DJI Mini 3 Strobe Light/Landing Gear System

If, like me, you fly in an area where there is almost always a haze layer, or you are at a distance, then you know that your drone is visually hard to re-acquire after looking down at your screen. To solve this problem and to facilitate flying at night, remember the FAA requires that your drone have a strobe that can be seen for at least 3 miles, I experimented with several strobe light systems. I finally settled on the Symik Drone Strobe Light GS600 (www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMFR8W4C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1) as my solution.

While many reviews say that the Firehouse strobes are slightly brighter, they are also 3 times more expensive and way harder to get.

Supplies

Symik Drone Strobe Light GS600 (www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMFR8W4C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)

3D Printer

PLA filament

Sandpaper

Step 1: Design/Print

When I got my strobe, I experimented with its placement and found that while a strobe on the top was probably the best for night flying, that for day flying the strobe needed to be on the bottom. The problem with that is that the strobe was too thick and held the drone off the ground and it would tip on it’s side and the props would hit the ground at both takeoff and landing. That left me with two options, one hand launch and catch, not very safe, or build some sort of landing gear to get the strobe off the ground. I chose the second option.

I fired up Fusion 360 and designed a set of landing gears that are a tight fit to the strobe case and then secured the whole setup to the drone using the Velcro attached to the strobe. The landing gear was 3D printed using PLA, 100% fill, no supports or skirts. The .stl is attached. 

Step 2: System Assembly

After printing lay the strobe on your table lights up. Place the Landing Gear around the strobe with the charging USB port matching the leave-out on the landing gear. Press the landing gear down on the strobe with the legs sticking straight up. It may require a little adjusting with some sandpaper to get a good fit. Push down until the bottom edge of the landing gear aligns with the bottom of the strobe, not the bottom of the Velcro. It’s not necessary but you can use some super glue to lock the strobe into the landing gear.    

I found that it was important to make sure the strobe was mounted as far back from the sensors as possible. As you can see I placed the Velcro to the rear making sure it didn’t get on the battery.

Step 3: Conclusion

The addition of the bottom strobe and the landing gear make the drone over 250g but all that means is that you need to register it with the FAA. That takes about 5 minutes and cost $5, then your are legal to fly.

For night time use I attach a Symik GS600 on both the top and the bottom, and trust me airliners can see my drone from 40,000 feet.

Enjoy and fly safe and legal!!