What would the possibility be of having a RGB or RGBW option for the LED Indicators?
I am looking at using these as a power indicator on a battery housing for a separate project, and have color change correspond to battery state, or system operational status.
I have not cracked one open, but looking at the CAD model, it looks like a standard 5mm LED epoxied into a modified bulkhead, is that correct?
If not offered as a standard option, would it be possible to order a few un-assembled sets to experiment with?
We’ve considered making an RGB version, we just haven’t had a good reason to do it yet. There are a few things to decide, in particular would you want direct connections to each color or would you prefer a digitally controlled LED. There are some nice I2C LEDs that are easy to control from most microcontrollers.
The indicators do just hold a 5mm LED with a clear epoxy over the face to seal it.
I think for general purpose the individual connectors would be fine. Users could always just not connect the colors if they didnt need them. I2C LEDS would be cool (I did not know that they existed outside of the matrix systems), though I guess you still have the same wire count.
I’m assuming it would be pretty tricky / impossible to pull an LED out from an indicator and replace it with an RGB LED? I really like the design of these indicators but just wish there was an RGB version. I’ve been toying with the idea of making some by potting an LED in a penetrator with clear epoxy but then it wouldn’t have the diffuser which looks really nice.
If you’ve got any other info / ideas I’d love to hear. Thanks in advance!
The diffuser cap is quite difficult to pop off, you may have luck with a clear 2 part epoxy and some sort of additive to make it a bit more hazy, and therefore act as a diffuser?
While we don’t have an official project moving to offer these yet, exploratory work has been recently done and I would expect us to offer an RGB version of the indicator someday, as it looks like a pretty straightforward upgrade!
Hey @EliotBR,
For some that have an aluminum tube for the main WTE, is there any plan to create an RGB Underwater LED to allow this status to be extended to the outside?
I’m not sure whether an external RGB LED is planned, so I’ve asked internally.
From what I can tell ArduPilot already has NeoPixel support for the status LED, and the Navigator has an RGB LED port that can be used for NeoPixel RGB LEDs, so it at least seems like a decent idea for us to make a NeoPixel-based Indicator
Hi @EliotBR,
Was there any traction on the idea of an RGB indicator, this is particular interesting now with the idea of stuffing Pi and Navigators into your new Watertight Boxes, which obviously we now can’t see into at all - at least with the BlueROV2, we can peak in via the dome.
It’s not something we’re working on at the moment, but I’ve raised it with the team to let them know you’re a +1 on the idea, and to pass on your convincing reasons for why it’s extra valuable now
+1 on the request for an underwater RGB (programmable through navigator pwm signal Lua scripts maybe?) light connector to serve as a status indicator. It would be particularly helpful if it were designed like a NavLight—a protruding, beacon-style fixture—for enhanced visibility.
Doing some housecleaning to keep comments on the same topic in a consistent thread.
To anyone not already aware, just noting that we released an RGB Indicator variant last year, in the same form-factor as our other (single-colour) LED indicators
