Firehouse Technology led strobes

[MAvic_South_Oz]

About to pull the trigger on a set of strobe leds, mostly for a little assistance in keeping (obtaining) VLOS easier when not watching the ipad mini4 shooting video.
Or if / when someone in authority may come up behind me and ask where my drone is.

So, I thought the ARCII 4 led ones would be best, but they are fairly large !
1.5" x 1" (~ 38mm x 25mm) to be precise.
With a 230mah battery on board, they have a strobe run time of about 6 hrs, which is nice.

I also recall someone here saying they are that bright, if you look at them when taking off / landing, you can give yourself a bit of 'led burn' in the eyes for a minute or two, a bit like mucking up your night vision looking at a torch light at night.

I was looking at this ARCII set on their site, 2 sets / 4 units (2 white, 1 of ea green / red), they don't have size specs on there, not sure why, I found that info on other sites . . .

drone strobe lights

drone strobe lights

www.firehousetechnology.com

So . . . I looked through Firehouse Techs website, and besides the ARCIIs on special they have the dual cree model.
This one is for 2 lights (it's cheaper than their 3 light package), so I was going to get one pair as white white, and another in red / green.

"Dual" Strobe Light 2-Pack For DJI Inspire 1 2 Mavic Pro Phantom Spark Quadcopters RC Plane

Motorcycle stereo speakers radio atv drone strobe lights dji strobe faa 107 anti collision lights drone spotlights uas strobe drones dji mavic mavic pro inspire phantom spark matrice

www.firehousetechnology.com

So, has anyone had both, or just the duals, and can say they were happy with them in relation to reasonable daylight and dusk VLOS assistance ?
Do people running ARCIIs think dual 2 leds would be enough for them ?

I'm not sure about comparison to the 4 led ARCIIs (would it be basically twice as bright ?), but they both use 5w cree, the dual having 2 led (obviously ) and the ARCII uses 4 led.

The duals will certainly be nicer size when fitting to legs / arms of the MP.
Not too fussed about the dual strobe battery being only 90mah, it is supposed to give a run time of 2+ hrs, more than enough for 4 batteries.

Feedback or thoughts appreciated.

 

[old man mavic]

i have the Flytron strobon cree lights with mounts from mavic help by @msinger they are very light weight and work very well

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

i have the Flytron strobon cree lights with mounts from mavic help by @msinger they are very light weight and work very well

I'll have a google of those and see what the specs are OMM, thanks.
The only other I'd heard about often are Strobon.

I found them STROBON Cree® Standalone - Flytron
These are the single strobon . . . I think.

How do you find the single led ?
I see here Amazon.com: White Flytron Strobon Cree by Strobe Light for Drones DJI Mavic Phantom Inspire 1 2 Matrice Spark Drones FAA 107 …: Home Improvement that the bulb specs say led and 0.29w ??
Surely it must be more like 5w (per led) of the FHT strobes ?
0.29w is very low, if that is correct.

Not convinced they are 0.29w, they couldn't claim brightest single led.

 

[Starz]

I do have the two led versions (white)and find them well worth the effort.
The four light is more than needed in my opinion.
The white emits more visible light than the other colors.
(As I remember from reading somewhere)

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

The four light is more than needed in my opinion.

Sort of have the gut feeling this is the case.

Yes, white, red, green in order of visibility.
Was planning on the std nav setup red LF arm, green RF arm, and put 2 whites on the back each arm for better visibility.
Can yaw to find the whites if needed.

I usually know where my drone is by the map and orientation line to home, use those a lot when filming.
But really I don't fly too far usually, more for the way the Mavic can get lost on a dark ocean background or sky, or terrain of a range in the background.
These should really stand out.

The size of the duals is a bit under 7/8" x 3/4" (22mm x 18mm), so quite a bit smaller than (~ 40% of the size of) the ARCIIs 1.5" x 1" (~ 38mm x 25mm).
This is a big advantage for easier placement / fixing them with less wind drag, even more so on the Spark, my other drone.
Also look less 'clunky'.

Thanks to you and OMM for the feedback all helps to be confident when working towards making a decision.

 

[draver]

I have 2 twin LED units on order for delivery today or tomorrow from Firehouse. One white and the other red. I want them for giving me a better visual while in flight without having to hunt in the sky for my MPP all the time . I’ll report back after a few trial flights.

 

[dronerdave]

During dusk or dawn the smaller strobes work quite well. But In bright sun and at distances from 1000-2500', the Arc-II red/green strobes are more easily washed out depending on the sky and/or background. The only strobes I can see well in those situations are the white four strobe ones. In some locations I have been able to see an Arc-II white strobe further than 3000'. At that distance I could not see the red or green Arc-II's. I really doubt the dual strobe would work well during normal daylight at 2000' out, but have never tried one. I mount one Arc-II on the back landing gear, one on the front bottom so I can see at higher altitudes and the red/green ones on the sides. I do always keep a pair of binoculars by my side to help spot with if something goes wrong even though I'm still w/i VLOS.

