Ok, I feel really stupid for not being able to figure this out but i figured i'd ask.

I'm just adding some LEDS and can't figure out the directions.

I've attached a picture of what i have. Basically just a +,- from my LED lights. Where does the switch wire in?



I'm using my balance port on to power the LEDS.

Here's what i have.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=8833

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Below the picture of the switch on the Hobbyking page (and just above "Weight 21g") there is a link to wiring diagrams. Click there and follow either diagram. Remember, this is just a switch so you must wire it in series with the load which is LEDs in your case. You appear to have wired it in parallel so if you activate it you will short out your battery pack. That will either destroy the battery pack, switch or both. I hope you haven't already done this.

Originally Posted by electrotor

Below the picture of the switch on the Hobbyking page (and just above "Weight 21g") there is a link to wiring diagrams. Click there and follow either diagram. Remember, this is just a switch so you must wire it in series with the load which is LEDs in your case. You appear to have wired it in parallel so if you activate it you will short out your battery pack. That will either destroy the battery pack, switch or both. I hope you haven't already done this.

NO i didn't do it. Thanks for the instructions. I wired it like the diagram as you can see in this pic, but for some reason the LEDS are just DIM. I can't get them to switch on or off. I'm using a 5 channel receiver though, and have them plugged into channel 5. Maybe i need a 8 channel so i can hook them up to AUX 1 or 2. Still they shouldn't be DIM. It's like the receiver is powering the LEDS.

I just hooked up the switch in between the -(black) cable. Correct?

It's just a switch so it is either open or closed. It cannot control the brightness of the LEDs. I have one too and it doesn't work at all, but I keep meaning to try another.
What I suggest you do is wire up one strip only. If OK add a second strip and so on. All the strips should be wired in parallel. Maybe you have a problem because they are wired in series.

Originally Posted by electrotor

It's just a switch so it is either open or closed. It cannot control the brightness of the LEDs. I have one too and it doesn't work at all, but I keep meaning to try another.
What I suggest you do is wire up one strip only. If OK add a second strip and so on. All the strips should be wired in parallel. Maybe you have a problem because they are wired in series.

Yeah that's what i was thinking about trying.. I'll give it a shot tonight. Honestly, i don't even know why im wasting my time to add this switch when i can just plug in the lights.. I got to plug in the battery anyway

I guess i just wanted to see it work haha

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by faheja

Honestly, i don't even know why im wasting my time to add this switch when i can just plug in the lights.. I got to plug in the battery anyway

I guess i just wanted to see it work haha

Thanks again.

I reached the same conclusion with my switch in the lighting circuit. If I needed the lights for flying then why would I want to switch them off anyway. And besides it is just extra weight and something more to go wrong. I now plug the lighting loom directly into the balance connector.
The switch is still useful but only for something that you actually need to operate in-flight.

Originally Posted by electrotor

I reached the same conclusion with my switch in the lighting circuit. If I needed the lights for flying then why would I want to switch them off anyway. And besides it is just extra weight and something more to go wrong. I now plug the lighting loom directly into the balance connector.
The switch is still useful but only for something that you actually need to operate in-flight.

Yeah haha. I do the same exact thing!

I just tested this switch, it works great. Did your switch come with a wiring diagram? Did you wire per the drawing?

The switch goes on the +side of the ciruit you want to wire.

With the jumper posts on your lower left, the receiver cable on your upper left, and your thick wires on the right, the bottom red wire goes to your battery+, and the top red wire goes to the power of your LEDs. Then you have to remember to connect the ground/- of your LEDs to the battery ground/-. This is for single battery operation. For dual battery operation, it is the same, except you need to connect the grounds of both batteries together.

One thing that might be confusing is on my switch, the provided diagram showed the wrong label. I believe they may have a manufacturing issue where they don't always put the labels on the way they show in the circuit diagram. But if you wire the way I describe above, it should work out for you.

I reached the same conclusion with my switch in the lighting circuit. If I needed the lights for flying then why would I want to switch them off anyway.

I switch them on and off during flight. I have more than one set of lights on my plane. looks good and gets the crowd going when the plane suddenly blacks out and goes into stealth mode.

