The Aurora configuration utility is how you talk to the board. It lets you configure Aurora's many features and monitor what's happening with your machine — all before a single setting reaches the hardware.
The utility is an HTML file. It doesn't require installation on your PC, nor does it need any drivers. Once launched, it connects to Aurora using a standard USB-C connector. Aurora can be powered by the USB connector, so you can configure it before installation. The USB connection also works if Aurora is installed and operating on your machine.
Today, we'll look at the GI Strings tab. This is where Aurora's five General Illumination outputs are configured — how bright they run, how they react to the game, and how they fade from one level to the next. It's built to be safe to explore — nothing reaches the real board until you choose to send it. You can even run the utility in 'mock' mode without a board connected at all.
What the GI Strings tab lets you do
- Shape how each string responds to the game. Leave it following the machine's own brightness commands — or switch a string to Smart mode so it dims during gameplay to a level you choose. Useful for reducing glare from backbox GI strings when you're trying to focus on the playfield.
- Correct brightness for the LEDs you've fitted. Each string gets its own 8-step brightness curve — letting you decide exactly how bright your GI strings get at each level.
- Make two strings act as one. Pair one (or many) GI strings to another. WPC-95 machines have fixed, full-brightness GI strings — pair them to behave like the other three.
- Control the feel of a fade. Set how long a brightness change takes — globally or per string — and choose between a natural-looking logarithmic fade or the original straight-line ramp.
- Handle a WPC-95 quirk in one click. That board generation has no dimming hardware on strings 4 and 5 — a single checkbox sets both to full brightness automatically, matching the original behaviour.
- Name your strings, machine by machine. Give each string a friendly name to help with configuration. These are saved to your Aurora board, making future adjustments easy.
- Change your mind for free. Everything on this page stays local until you explicitly push it to the board. Read back whatever's stored at any point, or reset to factory defaults, without committing to anything.
In future posts, we'll explain how Aurora handles the 64 lamps fitted in your playfield — and how to use Aurora to help troubleshoot your machine.