Night time strobe

[Stormboy]

Suggestions for strobe for mini pro 5 and placement.
Merry Christmas and fly safe!

 

[HaroldCal]

I went with a bunch of these:
Amazon.com: LYONGTECH Strobe Light,Night Flying Anti Collision Lights for FAA Drone,LED Flash Lamp for DJI Neo,Flip,Mini 5/3/4 Pro/4K/SE/2,Air 3S/3/2/2S,Mavic 4/3/2,Spark,FPV,Avata 2,EVO Accessories(1 PCS) : Toys & Games ($13.50 after coupon right now)

Although after doing some research after I bought the above, I will probably pick up a couple of these:
Amazon.com: Firehouse Technology Arc V Multi-Color Professional Drone Strobe w/Remote Control : Toys & Games ($34)
The Firehouse Arc units have gotten great reviews for visibility and such.

I put mine on the top of the main body, all the way at the back. This to ensure that it doesn't interfere with the GPS unit and such. I put the fuzzy side of the velcro on the drone, and the scratchy side on the LED. Not that it matters. But if you have multiple drones and multiple lights, be consistent about it.

I will also put one on the bottom somewhere, for improved visibility of the unit. Those small $13 ones above are cheap enough, that I like to put a couple of them on. White fast flash on the top, and alternating red/green on the bottom, something like that. I have also 3d printed some brackets for a couple of my drones to be able to have forward facing non-flashing white light. Great for FPV in abandoned buildings and such.

If you have a 3d printer, there are mounts for some models to mount them to the arms and such, if desired. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I intend to. I like the idea of being able to discriminate left/right with red/green.

 

[BossBob]

Don’t forget that these add to the mass of the drone and will make a drone already over 250g even more overweight!
It would be so much better if DJI left the status lights on all the time rather than turning them off while recording video.

 

[jaja6009]

Don’t forget that these add to the mass of the drone and will make a drone already over 250g even more overweight!
It would be so much better if DJI left the status lights on all the time rather than turning them off while recording video.

You can change the lights turning off when shooting video in the camera settings.

 

[agiorgitis]

Don’t forget that these add to the mass of the drone and will make a drone already over 250g even more overweight!
It would be so much better if DJI left the status lights on all the time rather than turning them off while recording video.

Who exactly is going to precisely weight your drone?

 

[Stormboy]

Hello guys, I really appreciate all the info. Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year’s. Should be a great year flying.
Thanks again

 

[Droning on and on...]

Don’t forget that these add to the mass of the drone and will make a drone already over 250g even more overweight!

Which simply mean you have to register it. So what.

 

[mavic3usa]

When it comes to Firehouse strobes, I am a big fan of the brand but I've recently learned to like the small, just as bright possibly brighter but less expensive version called the Micro Pro. Don't forget, blue is now an option in most high end strobes so look for the latest version that add it to the standard red, green, and white. Also ViFly makes a good strobe with their Platinum strobes. They have mounts as well. Or, you can check here for a good set of custom 3D mounts from AP.

Edit: The Arc V (not the Micro Pro) has remote control capability if you need it.

 

[BossBob]

You can change the lights turning off when shooting video in the camera settings.

Not in DJI Fly, I used to be able to in Go4 for my Mavic. The only light I have any control over is the white landing light.

 

[Starz]

Here’s an option.

VIFLY Strobe - FAA Drone Strobe Light

VIFLY Drone Strobe Light, Anti Collision Light for FAA Drone Night Flying, Fits DJI Mini 3 Pro/Mini 2/Mini SE/Air 2S/Mavic Air 2/Mavic 3/Mavic 2

viflydrone.com

 

[Cafguy]

Firehouse!

 

[TwoSticks]

I use the Firehouse Arc V and have it on the forward part of the drone. No GPS issues with this or any of my other drones. I use the 3M Dual Lock vs regular velcro. I dont guess there was a remote when I bought mine 4-5 years ago but dont really need something else to keep track of so its fine but would be nice so I’m not blinding myself before takeoff.

