Tindie seller and maker Timo Lausen wanted to create a unique gift for their grandmother, and they wanted it to be something that is unique to their skills as a maker. It also had to be something she would want to display because she enjoys it, and not just because her grandson gave it to her.
This led to the creation of the PCB Christmas Arche kit, which was inspired by the “Schwibbogen,” which is a decorative candle holder from Germany. The kit comes in separate pieces, so you’ll need to solder everything yourself but you may consider that part of the gift. The microcontroller trad drives the LEDs comes preprogrammed.
In addition to the kit, you will need your own USB-B cable and power adapter (like a phone charger). Once it’s all put together, the LEDs are controlled by two pseudo-random number generators that increase and decrease the brightness at random, thus imitating candlelight.
While Christmas Arches are normally made of wood and use candles, this unique twist on the concept with a PCB and LEDs gives makers the opportunity to give a gift that represents their craft.
