These NeoPixel Sticks are super fun and glow brightly. You can control each of the 8 tiny 5050 (5mm x 5mm) smart RGBW LEDs individually. They're insanely bright when lit up, and you can control them with 8 - bit PWM per channel for 32 - bit overall color. It's great for adding colorful and white dots to your project! We've packed these LEDs onto a PCB with mounting holes and a chainable design. You only need one microcontroller pin to control as many sticks as you can chain together. Each LED has its own driver chip inside, making it addressable. With a ~18mA constant current drive, the color stays consistent even if the voltage varies, and no external choke resistors are needed, giving it a slim design. Power it with 5VDC (4 - 7V works). NeoPixel LEDs use an 800 KHz protocol, requiring specific timing. Their PWM rate is ~400 Hz, which works well but may show pixelation if the LED is moving. DotStars have a smoother 20 KHz PWM rate. We recommend DotStars if possible. The sticks are 'chainable' by connecting one's output to another's input. It needs a real - time microcontroller like an AVR, Arduino, etc., not a Linux - based or interpreted microcontroller. Our well - written Arduino Neopixel library supports these pixels. An 8MHz or faster processor is required. We have a tutorial on wiring, power usage, and example code. Note that you need a NeoPixel library with RGBW support. Our Adafruit NeoPixel library has this support. Comes as a single stick with 8 tested RGBW LEDs. Our detailed NeoPixel Uberguide has all you need for any NeoPixel use. Dimensions are 10.2mm x 51.1mm x 3.2mm / 0.4' x 2.0' x 0.13', and it weighs 2.6g. It may ship with either WS2812B or SK6812 - based LEDs, which have the same brightness, color, and protocol.
Using the NeoPixel Sticks is easy. First, power them with 5VDC (4 - 7V also works). Then, connect the sticks together by linking the output of one stick to the input of another. You'll need a real - time microcontroller like an AVR or Arduino to control them. Remember, you can't use a Linux - based or interpreted microcontroller. Our Arduino Neopixel library supports these pixels, but make sure you have a library with RGBW support. If you use a plain 'RGB' library, you'll get strange results. When using the sticks, be aware that the NeoPixel LEDs use an 800 KHz protocol, so they need specific timing. Also, their PWM rate may cause pixelation if the LED is moving. For smoother results, consider using DotStars. As for maintenance, keep the sticks dry and avoid physical damage. If you have any questions, check out our tutorial for wiring, power usage calculations, and example code. Our NeoPixel Uberguide has all the information you need for different Arduino models and other uses.
