Flashing beeper

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AX1

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Hi,

I have done this simple beeper with powerfull flashing LED:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6tb76LirxM

These new powerfull LEDs flash like mad, unfortunately flashing can't be seen well in the video. Next version will beep during the day for 1 hour and flash during night also for 1 hour. Prototype is already working on my desk :)

As it is it fits into 18mm rocket and weights 22 grams incl. battery.

This is a version of "older" brother:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqqlMNDbZ6E

which is even smaller and lighter but it has no flashing LED.
 
Are you selling these?

How long does the current one last on a battery?

Battery lasts many years in my very first prototype. For a real test I would have to design a device which would turn device ON/OFF and measure SPL (sound pressure level) + time. Just for a laugh I left one device beeping constantly. It was beeping just a bit less then 24 hours, when I turned it off. After few days I turned it on again and battery recovered so that it beeped on again for one hour or so.
Normaly one does not leave beeper on for many hours so I expect that battery should last many launches.

Device is not serially made (yet), but if interested to test send me PM.
 
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Wow that's cooooooooooooooool!

I'll make one of these! Decision made! I'll order parts right-a-way!

P.S. Is the name copyrighted?
 
Okay...this is cruel...You can't just show us rocket junkies something like this without doing one of the following:

1. You provide a link to where we can buy them.
2. Provide plans so we can build it.

Otherwise it's considered tourture. SHEEZ! :D j/k

Seriously though...Looks really cool! You should sell them.

-Dave
 
Hi,

DexterLB, name is in the process of copyright.

DAllen, WeeBee can be bought at Sierrafox (<[email protected]>). I was contacting some American distributors, but I got no reply from them :(

Maybe you guys should encourage them and start asking for the WeeBee and it's "brother" with powerful flashing LED.
 
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That's really cool. I've seen designs for personal-alarm rocket locators, but they are much too bulky to put in smaller models.

If you want to size up your competition, here's the link to the Pratt MicroBeacon:

https://www.pratthobbies.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MB-12

Do you know exactly how loud your device is (in decibels, or some unit of measurement)?
 
Do you know exactly how loud your device is (in decibels, or some unit of measurement)?

Yes: beeper is declared to have SPL (sound pressure level) 85 dB @ 0.1m (3,94 inch). Well, it's one of the loudest we could find which operate at 5V and have such a high SPL. All other beepers are miles away. I can easily hear it in distance of over 50 meters (164 feet), while flash can be seen on a much larger distance. I will check your link.
 
Sounds good... (no pun intended) You could market it as a device for night launches too, I suppose, since the flashing LED would create a really cool effect.
 
, I suppose, since the flashing LED would create a really cool effect.

Oh I can imagine it, gliding down and flashing :D

I wish I could record flashing during night to be adequate - imagine flash that airplane has - well this flash is kind a smaller, less powerfull, but still very well seen flash!
 
Oh I can imagine it, gliding down and flashing :D

I wish I could record flashing during night to be adequate - imagine flash that airplane has - well this flash is kind a smaller, less powerfull, but still very well seen flash!

Yeah, I;ve always thought about adding interesting elements to the otherwise boring descent of a rocket, like those smoke-bombs they sell around the 4th of July, but I figured it's way too risky to put pyrotechnic devices on a rocket that might land somewhere you don't want it to.

The light would be much cooler than the glow-sticks that some people use!
 
Yep, this is some good stuff for night launches!

We had a couple night launches last fall. I have one of our club guy's rockets still on my mantle that I recovered about 11pm that night after everyone left. He flew a secondhand (rocket that he found after someone else lost it) payloader with a clear payload bay, with a flashing LED 'beer bottle' gag lapel pin his wife bought for him for the night launch. It was still happily blinking away when I walked up to the rocket-- could see it from 50 feet away.

Unfortunately, the other rocket lost that night was a Blue Ninja sporting glow sticks... not good. Glow sticks aren't very bright and don't last more than a couple hours at best. I did FINALLY find that rocket in the pasture one COLD morning when I was feeding cows, laying not 50 yards from my Dad's back door, in the adjoining pasture from where we were launching. It had been on the ground out there for nearly 60 days, but since we had SO little rain this winter was in remarkably good condition, and completely intact. The sparkly tube wrapper had faded badly, but everything else with the possible exception of the chute was in decent shape.

I personally launched a Bertha clone with a 24mm mount in it carrying one of those rotating LED toys they sell for kids, with the spinning ring inside with LED's around the perimeter that are timed to blink in patterns... easily visible and really cool looking going up and coming down! Takes a "D" motor to get the thing off the ground thoughl; those things are HEAVY! I called it my 'Warp Drive' model...:)

Yall have a good one! OL JR :)
 
Hi,

well this is the best that I could record, but really looks much better in live. Here is the video of low power flash, and here is the powerfull version. In the first video LED is driven with microcontroller, in the second via 2 powerfull FETs. I will have to launch both to see how they perform in the air, but on ground I could see them ways over 100 meters, especially the strongest one.
 
Hi,

well this is the best that I could record, but really looks much better in live. Here is the video of low power flash, and here is the powerfull version. In the first video LED is driven with microcontroller, in the second via 2 powerfull FETs. I will have to launch both to see how they perform in the air, but on ground I could see them ways over 100 meters, especially the strongest one.

Is there any way you can increase the flashing speed so that it looks more like a strobe light?
 
Is there any way you can increase the flashing speed so that it looks more like a strobe light?

Sure I can - this is a test version on my desk. I could maybe make 3-4 quick flash strobes and then have a longer pause.

This however would dramatically increase power consuption, not to mention heating of LED, means LED should be mounted on suitable heatsink :(
 
wow that is really cool. ive been looking for a small little noise making flashing device to make it much easier to find rockets
 
Imagine night rocket launch, rocket in the dark launches off and as it flies it starts to flash during the flight and then when shute opens flashes all the way down...

During daytime it would beep all the way down.
 
Hi,

I got first tests of Flashing WeeBee from Stefano. That's what he wrote:

We tested the Flashing WeeBee, as I promised. We couldn't do it in the darkness for many reason, it was at sunset.
We put it in a slow rocket on purpose, to see if it is activated by relatively slow motors (D class). When the rocket was coming down we have been able to hear the beep very well. I cannot tell if it has been activated by the lift-off or by some shaking during parachute ejection, but either are good as at ejection there is always a strong shaking.

It was not flashing, however. When it came down, I took the WeeBee and I partially covered the light sensor with an hand and the flashing started. The sun wasn't completely down, however.

Another test I did is to let it beeping and go away to see how far the sound can be heard. It was amazing, I was at 300 meters and I was still hearing it like it was at 5 meters from me. The trick is the frequency, I believe. It's perfect because when you look for a fallen rocket you know more or less the area where it is, while you don't know the exact point. If you walk within 300 meters (or more) from the fallen rocket you will hear the beep and you will find the rocket easily.

All in all it's a great product.


Anybody interested in testing Flashing WeeBee? I've got few of them that are meant to be given away (for free) for testing... Send me a PM if interested.
 
Hi,

few WeeBees will be given to Ozzies and to the USA rocketeers who have contacted me today. There is one Flashing WeeBee available for European fliers.
 
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