Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 02:41:05 -1000 From: KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) Message-Id: <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za> Organization: PENINSULA TECHNIKON Subject: kite lights Bull Electrical, Wolverhampton, UK is selling very thin (0.5mm), strong (28 lb), 4-core cable at 14.99 sterling for 4.2 km lengths. Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power source ? cheers Deon Kallis kallis@eleceng.pentech.ac.za = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 09:12:55 -1000 From: dgomberg@ednet1.osl.or.gov (David Gomberg) Message-Id: <199412051912.AA23851@ednet1.osl.or.gov> Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: kite lights Deon Kallis recently asked, "Has anyone tried hooking their kite lights to a ground based power source?" Back in about 1989, my father-in-law came up to a festival here on the coast. He's a bit of a "tinkerer" and spent the day in his hotel room, sewing Christmas lights onto a 14' delta. The lights were connected to a lightweight telephone wire, and that was connected to a transformer. And the transformer was connected to a "portable" 12 volt car battery. Unfortunately, about the time the night fly started, the wind dropped off (doesn't it always?). Dad was brokenhearted. So being a good son-in-law, I suggested he run the kite up into the air. My job was to run along side with the battery and transformer. We had the only kite in the air - for about three minutes. BTW - I wouldn't recommend using conductive line on a kite for anyone, other than fathers-in-law. And I wouldn't recommend running around with a car battery to anyone. :) Good Winds! -- David Gomberg phone: 503-996-3083 7200 Highland Road fax: 503-994-9692 Otis, Oregon 97368 USA = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 07:15:03 -1000 From: silntobsvr@aol.com (SilntObsvr) Message-Id: <3bvhqn$3md@newsbf01.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: kite lights In article <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za>, KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) writes: >Bull Electrical, Wolverhampton, UK is selling very thin (0.5mm), >strong (28 lb), 4-core cable at 14.99 sterling for 4.2 km lengths. > >Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power >source ? > >cheers > >Deon Kallis > >kallis@eleceng.pentech.ac.za Wouldn't that violate the basic safety rule against flying with metal lines? Especially with lines >made< to conduct? +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SilntObsvr@aol.com | This .sig brought to you by the Geoworks | | Owner/Operator of | Ensemble 2.01 Text File Editor, substituting | | TableTop Publications | for features left out of the AOL newsreader. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | All opinions expressed are my own, and should in no way be mistaken | | for those of the reader. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 4 Dec 1994 22:44:40 -1000 From: crowell@teleport.com (Carl Crowell) Message-Id: Organization: Kites By Carl Crowell Subject: Re: kite lights In article <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za> KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) writes: >From: KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) >Subject: kite lights >Date: 5 Dec 94 12:41:05 GMT >Bull Electrical, Wolverhampton, UK is selling very thin (0.5mm), >strong (28 lb), 4-core cable at 14.99 sterling for 4.2 km lengths. >Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power >source ? It is easier and lighter to use fiber optic cable and pulse lasers. that way the light source and the energy source are on the ground. You can also go for flourecent tubes with microwave transducers and a ground based microwave transmitter. this is really usefull in flights 500 to 10,000 feet hight. My personal fave. is flourecent dies and an IR cannon on the ground. this is the lightest and most dependable method that i have ever seen. carl ___________________________________________________ email: crowell@teleport.com FTP: ftp.teleport.com/pub/users/crowell WWW: http://www.teleport.com/~crowell Kites By Carl Crowell - O.S.F.M. World Headquarters = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 22:42:06 -1000 From: era_pul@ki.ericsson.se (Peter Ulfheden ) Message-Id: <1994Dec6.084206.28248@ericsson.se> Organization: Ericsson Radio Systems AB, Sweden Subject: Re: kite lights Carl Crowell (crowell@teleport.com) wrote: : In article <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za> KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) writes: : >Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power : >source ? [snip] : My personal fave. is flourecent dies and an IR cannon on the ground. this is : the lightest and most dependable method that i have ever seen. Carl, Wouldn't it be better if you used your UV cannon instead? I think it will lighten up your flourucents far better than your IR. Peter -- []-------------------------------------------------[] | Peter Ulfheden | era_pul@ki.ericsson.se | | Amorinav. 3 | or petulf@saaf.se | | S-191 44 Sollentuna | Phone: +46 8 751 02 15 | | SWEDEN | Fax: +46 8 35 04 29 | []-------------------------------------------------[] = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 23:29:37 -1000 From: crowell@teleport.com (Carl Crowell) Message-Id: Organization: Kites By Carl Crowell Subject: Re: kite lights DOUHP!!! DOUHP!!! DOUHP!!! like I said... I always get those mixed up !!! ___________________________________________________ email: crowell@teleport.com FTP: ftp.teleport.com/pub/users/crowell WWW: http://www.teleport.com/~crowell Kites By Carl Crowell - O.S.F.M. World Headquarters = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 23:22:44 -1000 From: crowell@teleport.com (Carl Crowell) Message-Id: Organization: Kites By Carl Crowell Subject: Re: kite lights era_pul@ki.ericsson.se (Peter Ulfheden ) writes: >Carl, >Wouldn't it be better if you used your UV cannon instead? I think >it will lighten up your flourucents far better than your IR. DOUHP!!! soooo true.... I always get those silly