Making My Own Version of Nanoleaf Aurora - DIY Project

Part list in description! I wanted to make myself a Nanoleaf Aurora, but I made my own customizations!
Patreon: www.patreon.com/nerdforge
Schematic: imgur.com/a/Zbh80aO
STL-file of Hexagon shape: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3466746
Code: github.com/hansjny/Natural-Nerd/tree/master/Hexaleaf
App to interface with code:
blynk.io/
*Affiliate links, you support us if you get anything from these :) *
PARTS USED:
- ESP32: bit.ly/esp32-board
- LED-strip: bit.ly/led-strip-rgb
- Preprogrammed LED-controller: bit.ly/rf-controller
- Logic level shift: bit.ly/logiclevel
- Step down: bit.ly/stp-dwn
- 12 volt power: bit.ly/12v5a
- Acrylic diffuser sheet: www.ebay.com/itm/Opal-Acrylic-Light-Diffuser-Lightbox-Perspex-Sheet-Panel-Sign-LED-Diffuser-3mm/201925835256?hash=item2f03b7b9f8:m:mJ1onogldP_IiitflA8W2Jw
- DC power socket: bit.ly/dc-female-plug
FOLLOW:
Website - www.thenerdforge.com/
Facebook - Nerdforge/
Instagram - thenerdforge
Twitter - TheNerdforge
BUSINESS CONTACT: [e-mail]

[@Nanderson9378]

I wish you and Martina would open an Etsy shop! I’d buy some of these and some of your books and a diorama and more! 🤗🤣🥰

[@allenclark4235]

I subscribed specifically because you didn't edit out your mistake.

[@kushalchaudhari1821]

Because that's how to extend the video to 10 min mark

[@Boris-dq3ub]

Lol

[@raymancouldbe]

For how often y'all upload your videos are always pretty consistent, look nice and are informative. I like the fact that you also explain why you did something "your way" when you don't have to do it that way, however "your way" is usually nicer and results in a more refined outcome. I really liked this one! Thanks!

[@jupit3r131]

doing this with wood frames around the hexagons would look dope

[@CrocoDeluxe]

especially some dark wood like cherry

[@jupit3r131]

@@CrocoDeluxe I'm working on it right now, I'm looking at getting a quart of dark walnut stain www.amazon.com/dp/B001CESFSM/ref=twister_B07L4HMRM9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@Tischlerimkopf]

@@CrocoDeluxe Cherry is Not dark xD

[@teun9380]

@@jupit3r131 You used wood??

[@zsavage1820]

and very expensive .. just some Styrofoam plates for diffusers and some plastic C channel that you get for hiding cables.. easy to cut and join..

[@MCsCreations]

Pretty amazing job, dude!!! 😃 Even the first version with the remote control was fantastic! 😃

[@modustrial]

These came out great! Nice work!

[@Nerdforge]

Thanks Mike, appreciated!

[@AliYassinToma]

Hell yeah another channel with same content type ... subbed

[@jaxbradley7036]

Sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a way to get back into an instagram account..? I was dumb lost the login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.

[@mekhijoaquin1436]

@Jax Bradley Instablaster ;)

[@jaxbradley7036]

@Mekhi Joaquin I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out now. Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@thecharley007]

Finally after watching this video couple of times I managed to make my own version of hexa leaf this was actually a fun project for me to complete during covid 19. Thanks nerdforged

[@kairon156]

excellent video. Ever sense I heard about those Triangle lights a little over a year ago I wondered how hard it would be to make a custom one. Not that I have any DIY skills, It's still cool to see.

[@romanticcrafter]

Great looking tiles. Definately worth doing your own coading the result is brilliant.

[@Romanslost]

Awesome video, and always a pleasure to see the projects that come from this channel. Thanks for uploading this!

[@newhawk]

Why is it always like, "cheap diy", but then you need a 3d printer?

[@ZacDonald]

Could easily use wood instead.

[@Lepinkainen_]

3D printers aren't much more expensive than proper regular printers. Also you can use a 3D printer in any Hacklab and many libraries and schools have them too.

[@Erainia]

@@Lepinkainen_ I can get a "proper regular printer" for £20-30, cheapest 3d printers I see are like £300, I'd say thats much more expensive

[@Moximaxius]

@@Erainia Look up the Ender 3 It's much less..

