Adafruit
Breadboard-friendly RGB Smart NeoPixel - Sheet of 25
So, you want lots and lots of NeoPixels? And you want them for less? Not a problem! Here's a sheet of Breadboard-Friendly NeoPixel breakouts fresh from th...
So, you want lots and lots of NeoPixels? And you want them for less? Not a problem! Here's a sheet of Breadboard-Friendly NeoPixel breakouts fresh from the (reflow) oven. Snap them off as you need 'em and save a pretty penny while you're at it.
Each order comes with 25 pixels on a snap-apart sheet. If you want a smaller number, we also have them in packs of 4.
This is the easiest way possible to add small, bright RGB pixels to your project. We took the same technology from our Flora NeoPixels and made them breadboard friendly, with two rows of 3 x 0.1" spaced header on each side for easy soldering, chaining and breadboarding. These ultra-bright LEDs have a constant-current driver cooked right into the LED package! The pixels are chainable - so you only need 1 pin/wire to control as many LEDs as you like.
These pixels have full 24-bit color ability with PWM taken care of by the controller chip. Since the LED is so bright, you need less current/power to get the effects you want. The driver is constant current so it's OK if your battery power changes or fluctuates a little.
Each pixel draws as much as 60mA (all three RGB LEDs on for full brightness white). An Arduino can drive up to 500 pixels at 30 FPS (it will run out of RAM after that). Using ribbon cable you can string these up to 6" apart (after that, you might get power droops and data corruption)
Check out NeoPixel Uberguide for everything you could ever want to know (and more)!
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- constant-current driver
- A constant-current driver supplies a set current even as the load voltage changes. For a TFT backlight, this helps keep brightness stable and prevents the LEDs from being overdriven.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- NeoPixel
- A type of addressable LED system where colour data is sent along a single digital data line from one LED or controller to the next. Compatibility matters because the timing and signal format must match for the lights or driver board to respond correctly.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- RAM
- RAM is temporary memory used while a device is running, and its contents are lost when power is removed. A “Run in RAM” mode is useful for testing settings without permanently programming the module, but it may not support every feature.
- RGB
- Short for red, green and blue, usually referring to an LED that can mix those three colours. It matters because controlling an RGB LED teaches how separate outputs combine to create different colours.
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