What could be better than smart RGB LEDs? Smart RGB + White LEDs! These NeoPixel rings are a game - changer with four LEDs (red, green, blue, and white) for outstanding lighting effects. They keep going round and round! This is the 24 - LED RGBW NeoPixel Ring in a warm white color. There are many other NeoPixel rings in our store for you to explore. 24 ultra - bright smart LED NeoPixels are arranged in a circle with an outer diameter of 2.58 inches (65.5mm). These rings are 'chainable'. Just connect the output pin of one to the input pin of another. You can use just one microcontroller pin to control as many as you can chain together. Each LED is addressable as the driver chip is inside. With a ~18mA constant current drive, the color remains consistent even if the voltage varies, and there's no need for external choke resistors, making the design sleek. Power it with 5VDC and you're all set. The NeoPixel is unique. One half is the familiar RGB, and the other half is a white LED with a yellow phosphor. When unlit, it looks like an egg yolk. When lit, it's extremely bright. You can control it with 8 - bit PWM per channel (8 x 4 channels = 32 - bit color overall). It's perfect for adding colorful and white dots to your project. NeoPixel LEDs use an 800 KHz protocol, so specific timing is needed. The PWM rate is ~400 Hz, which works well but may show pixelation if the LED is moving. In contrast, DotStars have a 20 KHz PWM rate for smoother blending. (We recommend DotStars if possible.) These are 5050 - sized LEDs with an embedded microcontroller inside. You can set the brightness and color of each R/G/B/W with 8 - bit PWM precision (32 - bit color per pixel). They're controlled by shift - registers and only one digital output pin is needed to send data. The PWM is built - in, so once you set the color, you can stop communicating with the ring. We have a tutorial for wiring, power usage calculations, and example code. Note that you'll need a NeoPixel library with RGBW support, which isn't always available. Our Adafruit NeoPixel library supports RGBW. It comes as a single ring with 24 individually addressable RGBW LEDs, already assembled and tested.
Using your NeoPixel Ring is easy. First, power the whole ring with 5VDC. Then, connect the output pin of one ring to the input pin of another if you want to chain multiple rings together. You only need one microcontroller pin to control all the chained rings. To set the color and brightness of each LED, use a NeoPixel library with RGBW support. Our Adafruit NeoPixel library is a good choice. When programming, keep in mind that these LEDs use an 800 KHz protocol, so specific timing is required. As for the PWM rate, it's about 400 Hz, which might show some pixelation if the LED is moving. If that's a problem, you might want to consider DotStars. Maintenance is straightforward. Keep the ring in a dry place to avoid any short - circuits. Also, make sure the voltage is stable as the LEDs have a ~18mA constant current drive, which keeps the color consistent. Remember, if you try to control these LEDs with a plain 'RGB' NeoPixel library, you'll get strange results. So, always use a library that supports RGBW.