[@Lepinkainen_]

@@Erainia £30 isn't a proper printer at all. It's one of those all-plastic ones where replacing the ink cartridge costs more than buying a whole new printer =)

[@shitwardfuckcunt9342]

Amazing video like always, this channel never stops putting outstanding content. Keep up the great work! Also that conical still gives me the heeby jeebies, never been able to use one for anything xD

[@andi]

I love this idea! The end result really turned out and it’s way more unique too! Awesome work :D

[@WalkWild]

Good job man. I really love watching these kind of projects. Love the channel!

[@pyrofyr2]

Watching from 2020! I have to say, thanks a lot for taking the time to explain that issue with the LED strips being 2 different kinds. I find I usually run into such silly issues and many content creators leave such things off screen.

[@Arterexius]

Absolutely awesome! And I love hexagons, so this is definitely going to be saved for later! If anyone wanna upscale the hexagons or go cheaper with some weaker LEDs, then it might be an idea to place a dome in the center and make it reflective. That should ensure a more even spread of the light. Hence why a lot of spot lights are entirely reflective on the inside. And you don't need a 3D printer to make these. You can use hand tools and wood. It'll take some extra time, but it's totally doable.

[@abyssstrider2547]

Or spray paint cardboard with acrylic paint

[@abyssstrider2547]

Do black base first and let it dry, then apply white or whatever colour you want

[@Super100JKO]

Great idea! One thing I would do differently is adding some strong magnets on all 6 sides with exposed contact pads, so you can always change the shape. And you can always hot-swap a module if needed. :D

[@zsavage1820]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXLTq6SPjruVrdE

[@emil1794]

Did I just hear LED? Oh.... Now I have to like.

[@timjones4617]

Smart guy and to be able to just make what you want instead of paying a fortune is amazing. Keep doing great things. Awesome video.

[@ralmslb]

Thank you for this, you showed how easy it can be done, although when I'm doing mine I will try to have the hexagons much thinner, as thin as I can make them, most likely the width of the LED strips + 3mm the difuser + 3mm the back and that is it.

[@Nerdforge]

Eeeeeh, this took more time then I planned... as always! Been procrastinating a bit by watching CEOs laugh at non-working dolphins.

[@brad5290]

The diffuser sheet link doesn't work, could you possibly fix that please? Good work on this btw!! Your code makes it look so great! Looking to buy the parts to do this myself now :D

[@ShahZahid]

Cant we print the diffusers using translucent white filament

[@hosfordryan]

Would also like a link to the diffuser sheet

[@Nerdforge]

It should work now.

[@littlejack8092]

hei vi har en ungdomsbedrift som lager liknende paneler... kult å se hvordan du har fått til designet. Liker videoene! fortsett det bra arbeidet :) link til ungsomsbedriften Hexaglowub.com

[@EkelundDK]

Great looking project, and the music is awesome!

[@kimroyalty4268]

This is so beautiful, amazing master piece ! I want this on my room 😇

[@mr.billiards8878]

WOW!!! awesome work! Loving these amazing projects! Just brilliant!! :-D

[@MohamedHassan-xe7oe]

Dude, you’re a genius. Writing your own code, 3D printing your own designs. Seriously, this is sone next level shit

[@StefanPiano]

These RGB projects never cease to amaze me, great work!

[@alphabetagamma4142]

Cease

[@StefanPiano]

@@alphabetagamma4142 Good point, I'll correct it

[@Dannyhollyw00d]

Always feel like I’m in a “stranger things” tutorial love the content and music!

[@JDsThatGuy]

What a super cool project, thanks for sharing!

[@pal-espenandersen7635]

Herlig KZbin kanal! har sett snart 15 videoer i dag og jeg får virkelig lyst å lage noen lignende prosjekter. Herlig inspirasjon! Keep it up!

[@albertlwj]

i thought I was gonna hate this video at the beginning, but it's really well done and great job on making these!

[@madisonweiss8340]

I've never really messed around with LEDs but I think I'm going to make this in quarantine this summer!

[@loggz4146]

Dude... You are a genius. I could build this no prob but writing the code for it! What a young god. Keep it up

[@alchemyperfume]

Stunning result!

[@kevintolson5051]

WOW! Where have I been? This video is awesome! Great work man

[@leereitz2353]

Nice project! I have found cutting acrylic with a fine tooth circular or table saw works well. Make sure to wear eye protection as it makes a mess but cuts quickly and straight.

[@David-xu3yk]

This is a very nice build! I'm glad I subscribed to you a few days ago!

[@zaurkairbekov251]

Looks Amazing. Well done!

