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Bettesworth Construction
Arduino

How This DIY LED Candle Detects a Match—and Produces Smoke

A maker’s LED candle adds match sensing, blow detection and smoke from a heated wick. Here’s how the build differs from an ordinary flameless candle and what its fire-risk caveat means.

By Bettesworth Construction Team 3 min read
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Keith’s custom LED candle combines a real-wax diffuser, match detection, blow detection and a heated wick that produces scented smoke. It is a maker project, not a commercially sold candle; the smoke feature also means it should not be treated as a fire-free decoration or left unattended.

How does the realistic LED candle work?

In a March 15, 2019 Hackaday article, Tom Nardi describes a build by a maker identified only as Keith. Real wax diffuses the LEDs, helping the candle look more like a conventional wax candle than a bare light source. An infrared (IR) sensor can detect a match and trigger the simulated lighting effect. A microphone detects a blow and turns the LEDs off.

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The basic electronics described are an Arduino Pro Mini and six RGB LEDs from a WS2812B strip. Those features create a more interactive effect than an ordinary flameless LED candle: the build can respond to lighting and extinguishing gestures rather than simply glow or flicker.

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How does it make smoke?

The smoke effect comes from heat, not a visual animation. A 28-gauge wire coil heats a Tiki Torch wick infused with vegetable glycerin and aromatic oil. The reported smoke-related components also include a MOSFET and a power supply capable of supporting the heating mechanism.

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Nardi says Keith spent three years developing the project. The article links to Keith’s Instructables guide, which it describes as organizing the design into milestones of increasing complexity. The guide was not available for verification here, so exact wiring, code, temperatures and assembly instructions cannot be established from the article alone.

What is the difference from a regular flameless LED candle?

Option Effect Complexity and tradeoff
Ordinary flameless LED candle Low flickering glow; no match sensing, blow detection or smoke feature established here. Commercially available as a category; no electronics build is described.
Keith’s custom build LED glow with optional match detection and blow detection, plus smoke from a heated wick. Requires electronics and a heated coil, adding build complexity and fire risk.

The Hackaday article does not provide a measured comparison of cost, runtime, brightness or performance, and it does not identify a currently available retail candle that reproduces the custom build’s match sensing and smoke effect.

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Is a smoke-producing LED candle safe to leave unattended?

No: the smoke mechanism heats a wick, so the project retains a fire risk. The article explicitly cautions against leaving it unattended. It does not establish independently tested safety, operating temperatures or verified operating instructions. Do not assume that replacing an open flame with LEDs makes this heated device safe to leave running.

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What parts does the article identify?

  • Basic lighting: Arduino Pro Mini, six WS2812B RGB LEDs and real wax used as a diffuser.
  • Optional interaction: an IR sensor to detect a match and a microphone to detect a blow.
  • Smoke mechanism: 28-gauge wire heating coil, Tiki Torch wick, MOSFET and a sufficiently capable power supply.
  • Wick treatment: vegetable glycerin and aromatic oil.

These are components reported in the article, not a complete bill of materials or a verified assembly procedure. It does not specify component ratings, wiring, code, temperature limits or detailed operating steps.

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Source and scope

Tom Nardi’s March 15, 2019 Hackaday article describes the project and its broad design. Nardi characterizes ordinary LED candles as providing a convincing low flickering glow; that is his description, not an independent safety finding. The project should be understood as a documented maker build, not as a tested product recommendation.

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