 

[mavic3usa]

I use the Firehouse Arc V and have it on the forward part of the drone. No GPS issues with this or any of my other drones. I use the 3M Dual Lock vs regular velcro. I dont guess there was a remote when I bought mine 4-5 years ago but dont really need something else to keep track of so its fine but would be nice so I’m not blinding myself before takeoff.

Really help when you're loaded down with 4 strobes (on in each corner). Or when your strobe is perched inside of one of those 3d mounts where the button is hard to reach.

 

[TwoSticks]

Really help when you're loaded down with 4 strobes (on in each corner). Or when your strobe is perched inside of one of those 3d mounts where the button is hard to reach.

I only ever use one on the top bare but in your case, it sounds like a good option.

 

[Stormboy]

Thank you guys

 

[BossBob]

Who exactly is going to precisely weight your drone?

Nobody unless I act like a d1*k. But here in Europe drones are certified as a system, DJI declare approved accessories (look in the manual, they are listed) and the moment you add an unapproved accessory your drone falls out of certification and the open class we fly under. Flying a drone outside of the open class is much more restrictive, further from people, further from built up areas and further from individual buildings.

 

[agiorgitis]

Nobody unless I act like a d1*k. But here in Europe drones are certified as a system, DJI declare approved accessories (look in the manual, they are listed) and the moment you add an unapproved accessory your drone falls out of certification and the open class we fly under. Flying a drone outside of the open class is much more restrictive, further from people, further from built up areas and further from individual buildings.

Even so, again, no one is going to weight it if you've added +35gr because you've added a strobe light.
Personally I've got the A1-A3, and the A2 certifications just to be safe in any case

 

[droneyboi]

I went with a bunch of these:
Amazon.com: LYONGTECH Strobe Light,Night Flying Anti Collision Lights for FAA Drone,LED Flash Lamp for DJI Neo,Flip,Mini 5/3/4 Pro/4K/SE/2,Air 3S/3/2/2S,Mavic 4/3/2,Spark,FPV,Avata 2,EVO Accessories(1 PCS) : Toys & Games ($13.50 after coupon right now)

Although after doing some research after I bought the above, I will probably pick up a couple of these:
Amazon.com: Firehouse Technology Arc V Multi-Color Professional Drone Strobe w/Remote Control : Toys & Games ($34)
The Firehouse Arc units have gotten great reviews for visibility and such.

I put mine on the top of the main body, all the way at the back. This to ensure that it doesn't interfere with the GPS unit and such. I put the fuzzy side of the velcro on the drone, and the scratchy side on the LED. Not that it matters. But if you have multiple drones and multiple lights, be consistent about it.

I will also put one on the bottom somewhere, for improved visibility of the unit. Those small $13 ones above are cheap enough, that I like to put a couple of them on. White fast flash on the top, and alternating red/green on the bottom, something like that. I have also 3d printed some brackets for a couple of my drones to be able to have forward facing non-flashing white light. Great for FPV in abandoned buildings and such.

If you have a 3d printer, there are mounts for some models to mount them to the arms and such, if desired. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I intend to. I like the idea of being able to discriminate left/right with red/green.

Do you know if it affects the video and photos taken at night? I'm afraid doing a night hyper lapse it's going to mess up the photos. I understand safety above cool shots, but curious if anyone has any experience with that.

 

[BossBob]

And the CAA might just have made this whole discussion meaningless, (at least in the UK). There is a report on Geeksvana that the CAA have had a policy review and concluded that while green flashing lights are meant to help people on the ground and pilots identify your drone ‘as a drone’ they are not meant to be a safety device and hence don’t need to be flashing all of the time. You are expected to maintain VLOS, good luck with that in the pitch dark!
The CAA just have to let the rest of us know officially so they’ll probably put it on an obscure website that no one knows about!