This sign was built for the South East London Meccano Club stand at the Welling Sparkle Christmas Market event which took place on Sunday 20th November 2022.
The Welling Sparkle sign on display during the Welling Sparkle Christmas Market event
My inspiration was a stop-motion animation uploaded to the event’s Facebook page which depicted a man putting up twinkling fairy lights spelling out the name ‘Welling’.
In my version the letters are made from Meccano strips arranged to form ‘Welling’ in the same font as the event’s logo, and visitors get to ‘Make Welling Sparkle’ by turning the handle to twinkle the lights.
The Welling Sparkle sign and handle
The lights are RGB (Red, Green, Blue) LEDs wired up such that three separate strings contain different combinations of colours. These strings are lit, either individually or in combination, in a sequence determined by the position of the cams and microswitches behind the handle.
The cams and microswitches behind the handle