Origami Kite

A Catalan solid is a polyhedron with faces which are all identical. A deltoidal hexecontahedron is one of Catalan solids. Its 60 faces are deltoids or kites. This modular design makes its assembly free of 3D-printed frame or jig. It is self-supported after assembly. Here are the major steps.

• Solder 5 LEDs onto the top side of each PCB.
• Solder three hardwires to connect a pair of PCB from the bottom.
• Fold all connected PCB into the shape of icosahedron after circuit testing.
• Use hardwires to connect all other edges to make the shape sturdy.
• Use the tweezer to adjust the shape.

This PCB origami comes in one package. The kit has to be assembled by you.

What is in the packages?

• PCB finish: ENIG with green solder-mask
• PCB size: 28.9 x 25.1 (mm)
• Beginner-15: 15 origami-kite PCB (FR4 and ENIG finish)
• Expert-60: 60 origami-kite PCB (FR4 and ENIG finish)
• 30 or 120 axial resistors for connections and assembly
• 75 WS2812B-2020 RGB LEDs for Beginner-15 package
• 300 WS2812B-2020 RGB LEDs for Expert-60 package

Instructions to make an icosahedron could be found on my Hackaday page. It should give you an idea about how to assemble these kites into a sphere. Kites are used in the similar way as triangles.

The soldering is not that difficult. The assembly takes times and patience. You may divide this challenge into several small tasks and complete them one after another.

Notes: You need 60 kites or one Expert-60 package to assemble a complete sphere.

Notes: I know this origami-kites are not exactly deltoids in mathematics. The design is taken for more assembly options. You can have a triangle and hexagon in 2D. You can have a pentagon in 3D. Then move onto more complex 3D shapes.