Here is a diagram that I made for myself. Maybe it will help you guys wire yours up.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1172097

LED strips are designed to be connected in parallel (switch & switch 2), not series (switch 3).

LED strips are designed to be connected in parallel (switch & switch 2), not series (switch 3).

Thanks for bringing that up. Can you point us to an authoritative source that confirms this assertion? Aren't the sections already wired in series with a separate resistor? Are you indicating that wiring them in series will damage the circuit or that there simply would be a voltage drop and reduced brightness?

While there would be a real advantage in brightness by wiring in parallel across a large amount of led strips, that advantage is negligible for a couple of small sections, a few single leds, or perhaps even a 1m strip. I offered the series diagram for the situation where the additional wire weight, configuration, or layout precludes wiring in parallel. In most instances, however, since we are mainly trying to achieve maximum brightness with the LED strips, wiring in parallel is the obvious circuit choice.

Originally Posted by Bombay

Thanks for bringing that up. Can you point us to an authoritative source that confirms this assertion? Aren't the sections already wired in series with a separate resistor? Are you indicating that wiring them in series will damage the circuit or that there simply would be a voltage drop and reduced brightness?

While there would be a real advantage in brightness by wiring in parallel across a large amount of led strips, that advantage is negligible for a couple of small sections, a few single leds, or perhaps even a 1m strip. I offered the series diagram for the situation where the additional wire weight, configuration, or layout precludes wiring in parallel. In most instances, however, since we are mainly trying to achieve maximum brightness with the LED strips, wiring in parallel is the obvious circuit choice.

Each group of three leds forms a set which is wired in series. All the other groups of three on the strip are wired in parallel to this. You can happily cut the strips into as many groups of three as you prefer as long as you cut where one group ends and another starts.
The strips, however long or short are rated to work off 2-3 cell LiPos. The voltage range is therefore 7.4 - 11.1 volts approx. Using 3 cells will give a much brighter output, but 2 cells will work OK-ish. I doubt if there would even be a faint glow with 1 cell. What does that tells us then? The forward voltage of each LED is around 2.3 volts. Multiply that by 3 LEDs in series and you get 6.9V. Just enough for 2 cells to cope with but not 1 cell. Easy for 3 cells. Wiring any two strips in series, however many groups of three LEDs there are in each strip will require that the power supply can supply enough voltage to cope with 2 x 6.9V = 13.8V. No good for three cells then.

If you don't believe me try if for yourself.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=8944

http://www.afterdarkled.com/AfterDar...%20Diagram.pdf
(the extension cables are 3 wire type because they are servo extension cables. Only two of the wires are used)

http://www.afterdarkled.com/3%20Sets...ide%20Size.JPG
(the top strip is a multi-colour type, hence the 4 wire connection, although only one colour is used. the three SMD resistors are for the three colour circuits.)

I have some data on LED strips from hobby partz. I'm not sure if they are the same as the ones from hobbyking, but they are wired as electrotor describes. One resistor in series with three LEDs forms a group. Several groups are wired in parallel.

Originally Posted by N6145k

I have some data on LED strips from hobby partz. I'm not sure if they are the same as the ones from hobbyking, but they are wired as electrotor describes. One resistor in series with three LEDs forms a group. Several groups are wired in parallel.

Correct, the strips contain 3 leds in series and those series are wired in parallel. I think we all agree on that.

If what electrotor stated is correct, then a 3s ~12v would not be enough to power them. However, I do believe I have wired them in series before (3-4 3" segments). I guess I will have to try it.

The forward voltage of each LED is around 2.3 volts. Multiply that by 3 LEDs in series and you get 6.9V. Just enough for 2 cells to cope with but not 1 cell. Easy for 3 cells. Wiring any two strips in series, however many groups of three LEDs there are in each strip will require that the power supply can supply enough voltage to cope with 2 x 6.9V = 13.8V. No good for three cells then.

Ah, when you say wire in series, what do you mean?

The two solder dots after every group of three can be soldered to the next group of three's solder dots. + to +, - to -. That would still be parallel.

For any group of three, do an ohm test between the + on the left, and the + on the right to confirm.