Candle-Powered Electric Candle

After seeing news reports about Hurricane Sandy and hearing the ordeal that all of my family and friends in New York and New Jersey went through, it got me thinking about my own emergency preparedness. San Francisco - after all - sits atop some very active fault lines. As local geology fans always like to point out - statistically speaking - we are long overdue for a large quake.

This forecast is bad news for me, because I don't think that I am very prepared. I might have a few gallons of bottled water in the back closet, but I was ordered not to look in there until after Christmas... so... I am really not sure. Hopefully we will not have an earthquake before then. Anyhow, in the meantime, I have no real emergency supplies to speak of.

I have been thinking a lot lately about being more prepared, and what supplies we should have on hand for when the 'big one' hits. After prioritizing the three most obvious things to have in a severe emergency - water, food, and a fair-sized crowbar - it came down to figuring out what else one needs to survive. It did not take me very long to conclude this item was electric lighting. I use that all the time. How can I live without that?

After assessing the problem, it became apparent to me that after a few days of constant lighting, all of my batteries will be dead. This means that either I need rechargeable batteries, or a way to generate electricity without them. Not needing batteries to begin with seemed most sensible to me. I explored different options and finally figured out a low-cost, long-term, and portable, method to keep my electric candles lit.  I am going to use heat generated by tea lights. The nice thing about this solution is that they are dirt cheap, small, and will last forever. You can buy about 1,000,000 tea lights at Ikea for $1.99. With a fair-sized stock of small candles, I can keep my electric candle lit indefinitely. Thanks to my candle-powered electric candle, I know that I will never be left in the dark.


Do not leave this contraption unattended. Always have a fire extinguisher on-hand. This is probably less than ideal for normal day-to-day use.

Step 1: Go get stuff

You will need:

(x1) electric candle
(x1) Peltier heat sink assembly
(x4) 12" x 3/16" aluminum rod
(x4) 3/16" shaft collars
(x1) candle

Comments

[goodforcatfish]

Why didn't I think of that? Excellent and simple idea; props to you sir. I'm going to start on mine after this post!

[paulmcarthur]

that is a great idea,how much electricity does it generate?

[TheAmateurArtisan]

Props for being mentioned on adult swim.

[randofo]

Really? When was this mentioned on Adult Swim...?

[dworley]

Congratulations, that's almost as cool as the Pixies thing.

Also I've been wondering what that thing is on your desk. Now I know it's a recursive redundancy machine.

[TheAmateurArtisan]

those black card bits of humor between ads that show up, telling you random bits of current events. they mentioned an electric candle powered by a real one while they were browsing the internet.

[crazyg]

cool or hot even.nice one, but now confusing myself..is the fan sealed on both sinks? or is there a pass through for air,doesnt look like it,my intuition says it dont work,but it clearly does. imagining convection currents of air going round in circles what goes up must come down. am presuming its a regular motor fan.tempted to make one sure it would work but how! i think i have a similar heatsink from a mini fridge in the shed somewhere buried, its december and its old out there.let me know so i can get on with this 35 to medium format camera conversion.

[technovative]

What looks like a brushless fan between the two heatsinks is actually the Peltier, or TEC module surrounded by black foam weatherstripping insulation. The module is what generates electric current when there is a temperature difference between the two sides. These modules will also heat up on one side and get cold on the other when electric current is applied to them.

[crazyg]

thanks

[veeguy]

I think this would be *great* for the functioning mechanism for some sort of Rube Goldbergesque Steampunk inspired lantern. Lots of brass, a small hinged door to insert and light the candle, a large round lens with a brass guard protecting it, perhaps even a small chimney to vent excess heat. I'll put this on my project list, but perhaps someone with more time than I could turn one out quicker. (PS.- these Peltier type devices can be sourced cheaply by taking apart 12 volt car or home refridgerators typically available at garage/rummage sales for $5.- to $10.- .)

[Kilo_Foxtrot]

This is exactly how the Mars Rover is powered, it has a tiny nuclear reactor producing the required amount of heat.

[thealeks]

This makes me think of an electric bike i read about that to charge the battery you have to pedal a charger unit. I like the ingenuity though. You dont see alot of heat powered projects. You could power a variety of small devices with this.

[paxmanmerv]

Thats real sweet!
Gotta have a go at this.

[pdub77]

fantastic

[tiber]

OK this is ridiculously awesome. Not because of the YO DAWG factor but because I own a woodstove. Now I can power my fan (to blow the warm air) from the stove itself and maybe a few lights just by tossing them on the stovetop.

[jrjohnwood]

Rube Goldberg would have loved this.

[WailinSoul]

Very nice, maybe next time a wind powered fan?

[bryan3141]

I dunno, I think it's a brilliant way of maximizing the light from a VERY tiny candle....remember, you get light from both the tea light (not a lot) AND the electric candle (again, not a lot but not a lot + not a lot = just enough?)

In cooler climes, it seems like a good bet for suspending near a heater of some sort....

[Br4nd0n32]

Thanks awesome!

