This “electric candle” is an experimental Tesla-coil project, not an LED candle or a ready-made household replacement. A high-voltage circuit creates a small plasma discharge that can resemble a candle flame—but the discharge is hot enough to cause damage.
What the plasma candle actually is
Hackaday’s Dan Maloney described the project on February 1, 2021, crediting plasma hobbyist Jay Bowles and Leon of the Teslaundmehr channel. Instead of burning wax or simulating a flame with an LED, the device produces a plasma discharge at the breakout point of a resonator coil. Its shape and size can look flame-like, and it occasionally resembles a flame in color. Hackaday’s project report frames it as an electronics build, not a consumer candle product.
How the build produces a flame-like discharge
The report describes an approximately 10-MHz Class-E oscillator driving a Tesla-coil-style assembly. Its main elements are a large resonator coil, a shorter primary coil, and a MOSFET driver mounted on a heatsink. The discharge appears at a breakout point on the resonator.
That frequency is Hackaday’s description of the oscillator; the article does not give an independent measurement method. It also does not provide a complete parts list or establish that another builder can reproduce the result from the linked videos alone.
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Why tuning and heat matter
Hackaday reports that achieving a stable discharge took substantial adjustment and multiple MOSFETs. That is a sign of a demanding high-voltage experiment, not a plug-and-play lighting project.
The visible effect should not be treated as cool or safe to touch. Hackaday warns that the plasma is hot enough to cause damage. The source does not establish a safe operating distance, operating temperature, power level, or safety certification, so it cannot support a claim that the device is suitable for use as a household candle.
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What the RF precautions do—and do not—show
In a post-publication note, Hackaday reported that Bowles performed experiments in a steel-reinforced concrete building with grounded metal screens over the windows. The note says an RF specialist checked across the spectrum and detected no leaks outside. These are precautions and results reported for Bowles’s setup; they are not independent proof that the device cannot cause radio interference, nor do they show that the same measures would work in another building or environment.
How it differs from ordinary candles
| Type | What creates the visible effect | What the report establishes about the project |
|---|---|---|
| Wax candle | Combustion | Not the mechanism used by this build. |
| LED candle | Simulated light | Not the mechanism used by this build. |
| Plasma project | High-voltage discharge from a resonator coil | Custom oscillator and coil assembly; tuning was difficult, and the discharge can cause heat damage. |
This comparison is limited to how the light is produced and the project’s reported complexity and operating concerns. The report does not establish comparative safety, reliability, air quality, or energy efficiency.
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Where to find more build detail
Hackaday links Jay’s video, “Building a Wireless Power Plasma Candle ( Flame Discharge ft. Teslaundmehr),” and “DIY Plasma flame Tesla Coil – Step by Step (ft.Plasma Channel).” It describes Leon’s video as step-by-step build guidance. The article does not independently verify the video instructions or establish a complete schematic, parts list, or validated replica.
Quick Recap
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