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Animated Flame Pendant

Turn on your heartlight
Let it shine wherever you go
Let it make a happy glow
For all the world to see

A little fire for your heart! But there’s no actual flame here, no heat…instead, LEDs and a microcontroller make a virtual flame that dances like the real thing. (In fact it’s playing a tiny video loop of a real candle.)

We planned this animated flame simply as a piece of high-tech jewelry, but other uses are possible…a fire or lantern effect on cosplay props, a safer alternative to having candles on the table or as part of a holiday display, or a unique night light for finding your way to the bathroom at night.

It’s a simple circuit that can be built either as a pendant or as a tabletop piece. Fair warning though: the pendant variant is tricky…it’s a very tight space requiring ace soldering skills and some unconventional methods. As a tabletop piece, perhaps in a glass votive, or maybe you have a cosplay prop in mind, it’s much more forgiving.”

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