Aurora mini 18
Aurora mini 18 is only 2 inches in diameter, yet controls 18 full-color (RGB) LEDs individually. The technology that enables this little thing is as amazing as the lights it produces.
Please review the instructables before purchase – assembly requires soldering skill. You will also need PIC programmer such as PICKit 3, ICD 2, ICD 3 (PICKit 2 doesn’t work with the PIC used). If you don’t have a programmer, you can purchase the PIC programmed with the latest firmware. (The PIC will be soldered to the PCB)
- Detailed technical information at instructables.com
- Aurora mini 18 part placement chart (PDF)
* Firmware update – download here *
You can purchase full kits or just the PCBs. Please use the buttons below to purchase.
| Aurora mini 18 Full Kit: $29.00 (Soldering required) |
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| PCB only: |
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| Aurora mini 18 Fully Assembled: $69.00 - comes with a battery case -or- USB power cord. |
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| Battery Case – Three AA batteries: $5.50 |
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| Battery Case – Four AA batteries: $6.00 |
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| USB Power Cord: $5.00 |
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| Mini USB Power Adapter: $3.50 | |
Hi is it possible to add the audio interface to the Aurora mini 18? I think that would be awesome. Please let me know.
Thanks
May 19, 2013 at 7:38 pm
Hi,
You have posted the schematics of the Aurora 18 on Instructables. Just out of curiosity and correct me if I am wrong.
Every RGB LED’s current is sink into the PIC24F. Every LED would be around 20mA. So 18 LEDs would be more than 300mA to be sunk by the PIC (of all ports). Wouldn’t it fry the PIC?
May 18, 2013 at 12:43 am
I just purchased 2 of the Aurora-18 kits, and I’m very impressed with the pcb quality and the instructions. I have one question: in the photos the LEDs appear to be mounted flush with the pcb. But my LEDs have little kinks in their leads that prevent them from being mounted any closer than about 1/4 inch from the pcb. Are they mounted flush or not?
Thanks.
April 25, 2013 at 8:08 am
Thanks for the comments.
You can usually push a little to get the LEDs to go in past the “kinks”. However it’s easier to cut the leads right at the end of the “kinks” and insert them into the PCB.
If you prefer the look of LEDs lifted from the PCB, that’s fine too.
Thanks,
Aki
April 25, 2013 at 9:33 am
Hi,
can we add the audio adapter to the aurora mini 18.
gino
October 12, 2012 at 3:23 am
I was wondering how long two 2 AA batteries will last if I leave it on constantly?
I’m making a phone dock out of legos and this would be perfect to place in the base.
October 3, 2012 at 11:41 pm
I can’t give you a precise figure because I never actually run it until the battery stop working. But Aurora mini 18 draws about 20 to 30 mA from 3V power source, so assuming 2,000 mAH typical of alkaline battery, you should get pretty long run time. However Aurora mini 18 requires minimum of 2.7V to operate (which means you can’t utilize much of the battery capacity), so I recommend using 3 AA (4.5V) if you want long run time.
October 4, 2012 at 12:26 am
Does the preassembled mini 18 come preprogrammed as well?
Thank you
September 13, 2012 at 8:52 am
Yes.
September 13, 2012 at 10:49 am
I love your work!
Two questions about this beautiful piece:
1. Could it be powered by Joule Thief?
2. What do you think about using a coin cell holder attached to the back to make it completely self-contained?
Thank you!
Tim
August 14, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Hello Tim,
Did you read my mind?!
I have both things in the works. May or may not be exactly the same as Aurora mini 18, but they will have full color LEDs.
Stay tuned!
August 14, 2012 at 2:28 pm
What frequency does the Aurora mini 18′s
microcontroller operate at?
October 26, 2011 at 12:03 pm
The PIC24FV16KA302 runs at 32Mhz (16MIPS).
May 3, 2012 at 12:41 am