Align cold light string driver....

[Skiddz]

Just picked up a couple lengths of cold light wire and the Align driver... Can this thing be used with a 9V Alkaline/NiCd battery? I.E will it run on 9V instead of 7.2 without cooking anything??

[teeroy]

I have been running one on a 3s lipo for a year with no problems.

[heliguychris]

Ive been running 3s no probs, and they can do 4s, but have a higher failure rate. Still, ive got one that does 4s with about 20 flights on it.

[Skiddz]

Cool.. I'll try it with the 9V battery and see if it's bright enough...

Thx

[Finless]

Why add weight? Just hook it to your balance tap on your flight pack!

I do run a 2 cell TINY lipo (100 ma) which weighs almost nothing but if I didn't have that I would run off the balance tap. So you know i plugged in both my light strings to that 100 ma 2S lipo and it ran for 3 hours and I finally gave up and unplugged. When I charged the lipo it took back all of 20ma. So these things dont draw enough to effect flight time etc.

Bob

[kama1]

will the higher voltage make the glow string brighter?
what wires on the balance tap do you use to power the driver?

[patternrules]

Can't you just plug into receiver for the power source?
Thanks
Steve Maxwell

[Finless]

I would NOT plug in at the RX as the driver puts out some serious "noise". Thus you should be isolated by the BEC/ESC to the RX or rick lockouts etc EVEN on 2.4!!!
This is also why I keep my driver up in the nose of the canopy.

Bob

[patternrules]

Ok thanks Bob figured there would be something like that. So where do you get your 100 mah lipos?
Steve Maxwell

[Finless]

They were given to me by a friend and thus I have NO CLUE where to get them. Sorry :(

But really the BEST thing is to get a balance tap connector and tap into 2 cells (or even 3) of your flight pack! Trust me the cold string driver will NOT burn enough to give your packs a problem!

Bob

[patternrules]

Thanks Bob sounds like a good plan as I have an adaptor that I can make plugs with. I'd like to also mention I was happy that you got the record breaking number at IRCHA as your videos have helped me and the others I have passed they on too, I only started last Nov. with a CP Pro and now a Trex, for me the heli's have made a great winter thing as I'm a pattern flyer and live in Indiana (100 miles from Muncie) and got to go to IRCHA twice even made the night fly after a pattern contest in Ohio on Staurday.
Thanks
Steve Maxwell

[aballen]

This is the battery I use, 2s, 200mah

http://www.commonsenserc.com/product_info.php?cPath=37_31&products_id=223

It is pretty light, I actually velcro it under my battery tray, the same as the battery, just underneath. It comes with a single balance adapter, which is also used for power to save weight.

Ok thanks Bob figured there would be something like that. So where do you get your 100 mah lipos?
Steve Maxwell

[jaywhy]

I would NOT plug in at the RX as the driver puts out some serious "noise". Thus you should be isolated by the BEC/ESC to the RX or rick lockouts etc EVEN on 2.4!!!


So BY the ESC is ok? That's where I was gonna' put mine, close to the ESC, away from RX. That's ok, right?

[JC]

Going off of Bob's example I eyeballed at IRCHA (before that fateful night) for an easy to switch from day to night flying:

I found the Team Losi 180mAh battery and charger combo #LOSB0862 for about $40. The battery is about the same size as the "black box" on the Align light driver.
Since my TP1010 will only go down to .25 amps charge, I figured a safe way to go would be this one with the charger that charges at 150mA.

I've flown 4 times at night now and tested/checked the set-up quite a bit while first setting up for night, and it still seems as bright as the first time I plugged it in. I've not recharged it yet.

I rubberbanded the driver and battery together and velcro'd it in the nose of the canopy. The weight of the two together and the light string on the canopy perfectly offsets the light string I have on the tail and fins.