It's over a year since I made a video about the new flame lamp effect that was appearing on the market. It's evolved in an interesting manner. Better visual effect and a modular approach that allows adaptation to battery operation. The circuitry has been simplified too and has quite a neat trick to allow the driving of 99 LEDs from a low pin count processor.
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If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
Asking you to do a video on a product and freaking out when you tear it down and reverse engineer it is like sending a lock to the Lock Picking Layer and being shocked when he picks it and points out all the security flaws…
You could probably stuff the guts of one of those little battery banks inside the lamp itself since it's hollow — just a little more work to polish it up and make it totally battery operated
Regarding the 3 functions of the lamp, I would think that the middle function could be used as a lighthouse effect. Almost logical, along with the flame function. Just a thought…
Good god this light would drive me mad, it squeals like a politician being asked about bussiness expenses. Every time you plug it in it screams. I must remember to buy a few as gifts for people I don't like 🙃
Do you have a link to the one above it still available?
I just bought a similar lamp and took it apart. They have reduced the part count even further: on the base there are only the contacts. The controlling chips are where the flexible sheets overlap. There are only 2 16-pin and one 8-pin chip apart from the power supply. On the top they left out one of the three LEDs which are in series. And because there are no more capacitors to be discharged, they only have the flaming mode. Fascinating how the circuit can be reduced!
@bigclivedotcom Is it possible to create this effect on an entire wall that would be about 15 ft wide? I'm looking to do this in a restaurant concept.
Two years later. I am still having trouble tracking down one of these bulbs (that uses 5v internally) in the US. Anyone found a reliable source?
I love how you say "Chip(puh)".
With a flame effect how do you know if it really catches on fire ?
Child: Mom, the light is on FIRE !
Mom: Just ignore it, it's supposed to look like that !
Child: But Mom !
Mom: You heard me !
That resistor on PIN 4 makes me thing this may be a PIC of some flavor. Most of the 8 bit line have MCLR/RA3 on pin 4 which is input only. VDD on PIN 1 and VSS on the highest pin is common ofr 8 bit PICs too.
I walked by some of these, and wanted to know how they work. Found out. WOW.
After watching this video I ordered several of these led units from the recommended source. They will be handy for use in Halloween events, Christmas decorations and other experiments. I especially like that they can be powered from a 5 volt source, so they are super safe. LED lamps used to be too expensive in the past but this will be my second purchase of LEDS for domestic lighting in 2018 since they have become more sensibly priced.
Be VERY careful if you buy one of these. I just got one that came in the same box and has the same external appearance as BC's, but it is total crap. It has a switched mode power supply, one electrolytic capacitoy on the circuit board and that is it. Oh, and the LED PCB was scrunched up at the top so it would fit in the defuser. It cost £3.99 and initially, I was offered 99p refund. I asked for £3 as I was going to strip it down for parts. Got total refund. There is a lot of crap out there and TBH, I am afraid to order another one.
If its a PIC chip it probably uses the capacitor and the brownout interrupt/flag to change mode
Clive you have to make a video of building your own version of an LED flame bulb. From scratch. That would be amazing.
Hi Clive. I watch you videos for hours and love them. I have a problem, I brought 4 of these or very similar lamps but they do not do what I need and that is come on in only flame effect mode as I am using a photo cell / dawn to dusk switch them on and do not have the ability to turn them off and on again to get to the right mode. Is there one available that only has flame mode? Or is it easy to change? Thanks Jessie.
That is exactly what I was looking for! I have to tear this apart as I have 2 and started to blow fuse and I suspect the power supply circuit.