Lume Cube too heavy-motors are working too hard

[HWCM]

Your motors are fine. The P3 was not made to lift and the flight characteristics will dramatically change when adding any weight, especially if it is not well balanced.

Well, I appreciate everyone hijacking my thread that was supposed to be about why is my P3 struggling with the weight of the Lume Cubes.

Back on topic, could my motors need to be replaced? how many hours do motors last? Maybe I'll take a short video and show you guys.

 

[shockwave199]

Well, I appreciate everyone hijacking my thread that was supposed to be about why is my P3 struggling with the weight of the Lume Cubes.

Back on topic, could my motors need to be replaced? how many hours do motors last? Maybe I'll take a short video and show you guys.

Yep, hijacked galore, lol. Sorry about that. Your perception of motors working harder and sporadic flight is just that, your perception. Does this happen every time? Does your bird fly better without them? Was it windy that day? Do you have vps on? Define sporadic flight please. And yes, a video of the problem would be helpful.

 

[HWCM]

I have made something similar. But its a spotlight and not a strobe. I used a PC board similar to the one shown, only I used three 3 Watt LEDs and a LED driver. Then used lenses on each individual LED so the beam is at 20 degrees. I run it off of a small 3S lipo. The thing is super bright.
I got the PC boards, drivers, LEDs and lenses off of ebay. Enough parts to build five of them cost me $10.

No mention on power draw. It's easy to make a bright strobe - just get a bigger battery. With little batteries, not so much. Basically the info on that product is useless and the price is pretty hefty.

 

[RedHotPoker]

The P3 was not made to lift and the flight characteristics will dramatically change when adding any weight, especially if it is not well balanced.

Actually you are sadly mistaken, if referring to the Lume cubes, as they are very well balanced, aren't too heavy for my Phantom 3 Pro, and do nothing to change flight characteristics negatively. As noted by myself and others, partcuarly on the DJI forum, as that's where several of us with Lume Cubes congregate, we are still getting a great & wonderful 20 mins aloft on a fully charged intelligent flight battery.
YMMV, and that's fine if you chose to buy something different, wish all good luck. Losing orientation, of your prized drone 'would-chuck"...

RedHotPoker

 

[HWCM]

If he is using one hanging off of one side...It would be unbalanced. Thank you for your opinion though.
PS, I do not loose orientation.

Actually you are sadly mistaken, if referring to the Lume cubes, as they are very well balanced, aren't too heavy for my Phantom 3 Pro, and do nothing to change flight characteristics negatively. As noted by myself and others, partcuarly on the DJI forum, as that's where several of us with Lume Cubes congregate, we are still getting a great & wonderful 20 mins aloft on a fully charged intelligent flight battery.
YMMV, and that's fine if you chose to buy something different, wish all good luck. Losing orientation, of your prized drone 'would-chuck"...

RedHotPoker

 

[RedHotPoker]

Yep, hijacked galore, lol. Sorry about that. Your perception of motors working harder and sporadic flight is just that, your perception. Does this happen every time? Does your bird fly better without them? Was it windy that day? Do you have vps on? Define sporadic flight please. And yes, a video of the problem would be helpful.

Yes, I'm also curious to see the actual evidence of "sporadic" he speaks of, being the first and only one to ever mention this. I frequent many popular RC forums, and this is a first time hearing it.
If there are others voicing this similar thought, please post links. Thanks.

RedHotPoker

 

[shockwave199]

The thing is, you do and will want the Pro app, because it gives the pilot complete control of them. There are numerous setting values that the two onboard buttons, don't access. In the app is a slide bar that controls intensity brightness and how you want the lights to function. It shows you connectivity value also remaining battery life. Here's an example, You can choose to set one of three different strobe modes, and not only on one of ten power settings but anywhere in between, like a dimmer switch. It shows you actual power percent from 1%~100%. I'm not sure why you would want to be recording video with a strobe light flickering, outside of a disco. ;-)
These lights were designed & manufactured mostly with photography in mind, so please use them wisely. But yes, they could be turned, in such a way, that the camera wouldn't notice them, while recording.
Ah, as far as battery life, in your phone, once the drone lifts off, remember you can now turn off the Pro app. The lights can run fine, independently. Just swipe if away...

Hope I have answered some of your more intriguing questions, well enough.

RedHotPoker

I appreciate your patience, thank you. You have been helpful. I don't wish to record night video with a light flickering but alas, the faa stipulates a navi light must be used for the daylight waiver and the 3 statute mile verbiage precludes the phantoms own lights and something like a polar pro setup. So, whatever the product it has to push some serious lumens. And, that will have to be worked with when you're recording at night but you're not in need of any additional light. I've gone through great trouble to get the front of my bird dark for night filming, while still being a well lit bird up there. Now, I'll probably have to re-tweak again to accommodate the daylight waiver.

 

[RedHotPoker]

If he is using one hanging off of one side...It would be unbalanced. Thank you for your opinion though.
PS, I do not loose orientation.

But then Why use but one, as they come as a pair, in the drone kit, of your choice. You/We may Even choose bracket color. Hehe

We all, have lost orientation numerous times, unless you are only a backyard and rumpus room pilot, which is why a spotter should be more mandatory than mini lighthouse beacons. I digress. Chuckles
Fly farther if you haven't yet lost it. Yes, go out a few miles and look down at the screen for a second, just to check battery life... Oops
Follow the green line back. Ask not, how I know this?? Thank you.
With my Lume Cubes brilliantly shining, I have never even come close to losing visual line of sight to my bird of paradise! ;-)
It's just there, right there, see it??

