At Adafruit, we're always excited to find new and amazing glowing items. We were instantly drawn to these fantastic Flexible Silicone Neon - Style LED Strips! They closely resemble traditional neon, but without the need for pricey transformers, glass tubes, or inert gases. This particular strip is incredibly flexible and bendable. It features an RGB non - addressable LED strip with a large piece of translucent silicone rubber acting as a diffuser. They look amazing and are very easy to use, making them a perfect choice to add lighting to your projects. The silicone casing is strong, durable, and weather - proof. While they're not meant for underwater use or long - term outdoor exposure, they're tough enough for outdoor projects like costumes, bike lighting, or festival decorations. You'll receive a 1 - meter long strip with 4 wires: black for +12V, and red, green, and blue that you can connect to ground to activate the corresponding color. Supply 9V (bright) to 12V (very bright!) and the strip will start glowing. Note that these aren't 'NeoPixel' LED strips. You can turn each red, green, or blue channel on or off to set the entire strip to any color, but you can't control individual LEDs. Check out the guide on analog RGB LED strip control to see how it works. You'll need a microcontroller with 3 PWM outputs and 3 N - MOSFETs to control the power to each R/G/B element.
Using this LED strip is easy. First, connect the black wire to +12V. Then, connect the red, green, and blue wires to ground to turn on the corresponding colors. You can power it with 9V for bright light or 12V for very bright light. When using it, keep in mind that this isn't a 'NeoPixel' strip, so you can't control individual LEDs, but you can set the whole strip to any color by adjusting the red, green, and blue channels. For the best performance, use a microcontroller with 3 PWM outputs and 3 N - MOSFETs. As for maintenance, the silicone casing is durable, but it's not meant for long - term outdoor use or being dunked underwater. If you're using it outdoors, try to protect it from extreme weather. Keep it clean by gently wiping it with a soft, dry cloth if it gets dirty.
