Adafruit NeoPixel Ring - 16 x 5050 RGB LED with Integrated Drivers

Round and round they go as 16 ultra-bright smart LED NeoPixels are meticulously arranged in a circle. With an outer diameter of 1.75 inches (44.5mm), these rings are easily 'chainable,' allowing you to connect the output pin of one to the input pin of another. This means you can control an endless series of lights with just one microcontroller pin.

Each LED is addressable, thanks to the driver chip embedded inside, providing a consistent ~18mA constant current drive. This ensures your colors remain vibrant regardless of voltage fluctuations—all without the need for external choke resistors, keeping the design sleek.

Power the ring with a 5VDC supply (4-7V also compatible), and it’s ready to dazzle. A single data line with a timing-specific protocol requires a real-time microcontroller, such as an AVR, Arduino, or PIC, ensuring seamless operation. Note that it doesn’t support Linux-based microcomputers or interpreted microcontrollers like netduino.

The NeoPixel library for Arduino, requiring an 8MHz or faster processor, makes programming and control intuitive. It’s hand-tuned for AVR cores, but other ports may be available online. Each purchase includes a single ring with 16 individually addressable RGB LEDs, assembled and meticulously tested.