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Project Notes

#192 Sagrada Família

A paper model with some LED effects thrown in for atmosphere!

Here’s a quick video of the finished kit:

Sagrada Família

Notes

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família has been under construction since 1882. The magnitude of the vision driving the project - both physically and creatively - is striking, especially at first hand.

Update: 99% Invisible recently published a fantastic documentary podcast on La Sagrada Família

Then you see the work in progress - the cranes, scaffolding, workers scurrying around the site. But that is what I think really brings it to life. This is not a frozen, finished statement of something other-worldy. It’s a vibrant expression of the hope and aspirations of a whole bunch of people working together.

In other words, it is the ultimate maker project! Personally, I think it will be a sad day when someone declares it actually “finished”.

IRL - as it was when I visited in 2015

So at the extreme other end of the maker-scale is this neat little paper nano Sagrada Familia kit that I picked up in my travels.

I’ve “electrified” it to some extent with some LowVoltageGlowingLEDs that animate the background, just running off a 1.5V supply. Although I think I could have slowed down the LEDs even further.

A nice effect I think..

build_glow

Especially at night:

build_night

Construction

There’s not too much to the build. Just follow the instructions! A few points to note:

  • I’ve mounted this on half a business-card case (to fit the electronics)
  • I started using super-glue (because that’s all I had handy). It stained the cardboard, so I had to do a touch-up with paint. I should have a bit more patience and wait to get the right tools first!

kit_front

kit_rear

construction_wip

build_complete

Credits and References

About LEAP#192 LEDCraft
Project Source on GitHub Project Gallery Return to the LEAP Catalog

This page is a web-friendly rendering of my project notes shared in the LEAP GitHub repository.

LEAP is just my personal collection of projects. Two main themes have emerged in recent years, sometimes combined:

  • electronics - usually involving an Arduino or other microprocessor in one way or another. Some are full-blown projects, while many are trivial breadboard experiments, intended to learn and explore something interesting
  • scale modelling - I caught the bug after deciding to build a Harrier during covid to demonstrate an electronic jet engine simulation. Let the fun begin..
To be honest, I haven't quite figured out if these two interests belong in the same GitHub repo or not. But for now - they are all here!

Projects are often inspired by things found wild on the net, or ideas from the many great electronics and scale modelling podcasts and YouTube channels. Feel free to borrow liberally, and if you spot any issues do let me know (or send a PR!). See the individual projects for credits where due.