You mean all the panels behind the leading edge in white?

The fuse is going to be all white.

Yeah.. only colors on the leading edge of the wings and maybe a racing stripe on the fuse?

Glassing the center of the wing.


Cut your fiberglass cloth so the fibers are at a 45 degree to any long edges. This prevents fraying along the edges.

Use thin CA to tack down one end, then pull it tight enough to get the wrinkles out and produce a smooth surface.

Use an old credit card or room key to squeege 30 minute epoxy on as sparingly as you can but still filling the weave.

Tack down the other end with CA.

Hit it with a heat gun to make the epoxy thin out and make a glassy surface.

Let epoxy set, then trim the edges.

I wanted lasers on the wing tips, pointing forward. I have not found any laser diodes that really make a nice visible beam. This one puts out a nice beam but unless there are some particles in the air, it does not show up. That may not be a problem since at Summersville it's usually foggy at night or at least the smoke from fireworks floating in the air.

Can anyone suggest a good visible green laser diode?

Green would be the best color for visibility... unfortunately I don't know where to buy one. I would also look for something around 15mW if you can find it.

It looks like you finally got the red laser diode working. What prevented it from working before?

This is a different one. It has a lens on the front to focus the beam. I never got the other diodes to work.

Ahh.. A cluster of red ones on one wing tip and green on the other would be pretty cool...

Hrmm...

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9906

I looked at that laser and it had all kinds of warnings and cautions, sounds dangerous.......

So I ordered 2 of them.

Originally Posted by Barn-E-Stormer

I looked at that laser and it had all kinds of warnings and cautions, sounds dangerous.......

So I ordered 2 of them.

Like!!

I decided to go with my original color scheme. It will have colored panels behind the leading edge. I hope to get one side wired up temporary and see what it looks like with white covering. May have to use some transparent red and green on the leading edge panels.

Added this small piece of CF rod to support the LED strips. It might even add some strength. The strip is glued to the CF rod on one end and I cut a slit in the trailing edge and glued the other end into it. The leading edge panels are on circuit by their self, and I plan to leave them on all the time. The bays are wired to the RGB controller. I am going to add a socket to the wing tip for the lasers to plug into and be removable instead of built into the wing.

Wing

This is with a piece of white Oracover laid over top of the wing. Keep in mind the backing is still on the covering. Should be even brighter with the backing off.

I don't think it needs any transparent covering. The colors shine thru the white just fine.