RedHotPoker

 

[shockwave199]

If he is using one hanging off of one side...It would be unbalanced. Thank you for your opinion though.
PS, I do not loose orientation.

I tend to agree with that. I wouldn't have only one cube hanging off one side. That can't do anything good for balance. I would prefer one on each side for balance, and of course hello to more than 160 bucks to do it. I could do 50 bucks a piece without blinking but 80, that's a light of a different color.

 

[Huskerfan]

I have 2 cubes and a P3 Pro and a P3 Advanced. I ran them last night on my advanced and the motors were not acting the same (meaning they were acting normally). I'll grab a short video and post it back here.

 

[RedHotPoker]

I appreciate your patience, thank you. You have been helpful. I don't wish to record night video with a light flickering but alas, the faa stipulates a navi light must be used for the daylight waiver and the 3 statute mile verbiage precludes the phantoms own lights and something like a polar pro setup. So, whatever the product it has to push some serious lumens. And, that will have to be worked with when you're recording at night but you're not in need of any additional light. I've gone through great trouble to get the front of my bird dark for night filming, while still being a well lit bird up there. Now, I'll probably have to re-tweak again to accommodate the daylight waiver.

Hey, thanks, it's actually been my distinct pleasure. Awesome to be of the lucky early adopters, the first ones, to have brought these on, up front for the drone. Eh, Who knows, perhaps in the near future the prices will come down. Been quite the several interesting and welcomed conversations about Lume Cubes on the forums. Funnnnunununn Seems like some though, are more willing to butt heads like stubborn billiegoats than face several known facts and admit the absolute truth.
AFAIK, Lume Cubes are currently the most powerful and versatile drone photography lights available today. I know there are several alternative solutions to every problem, but so far, these seem to be the best constructed, with the highest bench marks, for my money.
I admit, they are indeed pricey little investments, but they will surely pay their fair-fare, with ease... So many unique ways, for me, can these be used. Heck, I have already rigged up a cool tripod bracket for mine, making them now, much more useful in numerous photography scenarios for me. I can set these up and control them from a distance. I have placed the free Pro app on both of my iPads.

Totally versatile, in a fashionable sense.

My Nikon D800 thanks me, and I'm hopeful, so will many of you, learn to appreciate them in the DSLR photography you do, too.

RedHotPoker

 

[RedHotPoker]

I tend to agree with that. I wouldn't have only one cube hanging off one side. That can't do anything good for balance. I would prefer one on each side for balance, and of course hello to more than 160 bucks to do it. I could do 50 bucks a piece without blinking but 80, that's a light of a different color.

Sorry, but I'm a Libran. So no, unbalanced won't fly with me, at all. Ok to be in frivolous, or is it disfrugal not? Please search for a Promo code offering 10% discount, online, as others have done. ;-)
I used one myself, when I purchased my Phantom 3 Pro' drone kit. Yeah I painlessly acquired my LED set through my PayPal account and off to the horse races we trotted... Giddy up, "Go" horsey.

Life is Definately in HD now my friends, she's very well & good.
A Future so bright, like Corey Hart, "I wear my sunglasses at night."

RedHotPoker

 

[Huskerfan]

ok, here I go hijacking my own thread...... But is there any reason you couldn't have both?

I like the light output of the lume cubes but to comply with FAA reg's shouldn't I have blue and red flashers? or is it blue and green?

 

[RedHotPoker]

Green and red. Lume cubes will be releasing an aluminum cage soon, that will magnetically attach colored filters, gels, honey comb, even a barn door. So you, will have your cake and eat it too. Hehe


RedHotPoker

 

[shockwave199]

Magnetic? Hmm.

 

[RedHotPoker]

Electro magnets like those at the scrap yard, not.. Haha

RedHotPoker

 

[montelatici]

It seems to me that the Lume Cube is a great photography lighting tool. Not a navigation light or navigation strobe. At 3.6 oz. per cube, a pair of these will certainly affect the flight dynamics and autonomy of a lightweight drone like the Phantom 3 which weighs about 40 oz. with camera and gimbal.

 

[shockwave199]

I haven't seen the faa specify the navi light be a certain color, for a drone anyway.

 

[TheLightSpeedz]

Actually you are sadly mistaken, if referring to the Lume cubes, as they are very well balanced, aren't too heavy for my Phantom 3 Pro, and do nothing to change flight characteristics negatively. As noted by myself and others, partcuarly on the DJI forum, as that's where several of us with Lume Cubes congregate, we are still getting a great & wonderful 20 mins aloft on a fully charged intelligent flight battery.
YMMV, and that's fine if you chose to buy something different, wish all good luck. Losing orientation, of your prized drone 'would-chuck"...

RedHotPoker

I wish one of these smart guys would also make something lightweight that would allow the LumeCubes to tilt up and down at the same speed as the gimbal.

I'm sure a small servo motor, and tap it into the camera tilt wheel would be awesome! Imagine being able to spotlight and film something


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[RedHotPoker]

We can experiment with cube angle and brightness settings, to suit.
You will find proper refinement for most of your needs. They are so functional, even use these for fill lighting from behind or to the side of your subject, creating awesome effects in your photography.

RedHotPoker