STROBON Cree® LED Strobe Lights

lightbg · Sep 4, 2018

EDG said:
Its a great idea for sure. However, if you attach one of these units on one arm of the Mavic Air, would it not affect the demand of the motors on the attached side? I am concerned that the drone wouldn't be "balanced" with respect to aerodynamic flights. Alternatively, perhaps attaching a velcro pad on the bottom of the drone, just below the rear sensor, and then with velcro attach the strobe to the Air's velcro would be a more balanced option. On the other hand, I would be concerned about affecting the rear sensor with this configuration. Perhaps attaching the strobe to the battery, however I would be concerned about the heat generation from the battery. Are there other mounting or concerns outs there?

The Velcro pads outweigh the Strobon lights. I didn't mount on the bottom or rear for fear of affecting the bottom sensors and the GPS antenna . Mounting on top of the battery defeats the purpose because unless you're flying in an open pit mine standing on the edge your drone should be above you

Do what works for you. If I had to do it again I would use Mike's mounts on the arms - one front, one back. Simple and effective.

Jake

dronerdave · Sep 4, 2018

For side strobes I use a clip mount that is made for mounting lights or a camera. I do have to remove it to replace the battery but it's easy to pop it off and on. I also have a strobe on the rear landing gear pointing backwards and one on the bottom front of the mavic facing down and forward. Those are mounted with Velcro making it easy to take them off to charge.

Sitka78 · Mar 25, 2019

Seeing a lot of likes for the strobes but seeing nothing about 3 mile visibility advertised. 700' 1500', is that all we can really expect? I have been shopping around for strobes but haven't purchased yet because the reviews have been less than the range claimed. Two or three lights won't be any brighter than one so wondering why to add more?

AMann · Mar 25, 2019

Sitka78 said:
Seeing a lot of likes for the strobes but seeing nothing about 3 mile visibility advertised. 700' 1500', is that all we can really expect? I have been shopping around for strobes but haven't purchased yet because the reviews have been less than the range claimed. Two or three lights won't be any brighter than one so wondering why to add more?

Are you talking day vs. night and white vs. color visibility? Big differences here.

Sitka78 · Mar 25, 2019

AMann said:
Are you talking day vs. night and white vs. color visibility? Big differences here.

Most of what I have seen or read about seemed to be at night. White lights only. Daytime hours would be way less and don't see any reason to use them during daytime hours. Maybe I am wrong.

Sitka78 · Mar 25, 2019

msinger said:
If anyone is interested, I now have mounts available here.

View attachment 15161

Say Mike, maybe you could make and market something that would fit on the mavic 2 between the two backward sensors. being angled, velcro pieces could most likely hold the mount on securely enough. Your thoughts?

AMann · Mar 25, 2019

Sitka78 said:
Most of what I have seen or read about seemed to be at night. White lights only. Daytime hours would be way less and don't see any reason to use them during daytime hours. Maybe I am wrong.

The Firehouse Technology ARCII’s can definitely be seen from 3 miles at night. Many of us also use them in the daytime as well because it increases VLOS dramatically, especially if you are flying with a dark background such as a hill or trees Which tend to blend in with the drone’s color and make it hard to see unless it’s moving. I personally have used them up to about half a mile in daylight, and have still been able to see exactly where the drone is when there is a hill behind it, and there are others here who claim they can see it even further in broad daylight. If you use a combination of white lights for distance and the red and green strobes for orientation, it works perfectly for evening and daytime use. Also, they qualify as collision avoidance lights specified by the FAA.

Sitka78 · Mar 25, 2019

AMann said:
The Firehouse Technology ARCII’s can definitely be seen from 3 miles at night. Many of us also use them in the daytime as well because it increases VLOS dramatically, especially if you are flying with a dark background such as a hill or trees Which tend to blend in with the drone’s color and make it hard to see unless it’s moving. I personally have used them up to about half a mile in daylight, and have still been able to see exactly where the drone is when there is a hill behind it, and there are others here who claim they can see it even further in broad daylight. If you use a combination of white lights for distance and the red and green strobes for orientation, it works perfectly for evening and daytime use. Also, they qualify as collision avoidance lights specified by the FAA.

Thank you, it sounds like the Firehouse is brighter than the Stroban and that would be the best choice. That is what I am after.

dronerdave · Mar 25, 2019

In the daytime there is a huge difference between a four strobe model and the single strobe type. Plus the ARC2's battery run time is a lot longer. This helps if you want to use the constant on setting or the non strobe flash setting at dawn/dusk. In the strobe setting (which uses the less power) I was/am getting over 4 hours of battery time.

Thomas B · Mar 25, 2019

Here’s a heads up comparison of Strobon, ARC, and ARC2 strobes. The multiples outshine the single LED. Aerial Pixel has great mounts. I use four on each bird. 2 whites rear, then red and green on front arms in aircraft fashion. Here’s the comparison:

AMann · Mar 25, 2019

Sitka78 said:
Thank you, it sounds like the Firehouse is brighter than the Stroban and that would be the best choice. That is what I am after.

You are welcome. I put mine on with velcro only, many other options out there too. Try them out in the daytime too, you will be suprised!

Sitka78 · Mar 25, 2019

AMann said:
You are welcome. I put mine on with velcro only, many other options out there too. Try them out in the daytime too, you will be suprised!

Thank you so much for all of your help. I truly hope others will use this information to help them out as well. As always, we usually get what we pay for, cheaper will most likely remain less valuable to us all.

msinger · Mar 26, 2019

Sitka78 said:
Say Mike, maybe you could make and market something that would fit on the mavic 2 between the two backward sensors. being angled, velcro pieces could most likely hold the mount on securely enough. Your thoughts?

Like over top of the DJI logo? A Flytron STROBON Cree or Firehouse Dual Cree could probably fit there.

What's the advantage over attaching a light to the rear arm like this?

Sitka78 · Mar 27, 2019

Yes, over the dji logo. That way, you would't have to remove the bracket just to fold the rear arm in.

msinger · Mar 27, 2019

Sitka78 said:
Yes, over the dji logo. That way, you would't have to remove the bracket just to fold the rear arm in.

Why not just velcro the light on there instead of velcroing the mount there?

FlyGuy8675309 · Apr 5, 2019

Thomas B said:
Here’s a heads up comparison of Strobon, ARC, and ARC2 strobes. The multiples outshine the single LED. Aerial Pixel has great mounts. I use four on each bird. 2 whites rear, then red and green on front arms in aircraft fashion. Here’s the comparison:

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