#FC led strips

51 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

hushed vale
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Hi, I just want to ask if I can put 8-12 leds on each wing (about 40 leds total). I calculated the current needed so the BEC on the FC should handle it easily. But I dont have any experience setting up leds in betaflight. So I want to ask, is it able to set up about 10 led on each wing in betaflight?

normal mural
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BEC on the FC should handle it easily
Just.. no. It will blow up sooner than later.

fast widget
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yeah. you can have 32 individual addressed LEDS, but you can run sets in parallel, so you can group sets of them. like 1 arm could be set as all parallel to each other on that data line, so they all respond the same

hushed vale
normal mural
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That's a heck of a lot

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Most FC BEC's are only reliable up to 2A

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and it's already going to be handling the FC itself, receiver, camera, and whatever else

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Every time I tell someone:

Don't run LED strips from the FC's 5V, they will short out and kill your FC
and they're like
Oh it's just a couple LEDs, it will handle it easily
they end up coming back with a dead FC.

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Get a separate 5V regulator.

fast widget
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best to use an external BEC, as you are powering the FC, the reciever, and maybe the camera from that BEC too

normal mural
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The number of times I've seen this exact scenario...

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Most fun when people forget to realise that the BEC is only 2A/3A capable in flight, because of air cooling.

hushed vale
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ok, can you recommend some external BEC then, please

normal mural
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What shops?

hushed vale
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china, aliexpress / banggood

fast widget
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Iflight 6s 5v 3a BEC.

normal mural
hushed vale
normal mural
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That's one of the two

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this one also exists

fast widget
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Thats the one I was looking for, too! 😄

hushed vale
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i was imagining something expensive :D

normal mural
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if BEC's were expensive, FC's would be even more expensive..

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in a quad, there are like a dozen regulators if not more...

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usually like 3x 5V, 1x 9V, bajillion times 3.3V

hushed vale
fast widget
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yeppers

normal mural
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This will take battery power and make 5V for your LEDs
assuming they're 5V
the first one you sent can also do 12V in case you decide to run 12V LEDs instead

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the FC will then just send the control signal to the LEDs

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if the LEDs short out, this BEC will die

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instead of the BEC on the FC (which is a b***h to repair)

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which can save you the price of the entire drone

hushed vale
fast widget
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battery and ground from the ESC's battery and ground to one side, then 5v and ground to the LEDs

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and then the LED wire from the FC to the LEDs

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assuming you're using them as addressable LEDS

normal mural
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IN+/IN: Battery positive [+, VBAT, VCC] (ideally not from the FC)
IN-/GND: Battery negative [GND, G, -] (also ideally not from the FC)
GND/-: LED Negative
5V/+: LED Positive [5V]
LED signal: FC LED pad

hushed vale
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ok, thx

normal mural
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reasoning behind "ideally not from the FC": the wires that connect the FC to battery power are quite thin.
They (or the traces on the FC) will fail under short-circuit condition.

hushed vale
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yeah I understand

hushed vale
normal mural
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that's the only link I have

fast widget
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these show in stock

hushed vale
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thx

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thx all for help :)

fast widget
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😁

hybrid lion
normal mural
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@hybrid lion

  • Dimension: 14.5*6.6*2.6mm
  • Weight: 0.5g