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This product has
been discontinued and is no longer available for sale.
The Programmable Light Controller is a full featured lighting system for your scale aircraft that lets you customize the operation of the device to suit your unique model and your tastes.
The Programmable Light Controller has the following features:
- 3 always on connection points useful for navigation lights
- 2 independently configurable landing lights, switched by your transmitter
- 2 independently configurable warning lights, switched by your transmitter
- 3 independently configurable anti-collision strobe lights
- Two independently switched lighting ports to enable/disable landing lights and warning lights.
- Built in 5V voltage regulator allows you to use your receiver or a separate battery pack for power
- Uses a programming cable to connect the device to the serial port of your PC for programming purposes.
- No special host software required for programming. Uses the terminal emulator software already installed on your PC.
- Compatible with your existing Curtek lights. Simply plug them right in!
- Add "Y" harness to expand the light system with additional LEDs as necessary.
Additional details:
The navigation lights are always on when the controller is powered.
There are 2 independent landing lights. Each light may be configured as solid or blinking. If the light is blinking, you specify the on and off time to control the blinking pattern. Both landing lights are enabled and disabled at the same time by a single channel on your transmitter. The controller lets you apply electronic servo reverse if you need it. And if you would rather not use a channel to control the landing lights, simply configure them to be always enabled, and the radio input will be ignored.
There are 2 independent warning lights. Warning lights normally cycle back and forth. When one light is on, the other is off. Both warning lights are enabled and disabled at the same time by another single channel on your transmitter. You choose the on time duration for the two warning lights to match the exact timing of your scale subject. The port may be reprogrammed so that it is always on when the warning light port is enabled. In this mode, it may be used to activate a night sun or any other light you wish. For example, you could choose to put your navigation lights on this port in order to enable or disable them from your transmitter. The controller lets you apply electronic servo reverse if you need it. And if you would rather not use a channel to control the warning lights / aux light port, simply configure them to be always enabled, and the radio input will be ignored.
There are 3 independent anti-collision strobe lights. Each light has 4 parameters that let you fully customize the strobe lights. The strobe lights implement a "double strobe". They flash twice quickly, then cycle. You control the cycle including:
1) the initial time delay before the LED flashes
2) the duration of the actual flash
3) the pause between the "double strobe"
4) the delay until the cycle repeats
With this level of programmability, you can choose to operate the strobe lights in lock-step with each other, or you can choose to model the chaotic nature of some real strobe light systems. Often times, the strobe lights are independent lights that are not linked to each other electrically. They blink at the FAA legal rates, but they are not slaved to each other so they eventually get out of synchronization. With the options available to you in the Programmable Light Controller, you can purposely add skew to the strobe light sequence to achieve precisely the effect that you are looking for.
All time intervals are programmed with 10 millisecond granularity. That means, a warning light could be programmed with an "on-time" of 500ms, 510ms, 650ms, 5000ms etc but not 501ms.
You'll notice that the voltage regulator is built in. This is not an add-on item. A voltage regulator is a necessity for any lighting system to ensure that the proper voltage is provided to your LEDs. It will ensure their long life.
A separate power cable is already wired so that you can choose to plug it into your receiver or into a separate battery pack for power.
The programming is accomplished through a set of interactive text based menus that appear on your terminal emulator. If you run Microsoft Windows, it includes a free terminal emulator, called HyperTerm. You configure it for a simple 9600 baud 8,N,1 direct connection and you'll be able to communicate with the light controller. If you have a different operating system, you can use the terminal emulator on your computer to accomplish the same thing. You do not need to install any custom add-on software to program the device.
Curtek lights are 100% compatible with the Helitronix Programmable Light Controller. You can retrofit your existing installation by simply swapping it out with this new light controller.
The Programmable Light Controller is sold without LEDs and without the programming cable. It has a regular selling price of $55.00. The programming cable has a regular selling price of $15.00.
The light controller weighs 45 grams and measures 1.2" W x 4.0" L x 0.56" H.
Helitronix Programmable Light Controller Instruction Manual
