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Post by elkmaster01 on Nov 10, 2009 19:40:04 GMT -6
Wow,,,way too much fun. This is my very first attempt at night flying. I did pretty well,,,,,a few flips and a roll. It's going to take some getting used to. I have ordered a couple light strings from HK,,,,if I can get some lights on the boom and the canopy it will be easier. I was affraid to get it too far from me. Bad time of year too, it was 33 degrees tonight. Shivering from the cold and the massive vibrations of my nerves,,,I had to land fairly quickly,,LOL!!
I have the Align 425mm night blades,,,the top side of the blades have a red and green circle while the bottom has red and blue. I have the KDBB 70mm glowing in the dark tail blades with the UV LED light on the tail. The LED light sucks,,,,it is made for a 12V system and when I ran it off my BEC, 6V, it wouldn't hack it,,too dim. So I wired it off my flight pack which is 22.2V,,,it is plenty bright now,,but I suspect it will burn out before very long. The wire connector gets really hot.
What a BLAST,,,the video is so-so,,,I wish I knew how to make night videos. It is a little better if watched on youtube,,,but you can get the idea. Fun, fun,fun!!
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McKrackin
First 30 Member 
First 30 Member
Flippin' the bird!
Posts: 3,720
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Post by McKrackin on Nov 11, 2009 16:18:53 GMT -6
Awesome elk.I've considered it myself.
On the sim,the nightfly is easier to see than a regular heli in daylight.
They just need some nightfly LED leaves for my trees.lol...
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Post by elkmaster01 on Nov 11, 2009 16:28:55 GMT -6
Yea,,,you can't tell from my video ((fighting with my camera gal again)) but those blades are BRIGHT. The Phoenix sim nightfly is acturate.
But don't let that fool ya,,,,orientation is tough. I'm sure it will get easier with more stick time. I waited until about 3 hours after dark,,,,,it was DARK out. Distance is the big issue,,you just can't tell how far it is from you,,,and not being able to see the horizon,,or even clouds for spacial awareness makes it hard.
But it's FUN AS HELL!! ;D I thought I did pretty good for the first time!!
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19000rpm
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FIRST 30 MEMBER
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Post by 19000rpm on Nov 11, 2009 17:17:38 GMT -6
Very cool. There'll probably be a lot of your neighbors calling in UFO reports. ;D
Happy landings
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Post by flyinghigh on Nov 13, 2009 11:37:49 GMT -6
Very cool, been doing some research on night flying. I read a few people had issue with the Align nite blades just not lasting very long (ie the batteries) and only getting a few mins worth of 'light' from them. Finless Bob has great vid on set up for night flying - www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=68635he 'sews' the light string into his canopy, outlines the tail boom, the horizontal stabilizer, everything, which really would help with orientation. And hes using the MS Composit 'TAG' blades that you can program, very cool stuff. On my wish list  Been windy as heck for the last week, I have my co-pilot installed ready to fly, but been grounded all week. I am talking 20 mph winds with gusts for last 10 plus days...  |
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Dlan
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Post by Dlan on Nov 23, 2009 22:19:09 GMT -6
Way cool Elk!  I was thinking about your voltage issue and was wondering if you could tap into the balance plug for power. I don't have a 6s batt to experiment with, but I can pull 8.4 volts of my 3s by selecting the right pins, maybe you could pull 11.1 this way. Shouldn't be too hard to find a female balance plug to wire up if this works. Dlan |
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Post by elkmaster01 on Nov 24, 2009 19:17:50 GMT -6
Way cool Elk! I was thinking about your voltage issue and was wondering if you could tap into the balance plug for power. I don't have a 6s batt to experiment with, but I can pull 8.4 volts of my 3s by selecting the right pins, maybe you could pull 11.1 this way. Shouldn't be too hard to find a female balance plug to wire up if this works. Dlan WOW!!! GREAT idea Dlan,,,,,I think I have an extra charger balance board I could use,,,,,just tap in over 3 cells. Now,,,,any idea how that may effect the packs balance or wear&tear on just those three cells? I really don't think LEDs pull much power at all,,,yes? Thx,,,I'll give you an exalt for that one!! ;D |
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Dlan
First 30 Member
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Post by Dlan on Nov 24, 2009 20:42:30 GMT -6
Thank you sir. I don't think LEDs pull much amps, just need some voltage, but I am not the one to ask, maybe a electronic guru like akent could answer that one ;D Dlan |
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Post by elkmaster01 on Nov 25, 2009 13:27:02 GMT -6
Dlan,,,mission accomplished,,,,,,check out the advance board,,I posted the fix there!!
Thank you!!
Randy
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Dlan
First 30 Member
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Post by Dlan on Nov 25, 2009 15:39:53 GMT -6
Great implementation of the idea Randy. I hope the 16v you're puilling is not to much for the LEDs.
And you're welcome! ;D
Dlan
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