gliderman Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 hi i have a pap 1400 and want to put a strobe on it i have been looking at the micro avionics strobe on ebay but also need a battery any one out there got any info on this unit and battery to run it cheers gliderman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_P Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I've seen a couple of motors with these or similar fitted. Great improvement in visibility. The current draw is fairly low, so just a NimH battery pack for a radio controlled car should give you a fair run time. I'm working on a couple of el-cheapo solutions/alternatives. One is a pair of smaller strobes, marketed on a well known auction site for car use. I've machined solid clear bar into domes to cover the lights and they work quite well. I just need to find a neat mounting solution for both the lights and the control box. The second solution is a pair of red LED strobes (20 LED's per unit) from the same source. I've seen these mounted as rearward facing lights and they are VERY good, especially given the low cost and the low current consumption. The pair I have can be configured in three different flash patterns, with alternate tripple flashes being particularly effective. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huffhuff Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Could we not use the kinetic energy from the prop to power a dynamo which inturn powers the strobe? I know the weight is negligible, but you wouldn't need to charge etc.. There would be plenty of power to run however many LEDs you wanted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slim Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 The ParaJets have a small dynamo and generate a usable amount of power that is available to drive instruments and the like. It wouldn't be a trivial task to retrofit something to other motors but you'd end up adding as much weight as a small battery pack so probably not worth the effort and the loss in power - if you take energy from the engine to create electricity it ain't giving you as much thrust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_b Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 use a small battery pack and a solar panel. Pete b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 The generator on the Parajet is tiny and light but kicks out a fair umph, enough to power heated clothing. The power lost to the engine I believe is very small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 cant you have small lights on the lines? ya know i am thinking somethin like the ones you get in them head torches there might be six or eight single lights in them seperate them or buy seperate ones if poss on a line? or just trim the edge of ya wing with xmas lights, i did say it might be daft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_b Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 He has a Pap guys. seams a bit much buying a new motor just to power a strobe. Pete b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gallar Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 one minor consideration of course is that when fed from the motor electrics, the strobe she no work if'n it all go quiet astern whereas with a separate battery pack (or starter motor battery pack) a strobe will continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huffhuff Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Good point. If the engine packs up or your gliding in on tickover...no sparkly lights. Take some pedals up with you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliderman Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 thanks guys i got a lot of info on batterys and strobes there cheers gliderman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanhinsaudi Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I also have a PAP 1400 and a Micro Avionics strobe but have yet to successfully fit it, the radius of the half circle clamp was too big for the frame and snapped when I tightened the tie ( I should have known better as I am an engineer!) To test the strobe I used a small 12v sealed lead acid battery but these are quite heavy and the last thing I need is extra weight! Also, I have yet to decide where to place a battery when I install it. My first thought was just to place it in the pocket of the harness but decided after a nano second that was not the smartest place to but a battery as it was more likely to impact the ground in a heavy landing and could generate a spark/fire. If you come up with any good ideas please let me know. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_P Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Well weight versus charge density, you are going to have to go a long way in order to beat a LIon battery. The strobe would probably run on 3 cells but four might be better. A good source for cells is defunct laptop batteries, usually when one of these goes dead it's only one or two cells that dies and the rest are fine. Charging can be problematic as these are rather sensitive to overcharge which can result in quite spectacular fires. I've got round this by using a charger designed for radio modellers. It can charge just about anything from a standard 12V supply (and that includes packs with a higher final voltage than 12V due to the switch mode PSU incorporated). Charging outdoors is a seriously sensible option. Again, you probably wouldn't want to land on these cells, as again, physical damage can start a fire. I wonder how many of us with laptops realise what a potential firebomb we have resting near our groin! If you don't mind the weight issue, then use a Hawker Odyssey battery to run all you electrics, including electric start if you have it. They have fantastic cranking current, tolerate deep discharge, perform well when cold and can be recharged VERY fast. You can also mount them anyway up except inverted, and as they are absorbed gas mat technology, there is no free liquid to leak even if you did manage to bust one (they have metal clad versions that would make this almost impossible). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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