# Custom Drone Light for Night Visibility



## Karma01

Hello Everyone,

I am sure some of you have heard the recent changes in commercial drone operation laws. I just passed my FAA test and am pursuing a business in aerial photography. The new law requires anti-collision lights visible for 3 miles. The drone I use (DJI Inspire 1) has very dim lights so I am contemplating a new solution. One possibility is replace the current leds with a brighter setup, another idea is to fix an LED on the top of the drone that would be visible 360 degrees by use of a dome-shaped reflector and have it blink once per second or so. Obviously weight is a significant factor as well as how the LED is powered. I would prefer to run it off of the drones battery. I am not looking for spotlights or headlights, just a warning light that has great visibility. I appreciate any ideas in advance.


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## Illum

Give this guy a buzz: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?260667-Flying-searchlight

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?310750

he might have a few pointers


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## Tombigbee

You might take a look at this. Everything is super light and small because its intended for use in RC airplanes. The LED's supplied with this kit are super bright in my opinion, but the controller can handle others. You may power it any way you like, but input voltage is approximately 6V, so a step down transformer might be needed. I found a tiny one online to reduce the 12V used in my application.

The coolest feature, though, is the ability to program any flashing sequence you desire on multiple channels if needed. You just download free software and plug into a USB on your PC.

https://www.dimensionengineering.com/products/delight-starter-kit


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## Karma01

Tombigbee said:


> You might take a look at this. Everything is super light and small because its intended for use in RC airplanes. The LED's supplied with this kit are super bright in my opinion, but the controller can handle others. You may power it any way you like, but input voltage is approximately 6V, so a step down transformer might be needed. I found a tiny one online to reduce the 12V used in my application.
> 
> The coolest feature, though, is the ability to program any flashing sequence you desire on multiple channels if needed. You just download free software and plug into a USB on your PC.
> 
> https://www.dimensionengineering.com/products/delight-starter-kit



Thanks for the suggestions guys. The power on that fixed wing is insane. I like the idea of yours Tom, but those LED's won't be near bright enough to satisfy the FAA I don't believe.


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