[@dimex4796]

Bro these are very nice. I like your work! Keep it up :)

[@stealthninja1o112]

Nice work! It really looks great!

[@luluramos2981]

I think they came out great! I love everything you guys make 😁

[@grangerograngera4287]

Nice man, you're like a 1 man factory, very impressive stuff!

[@thedreamerbosse]

hansi please come back with more electronic project i love to learn from you i love your amazing idea and the way to describe the led thing

[@festro1000]

magnets and contact pads would probably make it easier to replace or add more segments as you wouldn't have to deal with the connections especially since you're gluing the diffusion plate to the top. polarizing the magnets would also help make sure you don't put them in backward.

[@um02122]

This gave me an idea for my diy led aquarium lights. With more modules I could emulate some cool cloud and lighting effects across the aquarium, also emulate the sun transition across the sky and the moon cycles. I just need to replace led strips with high power leds and figure a way of transitioning same effect from module to module. Also dimming to emulate the solar and moon cycles are a must.

[@Yahu1337]

Wow. I've thought about this for some time and now youtube recommends me this.

my friend. very nice. thank you

[@AlphaMachina]

You're a damn genius. Nice work, man. Subscribed!

[@samihachem3212]

Brilliant...great video and informative... thanks for sharing... looking forward to more interesting videos 🇨🇦

[@tarotcaba]

The best DIY video I have ever seen!

[@joao.marcos]

Love the channel!! I'm trying some projects here in brazil, ty for the material!!

[@geektoolkit]

You guys always deliver! I’ve been wanting to do a DIY nano leaf vid but you beat me to it. I was (am still) researching if there’s a clean way to make magnetic electronic contacts...since most 8212s are three wires it’d be cool to have flexibility on layout patterns. I had a plan B of trying projection mapping that I’ll have to do now :) Great video you guys are inspiring and I learn a ton and am always entertained. I’ll check out that blynk app sounds cool!

[@Nerdforge]

If you figure out how to make more flexibility, that would be awesome! Rewiring it is a quite fast operation, but not as fast as just moving it around would be.

[@dercad2558]

I think if you put three magnets connected with the wires on each side it would be nice and flexible. But you still need to make the difference between input and output I think :/

[@Max.Mustermann.]

12 magnets on each side... 6 for input 6 for output then you put them in 2 3x2 "blocks" on the left and right side (on each side of the hexagon or what shape you have) ... to avoid a shortcut just use diodes ? that wiring would be a mess xD maybe a Custom PCB as Backplate would do the thing to get it nice an clean... but thats a matter of the budget i think :'D have a nice one

[@SantaDragon]

Very nice tutorial ... thanks also for the files!

[@dmo848]

Love smart people like this. Making it easier for others to follow. U da man

[@LeonTheBrave]

wow under rated channel . this is so cool and i want to make one now

[@christianeaton]

Very nice! A laser cutter would make pretty light work of the diffusers - about 20 seconds each rather than hours! Also would recommend WS2812b LEDs for lower voltage to work with your microcontroller.

[@cryptodoc9204]

subbed for your creativity!

[@user-ci9sb5wp3v]

This is awesome. Well done.

[@nlambert]

This looks really cool! Maybe once get more time I'll make my own

[@sigmahustle]

heavy work! thats genius!

[@liammcgoldrick9941]

New favourite channel !!

[@vitturm]

Very nice done!

[@flexischwarz9920]

Looks very nice !

[@Danuka_Savinda]

$200 for nanoleaf Aurora?? Nah we got Nerdforge 😂

[@mithstrifer1985]

They sell for $200 CDN now which are about $150 USD which is a pretty fair price. The time you spend you will put into making this plus materials will be much more(unless you dont value your free time)

[@suchti7654]

@@mithstrifer1985 Some people spend their free time playing video games and getting drunk, I'd rather spend my time doing projects like this that you can be proud of and learn new things doing them, while saving money that I can use for something else

[@dontreadmyprofilepicture5209]

They're about 250 AUD which is about 200 more than my liking.

[@aleksastojanov4033]

@@mithstrifer1985 for 30$ you can buy 10 meters of ws2812b strips which is enough for 15 of those or even more,depending on size.If you dont have money or 3d printer you cod make it from wood and then paint it.You just need to be creative and some basic tools

[@havoc7152]

You only need a 3d printer which prices start at $250

[@omarbrown44]

a router with flush trib bit would of saved you hours on getting diffuser to shape. cool project. keep up good videos!

