A cheaper alternative to Firehouse strobes!

[thispilothere]

It SHOULD come with documentation of compliance, as per their website text for the ARC V . . .

Drone UAS UAV Quadcopter LED Strobe Light

Check the little pamphlet in one of those photos, I think that should come with the product, it has the spiel about FAA compliance. Can't link it directly, a screenshot . . .


View attachment 142745

Yeah, all of these, Firehouse included, just self-test for compliance, none of them actually have an FAA certification. Just successfully running the test on your own is all it takes to claim compliance. It basically amounts to "A guy 3 miles downrange was able to see it under perfect conditions when it was pointed directly at him."

 

[RabiGerri]

Thank you so much for posting this product, being out here in the briny the other companies don't sent thro Oz or it cost u an & a just bought a 3 pkt as has good reviews appreciated cheers

 

[vindibona1]

Do these lights actually get certification? It's interesting because one of my older ARC V's is no brighter than the ARC II but a newer one is, at least in the singular test that I diid. I suppose I can change the modes on these lights to 'continuous' and then measure them with a calibrated light meter in a dark walk-in closet. IMO Lumens are extra confusing as they don't seem to have much consistency in real life, at least in terms of their stated "rating".

What I don't understand is how they get a rating of 3 miles? The longest distance I got at night over a lake where I could maintain visual contact was 10,000 feet (3048M). Up to that distance the light was still pretty bright, but because it was so small it was no longer visible in spite of the brightness. To its credit I could maintain constant VLOS up to almost 2 miles relatively easily. But 3 miles?

 

[zeusfl]

The 3 Miles is not intended to be seen by the PIC. It needs to be seen from a pilot of an airplane flying in order to be approved. I am not sure how is this done.

 

[vindibona1]

The 3 Miles is not intended to be seen by the PIC. It needs to be seen from a pilot of an airplane flying in order to be approved. I am not sure how is this done.

I'm not sure either, but if you note that many strobes and flashlights are rated in "lumens", but in my experience it often doesn't have anything to do with practical use or brightness.

I think the best we can to do personally evaluate the comparative brightness of different strobes is to charge them, put them on continuous mode and measure them with a light meter from the same distances. If I have time later I'll see if I can do that with all the (clear) strobes on hand.

 

[zeusfl]

Lumens do not mean anything for distance. The distance is measured in candelas. I personally collect LED flashing lights. I have a very high Lumes Acebeam X80-GT that is 32,500 Lumens and does not have too many candelas because is a flooded light. A thrower however even having fewer lumens can travel long distances (candelas).

The fact that a manufacturer claims more lumens does not mean that light is going to travel more distance. There are many factors like the reflector that will decide how far will travel the lights.

I have 2 videos for example comparing Fireflies E07 vs the Acebeam X80-GT and then my monster Imalent MS18 which is the 100,000 Lumens light.

 

[vindibona1]

Lumens do not mean anything for distance. The distance is measured in candelas. I personally collect LED flashing lights. I have a very high Lumes Acebeam X80-GT that is 32,500 Lumens and does not have too many candelas because is a flooded light. A thrower however even having fewer lumens can travel long distances (candelas).

The fact that a manufacturer claims more lumens does not mean that light is going to travel more distance. There are many factors like the reflector that will decide how far will travel the lights.

I have 2 videos for example comparing Fireflies E07 vs the Acebeam X80-GT and then my monster Imalent MS18 which is the 100,000 Lumens light.

I agree. Lumens mean nothing in a practical sense as it doesn't take beam focus into consideration nor the quality/shape of the reflector. The other thing to consider in a practical sense is the inverse square law. The usefulness of a light depends on the area of coverage needed for a given subject. In the case of small strobes for drones, most rely on the brightness of the LED at the LED. I suppose perhaps that's why they're rated as lumens rather than LUX or candelas. From a photographer's standpoint, drone strobes excluded, my focus is on F stops and EV. However, I think it is possible to measure relative brightness of these drone strobes in the continuous mode and get a fairly accurate comparison if measured under controlled circumstances.

