I installed a strobe and took my first night flight. Questions …

[Kyle76]

at about 20 feet, the drone would not hover in place like normal. Is this a function of the weight of the strobe (Firehouse V) or just darkness? With strobe attached to the bottom, the controller was registering a height that seemed much higher than the drone’s actual position. Maybe this was an optical illusion, but could it be due to sensor blockage or some other factor?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Bottom strobes can be tricky if there reflecting on to the sensor.
Can you post a picture of the set up.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[MA2 317]

at about 20 feet, the drone would not hover in place like normal. Is this a function of the weight of the strobe (Firehouse V) or just darkness? With strobe attached to the bottom, the controller was registering a height that seemed much higher than the drone’s actual position. Maybe this was an optical illusion, but could it be due to sensor blockage or some other factor?

When I placed a strobe on the bottom of my Spark, it was too close to the bottom sensor and I had very erratic 30 second flight before I had a rough landing in the dark. This is why the newer mavics have a landing light on the bottom to help aid landing it in the dark.

It bounced up and down in the air like a pogo stick because of the intense flashing of the strobe affecting the visual positioning sensor on the bottom.

You could try moving the strobe away from the sensor or place a piece of cardboard or something to help block the light from the sensor.

 

[Kyle76]

Bottom strobes can be tricky if there reflecting on to the sensor.
Can you post a picture of the set up.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

I put it between the two sensors, covering the light. Very visible. That strobe is bright!

 

[A.O.]

When I had my MA2, this is where I mounted my strobe, also a Firehouse V , It had no effect on how the drone flew. I did have to get the extended landing gear for clearance though.

 

[Mike Mas]

Might well be the flash bouncing off the ground providing false images of the terrain below to the processor.

Mike

 

[wardtom084]

I bought the holders for that strobe and have 4 mounted on the arms.

 

[charliej]

I bought the holders for that strobe and have 4 mounted on the arms.

Likewise - never had a problem.

 

[Kyle76]

I bought the holders for that strobe and have 4 mounted on the arms.

Red and green? Four Arc 5s aren’t cheap.

 

[MA2 317]

I bought the holders for that strobe and have 4 mounted on the arms.

Likewise - never had a problem.

Me too. ?


.

 

[MA2 317]

Red and green? Four Arc 5s aren’t cheap.

I purchased a four pack at $100.

dji drone strobe light anti collision light

drone strobe light

www.firehousetechnology.com

The Aerial-Pixel holders are another $30 for four of them.

Better than the 3M fasteners I've used in the past.

 

[CaseyGuy]

I use an Aerial-Pixel mount [Aerial-Pixel - Vinyl Graphics, Apparel, 3D Printing] to mount the Firehouse ARC "V" to the top of my Mavic Air 2. It holds the strobe securely and out of view of the sensors. The only downside I've encountered is that you have to be careful that the mount doesn't partially depress one of the battery clips, disabling the battery. The mount has cutouts for the battery clips, but it's a very tight and tricky fit.

 

[Tonkin Gulf]

On my MA2, I mounted the Firehouse V on the forward top. Yes I know it's not as visible when it's flying away from me but I can still see it. It doesn't interfere with the operation of the MA2.

 

[Kyle76]

I’ve now got two white, one red and one green for mounting on each arm of my MA2. I tried a single white on top (not always visible) and bottom (could see clearly but with no sense of orientation and problems landing). I ordered the Aerial-Pixel mounts, but they are for the ARC IIs, not the ARC Vs. When I emailed about the issue (probably my fault), they immediately sent out replacement mounts at no charge and told me to just keep the ones I already received. I might modify those to just a flat surface and use the Velcro that came with the strobes to attach them to the mounts. I’m thinking that might actually be a little lighter than the full mounts. In any event, great service from Aerial-Pixel.

EDIT: I cut the “holder’ portion of the Aerial-Pixel mounts away, leaving just a flat surface on which to velcro the Arc Vs. Weight saving was about 10 grams less than using the holders as intended. Not tremendous, but significant.

 

[spudster]

EDIT: I cut the “holder’ portion of the Aerial-Pixel mounts away, leaving just a flat surface on which to velcro the Arc Vs. Weight saving was about 10 grams less than using the holders as intended. Not tremendous, but significant.

I know this post is a week old but I just ran across it. Have you tried using a small dab of silicone sealer to attach the strobe? Should be lighter yet and the strobe should be able to be removed from the holder fairly easily if need. Of course that means you would need to remove the holders (with the strobes) from the legs if you are not planning on using the strobes.

 

[iReviewFrozenDinners]

Why are some of you guys attaching the strobe on the bottom and not the top? Isn't the point of anti collision lights to make the drone more visible to other people that are in the sky and you're presumably flying below most manned air traffic?

 

[Kyle76]

I know this post is a week old but I just ran across it. Have you tried using a small dab of silicone sealer to attach the strobe? Should be lighter yet and the strobe should be able to be removed from the holder fairly easily if need. Of course that means you would need to remove the holders (with the strobes) from the legs if you are not planning on using the strobes.

That might save a little weight but probably not much. With velcro, I can also change the light configuration if I wish. I remove the holders any time I’m not flying to fold up the MA2. It won’t fold without taking them off.