[kimvellore]

you could have the bottom made with a solid copper plate so it is a heat absorber and not a dissipator. If solid it can be placed on a heat source and absorb heat faster. Here is something similar
http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/how-it-works/#sub

[isaacwilk]

But if an earthquake strikes, won't it knock over the candle!? Not to mention all the aftershocks... Honestly I think that holding a candle in a lantern yourself is much safer than leaving one in a room prone to shakes by itself, if that was the point of it.

[HelenaTroy]

Is there a way of including some sort of anti-spill device round the tealight? I read that in the old days, they had “safety” candle lanterns in laces where a naked flame wasn’t desirable; the glass casing was a thin double-walled cylinder containing water – if the lamp were dropped or knocked over, the glass broke and the water put the candle out.

That might be a bit elaborate for a tealight, but some way of surrounding it with water, maybe standing it on a support in a jam-jar of water?

[isaacwilk]

But for goodness sake, about an hour or more's effort plus the cost... just for one electric candle, capable of lighting maybe half a room?? I think I might just take the risk of using a wind-up torch instead!

[spylock]

The only way I see this being a half way practical way of lighting would be to place it on a wood heater,something that you have to use anyway.I think you could modify it.

[spylock]

No reason to pick on the guy,Ive seen stuff on here far worse than this idea,and this idea may prompt someone to make an improvement,or use it for something different.

[belsey]

Don't you think the futility is part of what makes it so beautiful?

[spylock]

I think it could stand on its own as a piece of art,but with a few adjustments,it could become a more useful item.
As a candle,like I said,if one has a heat source that theyre using anyway,then the candle will be efficient to some degree.Any items worth or beauty,is in the eye of the beholder.I think there is something cool about it,I dont think it deserves all the ribbing its getting.

[theawesomeninja]

Or not... It's using energy otherwise wasted as heat to create more light (So it actually is helping!) so it's actually increasing efficiency (assuming you're trying to make more light)

[belsey]

Theoretically -- though the heat sink does block the candle flame from view, diminishing some of the visible light, and I doubt if the tiny flickering LED makes up all those lost lumen. But regardless of whether it's actually a loss, or a wash, or a gain in energy, visually it seems futile, and invites the question: how far have we really progressed since we mastered fire?

[zorcy]

at eye level, the light from the candle still travels sideways. The light that would be lost going up, is converted to light in all directions. There is no perpetual machine, so you have to loose some. This is still a better recovery of lost light and heat to light again. The light would be wasted up, radiant heat converted to regular heat. The heat from the fire would be wasted up, converted to convection with reclaimed radiant heat. Since it would have been lost, we can conserve some. The only downfall, is the light is not directed. It would be more efficient if there was a reflector on the candle and the "flame" LED was a regular LED with a focusing reflector. Both pointing in the same direction.

All-in-all, a very simple method to show physics, conservation and convection to a class. It should spark some ideas of recycling old computer parts.

[spylock]

I think he or she would have been better off to have made something like a stove fan.It generates power from an existing heat source,like a wood stove,and recirculates air.The heat sink is the major part in making one,and they sell for around $130.00;I can say that this idea is by no means the worse thing I have seen on here.To me,if nothing else its looks are pleasing to the eye,maybe its just me though.

[bryan3141]

Heat sink for $130? I'll tell you what, I'll sell you all the heat sinks you want equivalent to the one he used for $100 a piece! Shipping included. Think of how much you're saving!

[spylock]

Im just saying,thats what the fans sell for retail,and a person could make one with that much heat sink,a piece of copper about a foot square for the fan blade,two if the base is going to be copper,two small bearings with a metal rod to fit,a few screws,and thats about it.

[bryan3141]

In what universe? http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=1156 just with a casual peek. Or you can buy the whole assembly like this guy did (inlcuding a link) http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G19056 for $32 including the junction. Where are you getting $130? $30, yes, but $130? Like I said, can I be your supplier, please?

[spylock]

Oh,and the sarcasm is uncalled for,Im not acting like a jerk,no reason for you to.

[bryan3141]

i'm sorry for the sarcasm...and you owe me a BIG putdown because apparently I can't read....I couch certain things in humor when I shouldn't and I missed that you were talking about a really amazing bit of camping gear, not the actual project in question....that said, I've wanted one of THOSE for a while now, I just can't justify it as I don't do enough backwoods/off stream camping.

[spylock]

Are you sure we are talking about the same fan?I can say one thing, if we are,and thats that I would never dish out that kinda cash for one,they dont look that hard to make.

[bryan3141]

It's actually less a fan and more a high efficiency backpacking stove that uses local burnables to rapidly produce boiling water to reconstitute dehydrated food and beverages...the fact that it also produces enough electricity to recharge your iPhone is a BIG bonus as long as it stays within weight and volume limits. It's serious back woods gear. As I said, it's not significantly more expensive than the ones that are just a boiler.

[bryan3141]

here's a review of one...and it's not as nice, just as a boiler, as the one we're both talking about: http://www.backpacker.com/gear-zone-gear-review-ultra-light-kettle-co-mkettle/gear/15245

[spylock]

I have thermos like that,its older but works well,you can burn about anything you can get in it,and it heats the thermos in no time.But now Im not sure youve seen the fan I mentioned earlier The Ecofan.I thought they were just at the Sportsman's Guide,but they are all over the net.