Nitelight Lantern Kit

The Night is Dark and Full of Makers!

Lanterns have been used to commemorate cultural and spiritual celebrations for centuries. Celebrations such as the Lantern Festival, Diwali, Dia De Los Muertos, and St. Martin’s Day are examples of lanterns in action.

Powered by our Maker Faire Powerbase Medallion (assembled and included), these two simple solder kits will light up your Maker journey. Both kits snap easily into their powerbase plate and screw to the Powerbase Medallion for both power and stability, and feature an on/off switch. 

The Traditional Paper Lantern style, has only two LEDs to solder and you are ready to light it up. The Oil Lamp circuit utilizes a pair of transistors and resistors to create a super cool logic circuit that lights up an LED when it gets dark. Choose one or both!

Paper Lantern Kit Includes:

• Paper Lantern PCB
• 2 x 5mm Flickering Yellow LEDs
• Maker Faire Powerbase Medallion (assembled)
• 1 x CR2023 Coincell Battery
• Measures: 2.5″ x 3.5″ finished
• DOWNLOAD: Instruction Set
• DOWNLOAD: 2024 Chinese New Year Dragon Paper Lantern Template

Oil Lamp Kit Includes:

• Oil Lamp Nitelight PCB
• 1 x 5mm Flickering Yellow LED
• 1 x 100k Potentiometer
• 1 x NPN Transistor
• 1 x 3mm Phototransistor
• 1 x 220ohm Resistor
• Maker Faire Powerbase Medallion (assembled)
• 1 x CR2023 Coincell Battery
• Measures: 2.5″ x 3.5″ finished
• DOWNLOAD: Instruction Set
• DOWNLOAD: 2024 Chinese New Year Dragon Paper Lantern Template

Not Included:

• Soldering Iron and Solder
• Wire Cutters
• Phillips Screwdriver

What’s a transistor?

A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. The new iPhone 15 has 19 billion transistors!

How does it work?

The NPN transistor functions as a switch. It has three wires: Collector (C) , Base (B), Emitter (E).

When there is no current going to B, no current can get past the C. However, if enough current gets to B, then the transistor “opens” like a switch letting current through C to E.

The phototransistor also functions as a switch. It is similar to the NPN with only two wires: Collector (C) , Emitter (E). It converts light energy as the Base (B).

If there is no light, no current can get past C. The stronger the light, the more current
can get past the C to the E.