 

[vindibona1]

I charged up the batteries on multiple strobes and set them all to the continuous light mode, then took them in a dark closet, insuring that the light position and meter position (calibrated Minolta Flash Meter IV- ambient mode, round disc dome) were the same throughout all the tests. The settings on the meter were: ISO 1600, 1/4sec, distance 81.5" light to meter.
Here are the results of the test:
ViFly- f 8.03
Arc II- f 11.0
Arc V (a)- f 11
Arv V (b)- f 11.2
Arc V (c)- f 11.1

I was surprised that the Arc II continuous brightness was the same as the Arc V's. Also interesting is that the Arc V (a) in strobe mode is significantly brighter eyeballing it than Arc V b or c. I would judge it as a stop brighter, but there really isn't a good way to capture the brightness in strobe mode as there is build-up and decay in each flash.

 

[baddog]

I'm not sure why this didn't come up on my radar before, but I found a strobe that will fit the needs of a lot of pilots for around half the price of Firehouse strobes. Don't get me wrong, I have six or so ARC V's, and ARC II and some smaller strobes for my Mini 2. But I saw this new one from ViFly on Amazon for $15 and had to try it.

What sets the ViFly apart besides the cost is the versatility and small size. It can switch modes between clear, red and green so you can use it as you need it. Below is a photo showing size comparison. It is only about 1/4" longer than the small Firehouse strobe (bottom) but similar width.

I tend to use the smaller strobes, red and green for orientation on my Mini 2 and formerly Mini 1. So I thought to do a brightness comparison of the red mode compared to the FH red strobe (that has no color modes). I was shocked that the perceived brightness of the ViFly by guesstimate looks to be an F stop brighter than the FH in the red mode. I have yet to do a comparison of its clear mode vs the FH ARC II. Perhaps I'll get a chance to do that later on.

If you're really weight conscious, the ViFly strobe with male velcro weighs 6 grams while the FH strobe weighs 3.8 grams. Yeah, the Vifly is a little heavier, but it also can do three colors. the ViFly can be purchased as a 3-pack for $39 Vifly 3-pack Amazon

FWIW I recently tested the Lucorb T-T3 strobe but returned it as I could see the Firehouse strobes, particularly the ARC V better.

Again, I'm not unhappy with my Firehouse strobes, especially the ARC V's which are hard to beat, but 13 grams each. But I think these ViFly strobes can be a great alternative for the smaller Firehouse strobes, especially for a drone you need to keep under 250g.


View attachment 142671

These little strobe however do not last long. I started out using these unhoused strobes. The USB ports quickly came loose and they started getting buggy when charging. I am not worried about weight since all my drones are registered. so there is that.

 

[vindibona1]

These little strobe however do not last long. I started out using these unhoused strobes. The USB ports quickly came loose and they started getting buggy when charging. I am not worried about weight since all my drones are registered. so there is that.

They certainly are fragile. The unhoused strobes are wrappped in a cellophane that eventually cracks or peels, leaving the battery to hang loose from the board. I've had that on a few strobes and simply glued the board and battery back together with hot glue. Not the neatest thing, but it works well and holds up, probably better than the original wrap. The one thing that I experienced with an Arc V was the switch broke off almost immediately. I learned that the switch is soldered directly to the board with two thin soldering points. So gentleness is the key with Arc V's for sure.

The ViFly doesn't seem to be any more or less robust than the Firehouse Strobes. But at half the price of most of the FH selection it's worth a a shot. If strict adherence to <250 isn't an issue, they are great in the R and G modes for orientation. The FH duals are lighter and serve the same purpose, but a bit more expensive. And FWIW, as an Amazon Prime member I got the ViFly next day, though I do get the FH in the mail in 2-3 days when the USPS isn't having issues.

 

[Pallidin]

These little strobe however do not last long. I started out using these unhoused strobes. The USB ports quickly came loose and they started getting buggy when charging. I am not worried about weight since all my drones are registered. so there is that.

Good points to keep in mind.

 

[Heavydpj]

What sets the ViFly apart besides the cost is the versatility and small size. It can switch modes between clear, red and green so you can use it as you need it. Below is a photo showing size comparison. It is only about 1/4" longer than the small Firehouse strobe (bottom) but similar width.

While I agree that they are versatile and oh-so cheap, you get what you pay for. The Arc-V strobes come with five LED's, while the ViFly only comes with 3, max (3 x white, 1 x red, 1 x green). If you don't need the lumens, no sense in paying for them, but if you do (like me), I'd still go with the Firehouse Arc-V single color strobes.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

While I agree that they are versatile and oh-so cheap, you get what you pay for. The Arc-V strobes come with five LED's, while the ViFly only comes with 3, max (3 x white, 1 x red, 1 x green).