[@Daniel_Wolf]

Incredible work man... congrats! -

[@Meaderf]

Dude you did such a great job!! You should mass produce them!

[@serenagreco9040]

Great job! ❤️

[@iancoelhograde3120]

Very good, i like the symetry!

[@everycoast]

Nice work. Last year I built an own version of the triangle nanoleafs and I used the same connectors and holes in the frames to get it modular. Had to laugh when i saw your solution.

[@levidekoning2531]

Hey man, This looks realy awesome so I showed it to my dad. And now it seems Ill be making 2 sets of ~10 or so. Luckily I found a nice place that cuts the Acrylic into hexagons for you cutting the labor time down by alot. Something I noticed in this design is the light bleed for the cable holes. I think I might design and 3D print some "clips" to plug unused holes to reduce the light bleed from the holes.

[@josiaseliyonaicastanedadel6663]

God i'm very surprised, this was very awesome, dude you rock.

[@jakespeare_]

I have nanoleafs, yeah they're expensive but I use them everyday and I absolutely love them

[@oceanofsound73]

Super cool LED light

[@AutechB12]

dude this is super awesome!

[@user-hx9gu5nh9p]

I think covering the inside of each hexagon with aluminium paper could drastically improve the light diffusion and make it look more uniform towards the centre

[@meenakshisundaram4305]

how exactly should the foils be placed ?

[@user-hx9gu5nh9p]

@@meenakshisundaram4305 The reflective layer needs to entirely cover the inside of the hexagon, behind the led strip of course. Covering the inner borders could help to increase a bit the reflectivity as well.

[@jasonmconnors]

I was wondering if anyone else noticed this. I kept thinking about the low-light/deadspot in the middle of each shape since only the perimeter was lit. Good to know someone already has a solution ready.

[@DeepakVerma-pk6mf]

I really like your projects they are some best of the kind

[@yoisama]

OH MY GOD man , this is AWESOME!!!!! to difuse the light better , on the other side , you need to do some checker pattern lines , its easier with an engraver , but its common practice to do the checker pattern on a clear acrylic and then put a difuse film at the top of the acrylic to get the full color uniformity

[@QuizMore]

Just the ideo i was looking for.

[@anumsheraz4625]

Amazing job !

[@abdullahnasir8535]

I needed this mate thanks

[@dakotastrait2070]

This is AMAZING!!!! You got a new subscriber 😍😍😍😍😍

[@TDPlayz]

I’m finally remotely early! These are AMAZING!! Keep it up 😀

[@ChainedInsanity]

Looks very nice.

[@andymccoy8370]

He’s such a nerd ggs man this was amazing!

[@Stoney_Eagle]

Makes awesome light projects, has a sealing lamp hold together with tape 😂😂 It looks awesome dude 😉

[@artemistful]

Good job buddy

[@Kavaitsu]

You should add a reflector surface on the back of the hexagons. This way the light spreads out evenly. In theory :)

[@EmoEmu]

I just realised I can buy acryllics from ebay. This along is worth a sub and a huge like!!!

[@sammyography8172]

this just an awesome.... love your work boss

[@Ishiku__aka_xchoibitschibihil]

sweet! I just wanted a manual panel light with infrared remote!

[@WavyBBQLays]

I would definitely appreciate a little closer look at the esp32 board

[@MrLingon]

DANG brother that looks dope. This channel is SUCH an inspiration. While I may be unable to create fantastic art like Martina does, I can for sure attempt this. Always wanted to get something similar to this :D More cool DIY with Hansi in the future pls?

[@MrLingon]

*Not to say that this isn't fantastic art in its own way ofc ;)

[@TheGoldenlegend1]

this is brilliant.

[@mustafahalukyilmaz102]

Amazing job. I would try it with a big scale

[@X862go]

Wow great video man subbed!!!

[@moukies]

This is so ridiculously cool! I want ten haha.

[@snipah660]

You need to have the unused slots in the hexaleaf closed so no light leakage. Just have pre-cutout marks on the inside. Great project!

[@dreg7305]

You mean so there would only be a need for 1 hole cut out for each hexagon? Makes sense but then couldnt you only keep the lights as one shape ?

[@AntonKarazeev]

Wow, this is amazing! I think another option for the diffusers is just White PLA (or Clear)

[@mohammedsajid.ssajid4160]

Good light project making

[@StudjoInfinity]

subscribed! great projects man