 

[draver]

That's useful information, thanks. My plan is to mount the red dual to the rear panel between the DJI logo and the built in light on my Mavic Pro. that area is rear facing and angled down slightly and I'm hoping it might give me better visibility because of that. Worst case, I'll get the 4 LED red unit for the rear. I'd rather not make the drone TOO visible and draw more attention that is necessary. Or, I can just claim it's a UFO I suppose.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I really doubt the dual strobe would work well during normal daylight at 2000' out, but have never tried one. I mount one Arc-II on the back landing gear, one on the front bottom so I can see at higher altitudes and the red/green ones on the sides.

That's useful information, thanks.

That is good feedback, so thanks Dave.
2000' (a bit over 600m) isn't too far, what I might do is get one of these (red/white) to put on one back arm of the MP . . .

Drone UAS UAV Quadcopter LED Strobe Light

Fully self contained high intensity drone DroneUAS strobe light for quadcopters hexcopters uas rc and uav use.

www.firehousetechnology.com

Put it where you suggested draver, that lower section below DJI logo . . .

 

[draver]

My LED's arrived in the afternoon mail. They are tiny! Smaller than a postage stamp and painfully bright also. The red unit is going between the rear vents above the built in status lamp, centered left to right and between the body seam and the top of the lamp pane. I'm charging them now and will be doing a rundown test once they reach full capacity. I haven't decided on the white unit placement yet. Probably about an inch from the leading edge on the upper body.

 

[Mavic Mac]

While trying to locate our lost cat I flew my MA on the far side of a field close to a tree line. Even though it was daytime every time I dropped below the top of the trees I would loose vlos against the darker background (my ol' eyes aren't what they use to be ?). So because of that I ordered this "ARC" Strobe Lighting Navigation Kit for DJI Drones UAS Quadcopters Multirotors (3 Light Set) from Firehouse for my MA and the mounts from Mike Singer Founder, Phantom Help. I received the mounts already from Mike - as soon as they were shipped USPS I was supplied with tracking number. This was helpful because I am having my mail forward due to traveling away from home. The mounts are light weight and will "snap" onto the legs of my MA. So far I have not received the lights - contacted Firehouse requesting a tracking number and so far no response ? Hopefully they show up shortly where I am at.

 

[draver]

Here's the best image I could grab easily. The scale (Reading 3.6g) was re-zeroed after the paper towel and stamp sheet were in place. Red dual LED FireHouse Technology board. $25.99 with free shipping. I'm impressed so far.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

My LED's arrived in the afternoon mail. They are tiny! Smaller than a postage stamp and painfully bright also. The red unit is going between the rear vents above the built in status lamp, centered left to right and between the body seam and the top of the lamp pane. I'm charging them now and will be doing a rundown test once they reach full capacity. I haven't decided on the white unit placement yet. Probably about an inch from the leading edge on the upper body.

Standard protocol is for coloured lights to go on the left (red) and right (green) of the front towards outer extremes of an aircraft, and a white centred at rear.
Out drones are of course unusual in their use of these lights, but would the white also not be any sort of potential problem with the strobing and white showing in forward video ?
This has been noted to not be a problem for red / green, but white is the brightest of these, and it could be a problem at dusk etc in low light, or if there was a little haze / dust in the air.

I expect with one white light fitted, you can always do a 360 degree yaw until you see it flashing, IF the red one isn't quite as visible.

So far I have not received the lights - contacted Firehouse requesting a tracking number and so far no response ?

That's no good.
I've had very prompt replies to several inquiries last night re the coming order, hopefully not a stock problem or like some companies great contact up to sale point, then poor follow up to inquiries.

The ARCIIs seem to be the more popular item, so maybe they do have trouble keeping up with stock . . . I am pretty sure from past emails with them that they are ordered in, I had contact a bit when they had the previous switch / charging errors, now fixed.
Hopefully you'll get yours soon.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

View attachment 80168

Here's the best image I could grab easily. The scale (Reading 3.6g) was re-zeroed after the paper towel and stamp sheet were in place. Red dual LED FireHouse Technology board. $25.99 with free shipping. I'm impressed so far.

Nice !!
Much better size I feel, I will get one of the dual ARCII red / white combos too, just in case I need to place that on the rear panel like you intend.
With velcro, I can switch them out easily once testing in the field is underway.

 

[Mavic Mac]

****** UPDATE ******
Firehouse responded with my tracking number - lights should arrive in the AM !!!

 

[Thomas B]

Here’s what they look like on the M2P...

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Here’s what they look like on the M2P...
View attachment 80172

Not TOO bad there Thomas.
MP is similar size.

Think I'll try duals like yours are placed, with the one ARCII red / white centre low on the back, should do nicely for what I need, and work better between MP and Spark for now.
If I get an Inspire one day, then I'd definitely go with the larger ARCIIs all round (and probably lots of other goodies )

Decided too I will get one of these FHT Spark strobes . . .

best drone strobe light

Strobe light for drones faa 107

www.firehousetechnology.com

With the magnifying / light dispersing lens, it should throw nice light out mounting it underneath for visibility from below when desired.

