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Fire-free LED Matchstick

video Fire-free LED Matchstick

I just completed a new project: a fire-free and fire-safe LED matchstick. To light this matchstick you strike it against a normal matchbox filled with neodymium magnets. The LED matchstick has an inductive sensor that detects the magnetic field as you strike the matchstick against the matchbox and it lights up a LED in a flickering fashion. The power to the matchstick is through a 3F/2.7V supercapacitor and a DC-DC converter. As the LED lights up, the supercapacitor discharges and eventually the matchstick splutters off just like a normal matchstick.

The matchstick is controlled by a Tiny13 microcontroller. Still need to put it in a perspex tube so that its easy to handle and is not damaged.

24 comments

Apr 16, 2012. 12:45 PM

blinkyblinky says:

Very nice. All you need now is a sensor that will turn it off when it hits wind...

Feb 15, 2012. 8:59 PM

Bot1398 says:

Cool! great work.

Jul 24, 2011. 8:13 PMgunspyop2 says:

asome ooooooooooooooooooo

Jul 24, 2011. 6:15 PMnicwitzke says:

cool

Jul 23, 2011. 8:53 PMaxeman911 says:

that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Jul 17, 2011. 5:13 PMMatchstalkMan says:

That is a very cool project.

Jun 30, 2011. 4:49 PMsoulinstructar223 says:

So you put up a picture and video of a project you made from a book? Am I missing something? Where is the Instructable?

Jul 1, 2011. 11:09 AM

Gadre (author) says:

I wrote that book long after I put up the Instructable video. The book was published recently.

Jun 4, 2011. 9:52 PM

Gadre (author) says:

This and other 34 projects are now available in a book, published by McGraw Hill International: TinyAVR Microcontroller Projects for the Evil Genius.

Oct 19, 2010. 10:05 PMrobbert229 says:

Guys that was simple. He had a micro controller mounted with a super capacitor as its power source and then had a reed swich and an led. a reed switch is basically a swich that is closed unless a magnet is placed next to it.

Oct 9, 2010. 12:59 PMagis68 says:

man this is awosome!!!!!!

Give us instructions!!!!

Oct 5, 2010. 2:34 PMryahe says:

are u planning on posting this?? plz do it is awesome

May 26, 2010. 7:49 AMbbuuggmmeennoott22 says:

we want instructables

Feb 14, 2010. 6:23 AMbasqueman says:

Still waiting for an instructable. Puuuhleeeeze? Pretty please? :-)

Nov 20, 2009. 11:42 PMEarths_hope says:

INSTRUCTABLE!!!

Oct 30, 2009. 2:04 PM

boston09 says:

please make an instructable. pleasee!

Oct 14, 2009. 9:53 PMw0rm5 says:

Are u gonna post the sitructables or not?? the way it is, it´s useless

Aug 14, 2009. 8:53 PMcrazyhalofreak says:

cool! you sound like fez from that 70s show

Jun 11, 2009. 2:55 PMrobo_bob says:

dude plzzzzzz make an instructable this is so cool man

Mar 25, 2009. 9:22 AM

boyrock375 says:

could you please make an Instructable on how to make one

Mar 17, 2009. 7:02 PMmatroska says:

Wow that's just a brilliant idea! A very nice DIY project! Will interest others too, as I strike a .. PCB match against a box and when it will light!

Mar 17, 2009. 7:02 PMmatroska says:

However, I think the Instructables community would like more info about this, and on how to do it.

Feb 11, 2009. 2:15 PMredbird01 says:

Ditto to what NoBonus said! And I would add that this is a very imaginative use of the technology. I haven't figured out any practical application for this yet; But I'm sure that there are some very clever people out there who will. Very cool!