You must consider size and weight of those 2 units.
The Vifly seems about the size of the ARCII, never had a Vifly, but they look just a tiny bit longer than the ARCII.

The ARCV is a great strobe for sure, almost too bright !!
But it's just not comparable to the smaller strobes and their unique advantages of low weight / bulk, ease of fitting (dual lock) just about anywhere on even the smallest drones.

Even the much smaller FHT Dual strobe is very visible for VLOS out to the safe limits of situational awareness.

For VLOS, sticking with white leds is the best option, it's the most visible over any of the other coloured leds.
Of course if flying at night, having the red / green / white combo is ok for a pilot if they feel having that help with aircraft orientation.
But once past a reasonable distance, they all tend to 'meld together' and also it gets almost impossible to pick difference in colour once the drone is more than a reasonable distance away.

I suppose the main thing here is having a strobe of any reasonable brand / quality will help you located the drone easier when looking up from the device screen when taking video footage / composing photos etc.
For many, the Vifly pricing means they can afford to put a strobe on their drone whenever they feel a flight will benefit.

 

[vindibona1]

While I agree that they are versatile and oh-so cheap, you get what you pay for. The Arc-V strobes come with five LED's, while the ViFly only comes with 3, max (3 x white, 1 x red, 1 x green). If you don't need the lumens, no sense in paying for them, but if you do (like me), I'd still go with the Firehouse Arc-V single color strobes.

I've have owned a lot of Firehouse strobes.... 10 I think, owning Arc V's, and Arc II and the smaller FH crees. But in terms of "getting what you pay for", yes the 5 LED typically will be brighter than ones with fewer LED count. HOWEVER, the brightness of the ARC V's vary. One of my Arc V's is significantly brighter than two others, which are about the same brightness as the ARC II. What sets my dimmer ARC V's apart from the ARC II is the beveled crystal case which disperses the light (refracts?) the light better for better viewing at different angles. The other thing is that the ARC V is fragile relative to it's cost. I've pushed a *little* too hard on the switch and it just caved in. I've had other issues that I can't remember. But having said that the ARC V is still my favorite model unless weight saving is concerned. I really like the ViFly, especially for the cost and I don't see much if any differernce between the ViFly and the ARC II.

 

[DSRT_VLTR]

I have two VIFLY's on my Mini 2. I drone in the Sonoran desert & keep them flashing clear to deter the local aggressive Red Tail & Harris Hawks as well as curious ravens. They've worked so far!

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

I'm going to ask a silly question. How do you not blind yourself and lose night vision?

 

[vindibona1]

I'm going to ask a silly question. How do you not blind yourself and lose night vision?

Don't look directly at the strobe when you're turning it on in the dark. Seriously. There is a front side and back side to the strobe. You know where the switch is before you turn it on. You can turn the strobe on and know it's on when only the backside is facing you. Mounting on the bottom or top of the strobe can be done with the drone and strobe turned away do you don't get a strobe blast. If all else fails, squint. The other thing is that if the strobe affects your vision it shouldn't be more than a few seconds to adjust. Once you're a few feet away from your drone when it's on the ground and flashing it shouldn't be too bad.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

Cool. Thanks. I've been trying to wrap my head around that.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Even flying during the day my arcII’s can leave a dead spot on my vision for quite some time.
It’s why I only use strobes during the day to help with VLOS for where necessary.
Certain light / backgrounds where the drone ‘disappears’ easily, and moderate distance.
We can’t fly at night here or even late dusk.

 

[vindibona1]

FWIW I did some practice flying yesterday testing my small colored strobes on my Mini 2. Conditions were cloudy. I put red on the front, green on the rear and an Arc V on the bottom. Clearly I could see the Arc V for quite a distance. The red and green were good for about 600' feet and really helped to identify which way it was oriented without having to look at the phone's map. The red (Firehouse Dual 4g) and the Vifly at 6 grams did a pretty good job and at modest distance wouldn't require the Arc V. If the weight of your drone can support the extra 2 grams of the Vifly, for $30 USD for the pair I'd recommend buying two of those. I honestly think in terms of perceived brightness in clear color mode the compete with the brightness of the Arc II's.