The Mini Balloon Kit is based around [the 36 inch wide mylar foil balloons](/notes/patcoyle/09-07-2015/mobius-non-fish-eye-and-small-lifter-wrapup) found by contributor @patcoyle -- which are much cheaper (as little as $3 each!), and can stay inflated for over a week. They fit in the back seat of your car, or can be taken on the subway. Heck, unlike the big red rubber balloons, they fit through a doorway and can be stored indoors. They do lift much less than our standard rubber weather balloons, however -- see below for more! We carry this kit (and extra balloons) in the Public Lab store: > https://store.publiclab.org/products/mini-balloon-mapping-kit ### Materials * 2-3 [36 inch mylar balloon](https://www.brodys8004balloons.com/34_inch_36_inch_Round_Foil_s/770.htm) (or [from BallonsDirect](http://www.balloonsdirect.com/catalog/solid-color-foil-mylar-balloons/solid-color-round-foil-balloons/36-inch-round-foil-balloons)) * 1000 feet of 50-pound kite string * carabiners, zip-ties, other clips and such to attach it all together * a camera that [weighs less than 60 grams](/q/14219) [](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/023/669/original/IMG_20170610_174338_397_%281%29.jpg) ### Lightweight Each can lift about 50 grams -- vs. the classic kit’s 300+, and a little more if there’s perfectly calm weather. Instead of renting a helium tank, you can fill them at a florists’ shop or party store, and shuttle them to where you’ll do your mapping. They also hold up a bit better to sunlight and rough handling, although they’re still delicate. This kit includes everything from the [classic Balloon Mapping Kit](/wiki/balloon-mapping), but uses smaller mylar balloons, and uses lighter (50 lb test) weight string. We’ve [collected a list range of cameras](/q/14219) -- like the Mobius camera we already sell -- light enough to work with 2-3 of these. With a lighter option, that means you'll have a spare balloon. But there are remaining questions and refinements to make on this kit -- that’s why we’re calling it a **Prototyping Kit** -- and, just like the original Balloon Mapping Kit, we’re going to collaboratively work on these issues by sharing knowledge on the Public Lab website. Also see posts on #kite-balloon-hybrid for some interesting ideas! ## Questions [questions:mini-balloon-kit] [](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/024/818/original/IMG_20170930_165501_188.jpg) ## Activities [activities:mini-balloon-kit] ...
| Author | Comment | Last activity | Moderation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mrw0116 | "Chris, thanks much for these details. This gives me a much better idea of costs and how much helium I might need. " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| mrw0116 | "Thanks, Warren. Good to know, but a little scary. " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| cfastie | "Nine cubic meters for 500 euros is not a terrible deal. That's 318 cubic feet (which is a huge tank, so that's a problem unless you don't really ha..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| warren | "Hi! There's some stuff up on this page about using hydrogen, but there are a lot of valid concerns about safety: https://publiclab.org/wiki/hydroge..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| warren | "Great -- see how, above, it is prompting you (it should, anyways) to make a step-by-step activity? You can also post one here, it's the same thing:..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| Tufts_Jumbo | "We are currently working on building a model that can be flight tested. Hopefully we will be able to post a video by next week and we will make ins..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| warren | "Whoa, this is very cool! Have you done flight tests with these? I'd love to see some build instructions for either of these -- thanks for reporting..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| Tufts_Jumbo | "That is a great question! I am part of a design team at Tufts University and we are looking into the problem of small balloon stabilization in ligh..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| haneetsinghp | "I Liked recently launched Eken H6S 4K Action camera, on YTECHB " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| warren | "Via @wmacfarl: 36" Round Circle Foil Mylar Balloon Citrine Yellow Product Code: 12684 Qty: 20 @ $0.99 = $19.80 At http://bargainballoons.com " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| suman | "I apologize for my late response. I went through mini balloon mapping kit. Lets consider the 36 inch mylar balloons, approx many would a 15 L heliu..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| warren | "Hi, it depends on how big your balloon is and what it's made of. If you use a rubber balloon, it'll deflate over a day or two. If you use mylar, li..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| warren | "Hi Chris - yeah i would be surprised if it's actually different, these almost all seem like the same hardware in different cases. I have found some..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| cfastie | "Here is a strange development. This action camera has a 1MP sensor. It is a 1/4" sensor which has an area of 10 square mm. The native image size is..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
| cfastie | "Here is an easy camera rig you can build yourself. A parts list and complete instructions for making one are in this research note: https://publ..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| cfastie | "When someone reports about a mapping session, I am always interested to know about: Which kite? Which camera? How did you control the camera? Wha..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| zengirl2 | "I was just looking at this design by two girls doing the high altitude ballooning. I like their triangular base and was thinking of a popsicle stic..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| cfastie | "The prices at Aliexpress seemed to be the about the same as at Amazon. Some of the product descriptions at Aliexpress named the sensor. For exampl..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| hank | "I suggest you try aliexpress.com instead of Amazon -- why pay double or more money for stuff when you can buy it direct from China? They are an um..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| cfastie | "A good starting point for evaluating these sub $60 action cameras is the sensor. Many if not all of these cameras use sensors that do not have as m..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| warren | "These or similar cameras are as low as $40 now! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DG9UMS6/ Via @azaelb at https://publiclab.org/notes/azaelb/12-04..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| warren | "Just noting this post by @SeanKMcGinnis on using #raspberry-pi-cameras -- https://publiclab.org/notes/SeanKMcGinnis/03-12-2014/raspberry-pi-camera..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
| warren | "Of course, it'd be great to see an even cheaper #raspberry-pi -based alternative too! " | Read more » | almost 7 years ago |