Lighting on the UL8 — what already lights up, what’s later

Field visibility. Now: status LEDs on the hardware. Later: real nav/strobe lights once we fly safely.

I was at the bench thinking: “we already have lights, right?” True. Pixhawk blinks. GPS blinks. CAN Hub has a power LED. Handy to see the stack is alive.

Handy to spot the drone at dusk at 80 metres? No. Different problem.

We’re building an AOS UL8 V5 with a Pixhawk 6X Mini. Lighting helps. It is not required for first flights. First: frame, power, radio, GPS, sensors. Then: be easier to see in the field. This page is documentation — what’s already there, what we want, and how ArduPilot can drive LEDs — without ordering a light kit now.

What already lights up (no extra kit)

Where	What	For us
Pixhawk / PM	Status LEDs on the FC stack	Boot / armed / faults (also via GCS)
Micro M9N	GPS LED (no buzzer on Micro)	Fix / status
F9P Helical	Tri-color LED on the module	DroneCAN / GNSS status
CAN Hub	Power LED	Check: external 5 V via XT30 works
H-Flow	IR LED on the board	Optical flow in low light only — not for human eyes

Short: enough for bench checks. Not enough for “where’s that UL8?” in the field.

What we want later

The later backlog already lists LED / buzzer upgrades for field work. Think:

1. Nav-style LEDs — red/green or bright strobes so we see orientation.
2. Arm / status strip — e.g. NeoPixel (WS2812): armed = red, disarm = green, failsafe = blink.
3. Discrete buzzer — sound next to light (Micro M9N has no buzzer). I already miss that on the bench.

We do not order that before first flight. Fly reliably first. Then pick one path — and write params into ArduPilot settings.

How ArduPilot drives LEDs (when we get there)

ArduPilot supports external LEDs and NeoPixel. Wiki:

• External LEDs
• NeoPixel

Typical params (later, once we pick a strip):

• NTF_LED_TYPES — bit for NeoPixel
• NTF_LED_LEN — LED count
• SERVOx_FUNCTION = NeoPixel1…4 (120–123)

On the Pixhawk 6X Mini: MAIN OUT is busy with DShot to the Pacer. Plan LEDs on a free AUX / PWM group — not the motor group. Exact pin when we buy the kit. One of those things I don’t know “from memory” yet — and leave open on purpose.

Options at a glance

Option	Plus	Watch out
NeoPixel / WS2812 on PWM out	ArduPilot supports it; same patterns as GPS LEDs	Own 5 V supply; free PWM group
Simple 5 V LED + relay/GPIO	Cheap	Fewer smart patterns
Standalone strobe (12 V / 6S)	Very visible	Extra wiring, EMI, weight

Power & mounting

• LED strips: separate 5 V (BEC or hub), don’t drain FC 5 V.
• Short cables; common GND.
• No strip against the F9P helical or the LD-06 scan plane.
• Props off for first tests.

What we do now

1. No light kit before first flight.
2. Use GPS / CAN Hub status LEDs in bench checks.
3. After stable flights: pick NeoPixel or strobe → set params → new .param backup.

Read next

• Later backlog
• ArduPilot settings
• Pixhawk 6X Mini
• Ports & wiring
• Step 7 — config

Choice log

Now: existing status LEDs. Later: NeoPixel or strobe (+ optional buzzer), after first flight. Visibility matters — but not before radio, failsafe, and power check out.

Photos