Summertime means being outdoors, looking at the stars, and spending time with friends and family. Traditionally, a camp fire or backyard fire has been a place to gather and relax after a hard day's hike.

Many campsites don't allow individual fires -- and in my world, it's just not true camping without a campfire. Nothing can replace a real fire, but this surprisingly realistic LED fire comes really close. Guaranteed to confuse and annoy your kids.

This is a great beginner project -- you can keep it really simple and build it in one afternoon, or get more complicated with onboard chargers and fiber optics. Marshmallows not included.

Materials

There are two different options for battery power, depending on your preference and budget…

Wiring option 1 (lower cost):

Wiring option 2 (allows USB charging):

Optional: to add fiber optic sparks:

  • 1-2 Glowbys in red or orange
  • 1-2 100 ohm resistors

You'll also need a good soldering iron and some solder.

This guide was first published on Jun 29, 2016. It was last updated on Jun 29, 2016.

This page (Introduction) was last updated on Jun 09, 2016.

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