Kitronik
ZIP Halo for the BBC micro:bit
The ZIP Halo is a circular LED board for the BBC micro:bit featuring 24 individually addressable full-colour ZIP LEDs (WS2812B). Each LED can display a huge ...
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The ZIP Halo is a circular LED board for the BBC micro:bit featuring 24 individually addressable full-colour ZIP LEDs (WS2812B). Each LED can display a huge spectrum of colours, enabling vibrant rainbow effects, colour mixing, data visualisation, and animated light displays.
The board bolts securely onto the micro:bit using five bolts and provides a regulated power supply to the micro:bit via JST connector or solder pads. Pins P1 and P2 are broken out to 0.1″ pads along with power and GND for connecting additional sensors or switches.
Key Features
- 24 ZIP LEDs – Individually addressable WS2812B full-colour RGB LEDs
- Halo Ring Layout – Circular arrangement for eye-catching light effects
- Secure Mounting – Bolts directly onto the micro:bit with 5 bolts
- Regulated Power Supply – Powers the micro:bit from 3.5–5V input
- JST Power Input – Connect a 3×AAA battery holder or LiPo battery
- Extension Pads – Chain additional ZIP LEDs via 0.1″ pitch connector pads
- Broken-Out Pins – P1, P2, VCC, and GND on 0.1″ pads for additional components
Specifications
- LEDs – 24× WS2812B (ZIP LEDs)
- Supply Voltage – 3.5–5V
- Power Input – JST connector or solder pads
- Compatibility – MakeCode (Blocks/JavaScript), WS2812B driver code
Ideal For
- Colourful micro:bit coding projects
- Data visualisation and light displays
- Wearable electronics and costumes
- Learning about addressable LEDs
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- GND
- GND is the ground or reference connection (0 V) for a circuit. When connecting two devices together, their grounds must be joined so both agree on what counts as a low or high signal.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
- LiPo
- A LiPo (lithium polymer) battery is a rechargeable lithium battery widely used in portable projects because it is light and compact. LiPo cells need correct charging circuitry and careful handling to stay safe, so equipment that supports LiPo generally includes charging or protection hardware suited to that battery type.
- RGB
- Short for red, green and blue, the three primary colours of light that are mixed in varying amounts to make a wide range of colours. In electronics RGB can refer to an LED or pixel that blends these three colours, or to a colour signal or interface that carries separate red, green and blue channels.
- VCC
- VCC is the positive power-supply connection on a chip or module. Connecting it to the correct supply voltage is needed for the part to power on and helps avoid damaging the electronics.
- WS2812B
- A smart RGB LED chip with a tiny built-in controller, commonly used in addressable light strips and panels. It matters because many WS2812B LEDs can be chained together and controlled from one microcontroller pin, but they need compatible code and careful power planning as the number of LEDs grows.
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