 

[Radpuppy]

About to pull the trigger on a set of strobe leds, mostly for a little assistance in keeping (obtaining) VLOS easier when not watching the ipad mini4 shooting video.
Or if / when someone in authority may come up behind me and ask where my drone is.

So, I thought the ARCII 4 led ones would be best, but they are fairly large !
1.5" x 1" (~ 38mm x 25mm) to be precise.
With a 230mah battery on board, they have a strobe run time of about 6 hrs, which is nice.

I also recall someone here saying they are that bright, if you look at them when taking off / landing, you can give yourself a bit of 'led burn' in the eyes for a minute or two, a bit like mucking up your night vision looking at a torch light at night.

I was looking at this ARCII set on their site, 2 sets / 4 units (2 white, 1 of ea green / red), they don't have size specs on there, not sure why, I found that info on other sites . . .

drone strobe lights

drone strobe lights

www.firehousetechnology.com

So . . . I looked through Firehouse Techs website, and besides the ARCIIs on special they have the dual cree model.
This one is for 2 lights (it's cheaper than their 3 light package), so I was going to get one pair as white white, and another in red / green.

"Dual" Strobe Light 2-Pack For DJI Inspire 1 2 Mavic Pro Phantom Spark Quadcopters RC Plane

Motorcycle stereo speakers radio atv drone strobe lights dji strobe faa 107 anti collision lights drone spotlights uas strobe drones dji mavic mavic pro inspire phantom spark matrice

www.firehousetechnology.com

So, has anyone had both, or just the duals, and can say they were happy with them in relation to reasonable daylight and dusk VLOS assistance ?
Do people running ARCIIs think dual 2 leds would be enough for them ?

I'm not sure about comparison to the 4 led ARCIIs (would it be basically twice as bright ?), but they both use 5w cree, the dual having 2 led (obviously ) and the ARCII uses 4 led.

The duals will certainly be nicer size when fitting to legs / arms of the MP.
Not too fussed about the dual strobe battery being only 90mah, it is supposed to give a run time of 2+ hrs, more than enough for 4 batteries.

Feedback or thoughts appreciated.

I have the Arc II red green and white I used double face tape and a small zip tie on the front legs and strobe mounts from aerial pixel for rear legs, my front oned stay on even when folded also the white one on top stays on Drone and the rear are very easy to install and remove.
Can send pics if you have an email

 

[Radpuppy]

About to pull the trigger on a set of strobe leds, mostly for a little assistance in keeping (obtaining) VLOS easier when not watching the ipad mini4 shooting video.
Or if / when someone in authority may come up behind me and ask where my drone is.

So, I thought the ARCII 4 led ones would be best, but they are fairly large !
1.5" x 1" (~ 38mm x 25mm) to be precise.
With a 230mah battery on board, they have a strobe run time of about 6 hrs, which is nice.

I also recall someone here saying they are that bright, if you look at them when taking off / landing, you can give yourself a bit of 'led burn' in the eyes for a minute or two, a bit like mucking up your night vision looking at a torch light at night.

I was looking at this ARCII set on their site, 2 sets / 4 units (2 white, 1 of ea green / red), they don't have size specs on there, not sure why, I found that info on other sites . . .

drone strobe lights

drone strobe lights

www.firehousetechnology.com

So . . . I looked through Firehouse Techs website, and besides the ARCIIs on special they have the dual cree model.
This one is for 2 lights (it's cheaper than their 3 light package), so I was going to get one pair as white white, and another in red / green.

"Dual" Strobe Light 2-Pack For DJI Inspire 1 2 Mavic Pro Phantom Spark Quadcopters RC Plane

Motorcycle stereo speakers radio atv drone strobe lights dji strobe faa 107 anti collision lights drone spotlights uas strobe drones dji mavic mavic pro inspire phantom spark matrice

www.firehousetechnology.com

So, has anyone had both, or just the duals, and can say they were happy with them in relation to reasonable daylight and dusk VLOS assistance ?
Do people running ARCIIs think dual 2 leds would be enough for them ?

I'm not sure about comparison to the 4 led ARCIIs (would it be basically twice as bright ?), but they both use 5w cree, the dual having 2 led (obviously ) and the ARCII uses 4 led.

The duals will certainly be nicer size when fitting to legs / arms of the MP.
Not too fussed about the dual strobe battery being only 90mah, it is supposed to give a run time of 2+ hrs, more than enough for 4 batteries.

Feedback or thoughts appreciated.

If you call them at firehouse technology they will help with whatever combo you want as far as colors and how many, one in front and one on rear plus the white one on top is plenty, I put red front green rear so I know for sure what direction it’s facing when I look at it

 

[Goin Up]

Well I realize The Strobes assist in v l o s, they also invoke the law of unintended consequences. They provide attention to and a target for "Purple Necks" (privacy crazed nitwit with gun). I would carefully Ponder this before turning them on in rural or semi rural areas.