justDIY said:
so you want something to catch your eye sometimes, but not catch it other times? that sounds like a contradiction to me
Actually, I don't think it is contradictory. Maybe, it was just not explained well. I want it to be easily visible when looked at, but not distracting when just in one's peripheral vision. Our vision, particularly peripheral vision, is quite sensitive to flashes and rapid movements. It's an evolutionary thing that is easily demonstrated with an old monitor at low refresh rate. It can be very distracting, which is good, if you don't want to be dinner, but bad, if you want to concentrate on flying.
The light is located on the launcher, not the airplane. If the light is not flashing, it means the retriever for the launch line is not properly set...which will result in a VERY short flight
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Thank you for the suggestion about the LED with a built-in shade. I didn't know they were made and will look them up. I tested red, green, white, and yellow LEDs, and red was the most easily seem. As for the 12V, that is the maximum from the battery. Currently, the LED runs directly from the PIC, so it is limited to 5V and the max. pin current. However, using that to drive a simple transistor so I can access 12 V and more current is not a problem.
Thanks. John