3D Printed Minecraft Torch That Glows!

I am recently working on a few large projects and I started to get bored working on the same projects every weekend. In the last weekend, I decided to make something that is easy and fun. As a senior engineer working in the tech industry, I kinda maxed out on most of the maker skills. So I decided to make a minimalist Minecraft torch from scratch, just for fun.

Why minimalist? I don't really like the wooden texture of the Minecraft torch. I also don't like the design of the official one that use UV printing on white plastic to create different shades of yellow on the flame portion of the torch. That is why in this design, I am trying to utilize some CAD modeling skills and 3D printing to make it looks minimalistic when turned off and only show off the details when lights up.

Disclaimer: I know a lot of kids might want to make a Minecraft torch like this, but this project involve Lithium ion batteries, 3D printing and soldering, which might require some prior knowledge and safety equipment to get started. Please consult with your parent, teacher or other professionals before trying this at home.

To build this torch, you will need the following tools and materials

1. TP4056 (type C) charge controller x 1
2. 18650 3.7V x 1 (any capacity is fine, but make sure to get one with protection circuit wrapped inside the cell)
3. A switch
4. LED light strip
5. 3D printer with black and white filament
6. 6 x M3 x 10mm screws, flat head
7. Soldering tools, wires and hotglue gun

First, you want to 3d print the case.

There are some parts where a single model contains more than one part. Use your slicer build-in split function to split it into multiple parts and arrange them on the print bed for printing. In general, you do not need support to print all 4 parts (the base.stl contains two parts).

The head part should be printed in white the the other parts are in black. But of course you can pick whatever you want when reproducing this build, but make sure the head.stl is always printed in material that is somewhat transparent since we are gonna to place some LED inside it.

You might notice the torch flame / cube has uneven internal surface. That is by design and it is normal. Through adjusting the thickness of the wall, I created different shades of yellow on the outside surface when it lights up.

Solder the parts together following the diagram. After the soldering is done, you should be able to charge the battery via the USB type C port on the TP4056 board and switch the LED on and off using the switch.

This is a bit tricky. You need to wrap the LED strip around the light.stl model to make it look something like this in the photo. This will then be placed inside the torch flame white block on the top part of the torch as shown in the last photo.

The light.stl model fixture can be hot glued down to the base.stl model.

The last step is to place all the electronic parts inside the torch base after the light fixture has been glued in place. You can also hot glue or zip tie the battery in place.

There is a small hole on the cover part of the base which is used to house the switch. Hot glue the switch in place so the switch can be toggle on the side of the panel.

Lastly, hot glue the flame (white 3D printed cube) onto the base and screw in the panel to the base.

Now, you have completed a glowing Minecraft torch that should be able to last for a night with a single charge. Enjoy!