Tiny Whoop FPV Gate

thingiverse

I wanted a cheap LED Tiny whoop gate and came up with this. You can make an LED gate for around £6-£8. You will need: - LED strip, for this i used 3528 but 5050's would work too example: https://banggood.com/5M-300-LEDs-SMD-3528-Flexible-LED-Strip-Light-Non-Waterproof-DC-12V-p-922277.html - Clear PVC Food pipe 12ID 15OD about 1.3m per gate e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222789645286 - 25mm clear heat shrink 25cm x2 per gate - 4x M3 20mm Screws - 4x M3 nut - Hot glue - LED Driver, there’s many you can use but I like: https://banggood.com/24-Key-Mini-IR-Remote-Controller-For-3528-5050-RGB-LED-Strip-Light-DC-12V-p-976062.html How to assemble: Cut the LED's to length, I use 7 sections per gate (a section is between the two solder pads) Cut the pipe to length about 1.3m is the right length if you wish to integrate the controller Solder the controller to the LED strip, I solder the controller directly to the tape and then hot glue it to protect it Feed the strip light through the pipe and glue in place at either end. I like to cut 8 sections of LED's and use the last section to pull it tight through the pipe. You may find using string makes feeding the LED’s easier. Put some hot glue down the inside of the circle from roughly about 1.5cm from either end up to about 25cm, this will be used to secure the heat shrink to the hoop Slide about 25cm of clear heat shrink over either side of the hoop, this is needed to stop the hoop falling over when the temperature changes. Once the hot glue has dried use the screws, nuts and clamp to secure the hoop to the stand in the upright position Lastly shrink the heat shrink ensuring that the hot glue re-melts. Make sure you form the hoop to the shape you want. I would suggest you check it still works at each stage of assembly as sometimes you can pull the connections off. The heat shrink is an unfortunate requirement as the pipe changes temperature it becomes more flexible and will fall over time. With the heat shrink this doesn't happen. You may also be able to use thicker wall tubing to prevent this.