wave forms mixed up. UV/IR one melts the kite the other fries it... The UV cannon is to toast yer hands on these chilly Northwest beaches (50 deg in August at night!) the IR unit is to light the kites.... it can be embarassing when you throw the switch and everyones hands get tan and the kites just take on a warm glow. carl (if it wern't for the staples... I'd loose my head.) ___________________________________________________ email: crowell@teleport.com FTP: ftp.teleport.com/pub/users/crowell WWW: http://www.teleport.com/~crowell Kites By Carl Crowell - O.S.F.M. World Headquarters = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 7 Dec 1994 14:20:27 -1000 From: mark@murder.demon.co.uk (Mark de Roussier) Message-Id: <786871227snx@murder.demon.co.uk> Organization: damage Subject: Re: kite lights In article crowell@teleport.com (Carl Crowell) writes: > In article <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za> KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) writes: > >From: KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) > >Subject: kite lights > >Date: 5 Dec 94 12:41:05 GMT > > >Bull Electrical, Wolverhampton, UK is selling very thin (0.5mm), > >strong (28 lb), 4-core cable at 14.99 sterling for 4.2 km lengths. > > >Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power > >source ? > [ crowell sagacity deleted..] Carl clearly has the edge in the advice stakes here, but I have a story along these lines. When the rest of our club and most of the guests were indoors partying after our second festival, I was still out on the field flying in the floodlights. Up pulls a large estate car ( 'station wagon' ) into the deserted car park. A couple of guys get out, and stand around sniffing the wind. I wander over to say hi. Turns out they'd come a few hundred miles because they'd heard there might be some night flying, and this was all they did ! A short while later, the wind picked up a bit, and they got out a large dual keeled delta. Fine, I thought - there must be a few LEDs on it somewhere. Eventually the floodlights go out, and they manage to get it a hundred feet or so up, but no sign of lights. Then I noticed the wire, which was dangling to the ground >From the bridle point. Next thing I know, one of them is dragging a large wheeled orange thing from the back of the car - a portable generator in fact ! This is when I begin to realise these guys are *serious*. Shortly afterwards, having fended off a couple of curious security guards, they plug it in, and turn it on. Yowzah ! This delta lights up like something out of Close Encounters ! In addition to various static lights, a variety of variable and sequenced lights, controlled by a custom built sequencer, make it seem to writhe and pulsate in the sky. Beneath the main body of the kite is a mesh veil ( hence invisible in its own right ), with its own light pattern, apparently suspended in mid air ( it seems this didn't deploy properly, but it was still impressive ). My only regret is that, apart from the fact that they were from Kent, I didn't get their names. The wire they used was nothing special - moderately light weight bell wire, as far as I could tell. The wire you are describing sounds like control cable to me - I'd be surprised if you could pump enough power down it at the sort of low voltages we're probably talking about. At much less than 0.05mm^2 cross section per core, were talking no more than 0.25A per core ( probably much less - I haven't accounted for insulation !). -- Mark de Roussier ************************************ A nice man is a man of nasty ideas. Jonathon Swift. ************************************ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 05:56:27 -1000 From: jwebb@netdepot.com Message-Id: Organization: NetDepot Subject: Re: kite lights In article <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za>, KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) wrote: > Bull Electrical, Wolverhampton, UK is selling very thin (0.5mm), > strong (28 lb), 4-core cable at 14.99 sterling for 4.2 km lengths. > > Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power > source ? > > cheers > > Deon Kallis > > kallis@eleceng.pentech.ac.za I've never used electrical lights but have used chemical lights (cyalume) on many occasions. Strap them to spars, tails, etc. You can even keep up with guided kite orientation by using one light on either right or left, or use to colors. I had several curious people slow to see the 'lights' in the night sky with no apparent erthbound connection. In fact with some of the manueves, I'm sure some reported a UFO. One other expereince involved a delta which I tied a string of firecrackers to the spine (several feet of buffer) and after lighting, sent up in a long distance launch. The wind drew it up quickly and gave quite a show for our Independence celebration. Joe Webb Atlanta Mac User Group (AMUG) joe_webb@atlmug.org jwebb@netdepot.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sat, 10 Dec 1994 09:59:23 -1000 From: Thom Shanken Message-Id: Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Subject: Re: kite lights writes: >In article <93D2015C71@eleceng.pentech.ac.za>, >KALLIS@ELECENG.PENTECH.AC.ZA (DEON KALLIS) wrote: >> Has anyone tried hooking up their kite lights to a ground based power >> source ? While we're on the subject of lighting kites I just thought I would mention the use of 3M's reflective tape. While I have no connection with 3M, I am still a big fan of adapting a number of their products to kite applications. The reflective tape comes in a number of colors and requires an amazingly small amount of light to produce great visual results. If you do not wish to stick the tape directly to your kite, the tape is sturdy enough to punch holes in and attach to spars. I have used the tape in desolate locations with a friend who had a great "off road" lighting system on his 4 wheel drive truck, as well as flying in a field adjacent to a night baseball game (as I said, it takes very little light). Keep 'Em Fly'n! Thom :) (thomshanken@delphi.com) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =