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Nipels · 05-04-2011, 07:59 PM

Take a 3 cell lipo?

ChrisH · 05-04-2011, 09:11 PM

Not officially.

I've heard differing reports, a couple of my friends burned some up on 3S. Shortly thereafter, we all switched to LEDs ... much better IMO.

Nipels · 05-04-2011, 10:01 PM

LEDsYou have any pictures of your rig, or a website? I am thinking about getting into night flying. Fill me in!

ChrisH · 05-04-2011, 10:31 PM

LEDs are the way to go IMO. I use the LED strips from BP Hobbies.

You can run them up to 3S LiPo and they are extremely bright. Same as the LED strips from HK but no long shipping times

I don't have any recent pictures, this one is from a few months ago. I now have custom blades with SMD LEDs on them, running V-Bar, and I have changed my LED colorscheme a bit.

RC-ichard · 06-14-2011, 12:40 PM

I would check a inverter from a company that specialized in them over a company that makes helicopters. That way you can just pick a string with a 12v inverter

kavic5150 · 06-15-2011, 08:44 PM

Hey Nipels, heres a link to a small 12v inverter that will run 2 el wire strings.

http://www.elwirepros.com/micro-12-invert.html

You can use a 3s lipo as it will accept 12.6v no problem.

El wire pros also has 3.2mm and 5mm el wire which is thicker and more crash worthy than the usual 2.2mm hobby grade. But its no brighter, just has a thicker silicone jacket. I've ordered from them b4 and got great service.

+1 on what ChrisH said about LEDs tho. LEDs will far outshine el wire on 3s, and give better run times. And DIY night blades are WAAAAY better than any off the shelf night blades since the DIY blades have LEDs mounted on the outside and not behind a plastic shield. A good LED setup on 3s will make the ground glow from 8 feet off the deck and is too bright to look at up close!

As for LED strips on the boom and canopy, some say 3s is too bright and suggest using a cheap brushed ESC as a sort of dimmer circuit. Its discussed in this thread from the gaui 550 section:

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=311618

LED night blades are somewhat of a production. Xerogear is the go to place for the everything DIY night blade kit, but they are supposedly "on vacation" until august:

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=299918

I did a nifty DIY night blades supply post a while back. This should get you off and running:

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=301615

Remember to choose those resistors carefully according to the specs given by the vendor. Just google Led resistor calculator. Have fun.

Raydee · 06-25-2011, 08:38 AM

For the EL Wire, can you tell me which colors are the brightest. I have my 450 all done in LED strips and even though it is super bright I actually like the look of the wire better.

kavic5150 · 06-25-2011, 10:44 PM

El wire naturally makes green light, the color the human eye is most sensitive to. So that would be brightest, followed by yellow, blue, white more or less in that order. Then orange and finally red is the dimmest of all.

The one white string I ever bought was the great planes flylights brand and when turned off it had a sort of pinkish look to it.

flyinfool · 06-27-2011, 08:53 AM

Aqua is the natural color of the glow wire, that is why the Aqua is the only color that has a clear insulation.
All of the other colors have tinted insulation to get the final color you want.
The closer your color choice is to Aqua, the less of the light spectrum will have to be filtered out by pigments in the insulation, and the brighter it will be.

05-04-2011, 07:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Nipels Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2011	Can the align 2 port driver... Take a 3 cell lipo?

06-14-2011, 12:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
RC-ichard Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2010	I would check a inverter from a company that specialized in them over a company that makes helicopters. That way you can just pick a string with a 12v inverter __________________ Trex 500 FBL (AR7200BX) Trex 450 Pro FBL (AR7200BX) Trex 450 Sport Trex 250 Last edited by RC-ichard; 06-14-2011 at 03:32 PM..

06-25-2011, 08:38 AM	#7 (permalink)
Raydee Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Western NY	For the EL Wire, can you tell me which colors are the brightest. I have my 450 all done in LED strips and even though it is super bright I actually like the look of the wire better. __________________ Align Trex 700 V3 DFC HV - Vcontol Touch ¦ Mikado Logo 200 ¦ SAB Kraken 580 ¦ Align Trex 500X ¦ Sab RAW 500

06-27-2011, 08:53 AM	#9 (permalink)
flyinfool Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Apr 2005	Aqua is the natural color of the glow wire, that is why the Aqua is the only color that has a clear insulation. All of the other colors have tinted insulation to get the final color you want. The closer your color choice is to Aqua, the less of the light spectrum will have to be filtered out by pigments in the insulation, and the brighter it will be. __________________ Jeff Borowski

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05-04-2011, 09:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
ChrisH HF Support Join Date: Aug 2007	Not officially. I've heard differing reports, a couple of my friends burned some up on 3S. Shortly thereafter, we all switched to LEDs ... much better IMO.

05-04-2011, 10:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nipels Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Jan 2011	LEDsYou have any pictures of your rig, or a website? I am thinking about getting into night flying. Fill me in!

05-04-2011, 10:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
ChrisH HF Support Join Date: Aug 2007	LEDs are the way to go IMO. I use the LED strips from BP Hobbies. You can run them up to 3S LiPo and they are extremely bright. Same as the LED strips from HK but no long shipping times I don't have any recent pictures, this one is from a few months ago. I now have custom blades with SMD LEDs on them, running V-Bar, and I have changed my LED colorscheme a bit.

06-15-2011, 08:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
kavic5150 Banned User Join Date: Jan 2010	Hey Nipels, heres a link to a small 12v inverter that will run 2 el wire strings. http://www.elwirepros.com/micro-12-invert.html You can use a 3s lipo as it will accept 12.6v no problem. El wire pros also has 3.2mm and 5mm el wire which is thicker and more crash worthy than the usual 2.2mm hobby grade. But its no brighter, just has a thicker silicone jacket. I've ordered from them b4 and got great service. +1 on what ChrisH said about LEDs tho. LEDs will far outshine el wire on 3s, and give better run times. And DIY night blades are WAAAAY better than any off the shelf night blades since the DIY blades have LEDs mounted on the outside and not behind a plastic shield. A good LED setup on 3s will make the ground glow from 8 feet off the deck and is too bright to look at up close! As for LED strips on the boom and canopy, some say 3s is too bright and suggest using a cheap brushed ESC as a sort of dimmer circuit. Its discussed in this thread from the gaui 550 section: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=311618 LED night blades are somewhat of a production. Xerogear is the go to place for the everything DIY night blade kit, but they are supposedly "on vacation" until august: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=299918 I did a nifty DIY night blades supply post a while back. This should get you off and running: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=301615 Remember to choose those resistors carefully according to the specs given by the vendor. Just google Led resistor calculator. Have fun.

06-25-2011, 10:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
kavic5150 Banned User Join Date: Jan 2010	El wire naturally makes green light, the color the human eye is most sensitive to. So that would be brightest, followed by yellow, blue, white more or less in that order. Then orange and finally red is the dimmest of all. The one white string I ever bought was the great planes flylights brand and when turned off it had a sort of pinkish look to it.

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