Adafruit
RGB Full Colour LED Backlight - 12mm x 40mm
· MPN: ADA6158
This diffused acrylic backlight strip gives you an easy way to add a smooth, colourful glow to projects. It is the kind of light guide normally found behind ...
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This diffused acrylic backlight strip gives you an easy way to add a smooth, colourful glow to projects. It is the kind of light guide normally found behind LCD panels, but this version uses a single RGB LED so you can drive red, green and blue channels independently.
The LED is encased in a 3.3mm thick acrylic strip that spreads the light for near-uniform illumination. A reflector on the flat rear side directs the light out through the top, helping avoid wasted brightness.
You can wire it much like a common-anode RGB LED: connect the longest pin to 3~5VDC, then connect the shorter red, green and blue pins through current-limiting resistors to ground. The lit surface can be masked with vinyl or drawn on with a marker for custom shapes and effects.
It is a neat option for wearables and compact lighting effects where you want something brighter than EL without needing an inverter, though the strip itself is not flexible.
Specifications:
- Acrylic strip thickness: 3.3mm
- Anode pin: Longest pin
- Operating voltage: 3~5VDC
- Channel current: Each should draw no more than 20mA
- Lit area: 0.4" by 1.5" (12mm x 38.7mm)
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- common-anode
- A wiring style for multi-colour LEDs where the positive side is shared and each colour channel is controlled on the negative side. This matters because common-anode and common-cathode LED strips are not interchangeable without a suitable driver.
- LCD
- LCD stands for liquid crystal display, a screen technology that uses a backlight and liquid crystals to show images or text. It matters because LCD modules usually need a display driver and enough controller pins or a bus interface to send image data.
- 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.
- 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.
Find this product in
RGB Backlight LED Datasheet
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Supplier page — adafruit.com
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