homemade landing pad

And how much is "too" much? Are You a cancer specialist?
What is so wrong, with him basking under the Sun star?
Do you have pangs of Envy, or simply Jealous?
If that is home, and the star shines brightly, wtf?
Hide under a tinfoil umbrella. And pray for rain...

Enjoy the cold wind... Your home.

RedHotPoker
 
Every digital camera I have ever owned (and tested) is sensitive to I.R. so you should be able to see it on your phone/tablet/etc.

It's a great way to test home entertainment remotes.
Its impossible to see infrared without an infrared enabled device. Cameras with IR are more common these days on high end cameras can see it. Other wise I have a few digital cameras that do not and they are not old. I have a set of 3rd generation NVG's that def can see IR. I could be wrong but having the IR on the landing pad would only be useful in complete darkness while using NVG's.
 
Yes, yes there are...
image.jpeg

So, which one are you? ;-)

RedHotPoker
 
Its impossible to see infrared without an infrared enabled device. Cameras with IR are more common these days on high end cameras can see it. Other wise I have a few digital cameras that do not and they are not old. I have a set of 3rd generation NVG's that def can see IR. I could be wrong but having the IR on the landing pad would only be useful in complete darkness while using NVG's.

like I said every digital camera I've tested works. Including my current phone.
 
Ok I got my lights on the landing pad functional. I ended up adding two 12" white LED strips to the sides. The infrared illuminator is bright and shows up well on the Phantom 3's camera. As you can see from the pictures, the white LED strips (they appear blue for some reason) overwhelm the infrared and you can barely see it.

However, the infrared LED can be turned on by itself so you can practice landing in total darkness! Or if you're doing covert ops, you can more easily avoid detection. ;)

Right now it is using a 12v AC power supply and extension cord, but I'll eventually get a battery figured out. I'm thinking a portable USB battery and a 5v to 12v up converter.

I'm very happy with the result and think a landing pad is a great project anyone can do.


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Ok I got my lights on the landing pad functional. I ended up adding two 12" white LED strips to the sides. The infrared illuminator is bright and shows up well on the Phantom 3's camera. As you can see from the pictures, the white LED strips (they appear blue for some reason) overwhelm the infrared and you can barely see it.

However, the infrared LED can be turned on by itself so you can practice landing in total darkness! Or if you're doing covert ops, you can more easily avoid detection. ;)

Right now it is using a 12v AC power supply and extension cord, but I'll eventually get a battery figured out. I'm thinking a portable USB battery and a 5v to 12v up converter.

I'm very happy with the result and think a landing pad is a great project anyone can do.


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Great job!!
 
like I said every digital camera I've tested works. Including my current phone.
We are talking infrared correct? Just asking as I find this really amazing, after working with infrared for years. Wow. Guess I been in the dark..
 
Yup, ~900 nm +/-.

If you have a contemporary cell phone, which includes a camera, and a non-RF remote its really easy to prove.
 
Hey Low_Budget thats great it works for you and you can perfect your night landings.
Have you thought of a power converter run from your car battery that way you can run a lead
to the helipad and operate any ware. (convert car battery from 12 v dc to mains power and
back to 12 v from your adapter a thought).
Cheers, Satellite View
 
@SteveHig that looks great man! Will the LED lights be flashing inwards towards the center? I'd love to spend some time making a landing pad this spring. Let me know if you got a detailed plan for your build you're willing to share.
 
@SteveHig that looks great man! Will the LED lights be flashing inwards towards the center? I'd love to spend some time making a landing pad this spring. Let me know if you got a detailed plan for your build you're willing to share.
no plans to speek of, but going to make another one for my Brother-in-law so I will video doing it and post it on-line. and yes the lights will chase to the center
 
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Cool! Can't wait to see more!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
Hi All, I have also made a Helipad designed for night landing practice, it has some unique features as follows,
1) it has LED's all round and can be controlled with a dimmer
2) it has Blue and Red strobe lights on each corner
3) importantly it is raised off the ground about 5 inches and has holes in the platform which allows the down wash
from the props to flow through and away underneath giving an incredibly smooth landing every time.
4) the power for this is 2 x 11.1v lipo batteries one for the LED's and one for the strobes and are held with Velcro
underneath and provide about 5 hours of power.
5) the helipad folds up for easy transport and the square 5 inch legs slide off.
6) it is about 1.2 meters square so a good size for any aircraft including helicopters.
Photos attached.
regards, all John


View attachment 39267 View attachment 39268
Very nice.
 

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