

http://www.giantshark.co.uk/high-density-flexible-stripblue-1mtr-p-404321.html

I go for blue at the front and red at the back. This is because (after messing about with a few different designs) I';ve found that i don';t confuse left from right when flying, but sometimes do confuse front from back - the simplest colour scheme to highlight the forward direction is probably best (and cars have the red lights at the back). Chipko pointed out that red and Blue are at opposite ends of the spectrum as well, making them easier to tell apart than some colours.

On my quadcopter where I';ve used the same carbon fibre square tube sections as yourself, at first i stuck all the LED tape to the bottom of the quad. This doesn';t work as well as you';d think because when the quad flies away sideways you don';t see the LEDs pointing straight down very well. They shine out to an angle of about 120 degrees, not 180.

If you put the LEDs on the sides of the arms then you can see whichever strip is pointing your way and it looks a lot better.

You can buy waterproof LED tape - it';s just covered in a transparent layer of plastic. If you fly from very wet grass a lot it might be worth the extra cost and weight; i just use the standard stuff on my smaller lighter quad and haven';t had any corrode and stop working (yet).

[XH558]

That all makes sense - I get it now .... I';ll get some then 

PS - I like Giant Cod/Shark - used them a lot 

PPS - ordered one red & one blue  ::)

[Balders]

Green at the front red at the back for me :-)

[XH558]

Yeah I hear what you say - but blue';s COOL 

[XH558]

Stupid question 2 ....

I know nothing about electrickery ....

So ... if you had - say 6 - LED strips around the Hex ...

Would they all need power back to the distribution board individually ... or could they be wired in series ... or is it parallel .. I can never remember  :embarrassed :embarrassed

[teslahed]

Wire them up in parallel. If you do them in series each new LED strip you add will cause the voltage they all individually see to drop. In Parallel they all get 12 volts as they should.

Take wires from whichever positive and negative points are nearest the power distribution board to power them up. Sometimes I use a small deans connector so i can turn them off manually by unplugging the plug. 

My current favorite quad is red and blue and my newest one is red and green. I am not yet sure which colour scheme i prefer but neither looks terrible :-)

More evening quadcopter stunt flying

New Carbon Fibre ';Warthox'; Flyduino quadcopter frame

[Balders]

My LED';s all wire back to a balance plug, so I can simply plug in the balance plug to light them up should the need arise.  I do the same with my FPV gear, run it straight off the balance plug.  That way, even if you are running 4S, you just go to the pins to give you 12v and you don';t have to use a regulator or anything.

[XH558]

I have got some now from http://www.giantshark.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=led

and now I have them it all becomes clear   

I got confused by looking at sites where they are potentially used in a kitchen and of course they need voltage step down drivers in that application - so I hadn';t thought of direct battery connection   :embarrassed :embarrassed

I';ve attached some to my Hex and in the process of wiring them - it';s amazingly easy - even for me   

I shall definitely use them again - very impressed   

[XH558]

Here we are then ............

Blue facing the front - red to the back ..... it looks ace with the see through coloured props spinning above it   

I';ll get a video organised when this bloody wind drops - we are getting pasted at the moment - rain - floods - trees over ... it';s the Mayan';s fault   

[Gaza07]

Well thats certainly bright  as for the Mayan';s you a believer in the 2012 thing 
they say because of our leap years which didnt appear on the Mayan calendar that the actual date has already passed with out the world ending 

[XH558]

Hmmm - the Mayan';s - Well let';s put it this way ... IMHO it';s a load of hocus pocus superstitious baloney - figuratively speaking  :evil

We will all still be here paying our taxes and p*ssing out straight in 2013 

[teslahed]

Hmmm - the Mayan';s - Well let';s put it this way ... IMHO it';s a load of hocus pocus superstitious baloney - figuratively speaking  :evil

I couldn';t agree more; also i feel the same way about christmas

I';m sure it';s been said before, but that quad is really going to generate some UFO reports when you get it in the air. Having the LEDs around the perimeter gives it a very different appearance - i doubt anyone unfamiliar with multirotors will be able to identify your flying object when it';s up high enough.

[paulcobra]

Here we are then ............

Blue facing the front - red to the back ..... it looks ace with the see through coloured props spinning above it   

I';ll get a video organised when this bloody wind drops - we are getting pasted at the moment - rain - floods - trees over ... it';s the Mayan';s fault   

Cheeky question but where you getting those props from?

[paulcobra]

Is there any way of getting these to run on a 1s lipo

[XH558]

Cheeky question but where you getting those props from?

Not cheeky at all - here they are ...
http://quadcopters.co.uk/10x45-pair-of-propellers-epp-green-451-p.asp
http://quadcopters.co.uk/10x45-pair-of-propellers-epp-orange-452-p.asp

But I';ve seen others on ebay that look ok ....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-4-5-EPP1045-Propellers-CW-CWW-Counter-Rotating-Quadcopter-Tricopter-Multi-/170873407284?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&var=470171839208&hash=item27c8d94734

[teslahed]

I wonder how those props compare to the rctimer coloured props? I';ve found the rctimer coloured props to be quite badly out of balance and poorly made;

http://www.rctimer.com/index.php?gOo=goods_details.dwt&goodsid=626&productname=

The best cheap props I';ve used are the giantcod ones;

www.giantshark.co.uk/pair-1045r-slow-counter-noncounter-rotating-props-p-406234.html

But they only do them in black.

It';s worth experimenting with different propellers - not all cheap props are equal and poor quality cheap props will cause you quite a few problems.

Most people upgrade to APC / Graupner / Carbon fibre props of some kind once they stop crashing and breaking them the whole time - at which point you suddenly realise a bunch of problems you were having weren';t down to pilot error or poor build quality.

I';ve found the rctimer full carbon props work very well for the price;

http://www.rctimer.com/index.php?gOo=goods_details.dwt&goodsid=799&productname=

[XH558]

Most of the coloured ones I';ve bought were indeed slightly out of balance - but a trip to the magnetic balancer and a quick light sanding on one side brought them into line very quickly 

[teslahed]

I found the giantcod ones fit on my prop adapters nice and tightly whereas some of the rctimer props I';ve used have a fraction of a mm of play - if the prop isn';t perfectly centered when you tighten the prop adapter up it will cause vibrations . I could hear the difference between flying with the rctimer and the giantcod props - giantcod were definitely quieter and ';smoother'; sounding.

If the rctimer props fit on your motors nice and tightly you may not have the problems i did.