Realistic fire ideas...*some pix too*

[Matsuo]

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for realistic fires using either incandescent bulbs or LED's.

Specificaly for small smoldering fires, ones that fade in and out more than flicker.

To be used in a drum or barrel, or a small pit or campfire.

My reason for asking follws.

Its a small coffee can beat all to hell and painted with multiple layers of blacks browns and oranges.

I want to put a small pile of kindling amid the ash and debris in the bottom with glowing embers within.

Any thoughts or ideas?

I heard someone mentioning hooking LED's up to a radio tuned to a weak station and it wlickers with the signal but I cannot find the article....sounds like a neat idea though.


Thanks
Matt

 

[tommin]

Nice job, Matt!!

One possible idea would be to rob the equalizer display from an old portable stereo (boom box). You could probably get the effect needed with that.

Just a thought.

Tom

 

[WarpedScale]

Have you thought about trying to make something that uses this kind of bulb?

http://www.christmastreehill.com/flicflamcanb.html

Or maybe rigging something using the electronics out of one of these:
http://www.christmas-decorations-gifts-store.com/store/PPF/parameters/928_194/more_info.asp
or http://www.christmas-decorations-gifts-store.com/store/PPF/parameters/883_194/more_info.asp

Oh nevermind you want something smaller

ops

Ryu

 

[Goose]

Take a look at your local hobby shop, one that sells electronics that are used with HO, etc. scale traines. A few months back I saw a circuit that could be used to simulate a campfire or burning houses

and it wasn't expensive and runs on low voltage..

Goose

 

[Draven]

Hi Matt,

There is a hobby mail order company here in the UK that does accessories for dolls houses as well as other things.

One of the lines they do is miniature replicas of fires and fireplaces using flickering "grain of rice" bulbs.

You might find this link helpful...

http://www.hobby.uk.com/cgi-bin/hobbys-cgi/Catalogue.pl

It is under the dolls house and electronic section.

Hope that helps...

Draven

 

[Jedi Dade]

the flameless Christmas candle idea seems like a winner to me

I was thinking about a 2-3 LED setup with 2 on a flasher and 1 continuos. amber and red seem like the obvious colors to use. But after the flicker candle post - I'd go that way since basically all the work is done for you.

Jedi Dade

 

[Watson]

This is at the fiber optic lighting page I go too. Scroll down and there is a Random Candle flame unit that is pretty compact.

http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Toys.htm

JDH

 

[rayra]

There was an article in a FineScale Modeler in the last few months, believe it was on a WWII Europe diorama, had a 'smoldering' firepit, iirc using a HO train smoke generator and some form of slowly-pulsing LED circuit. I'll see if I can find the article.