Adafruit White LED Backlight Module - Small 12mm x 40mm

These pretty strips of light are plastic diffused backlights, often seen in LCD displays. Normally, they're tucked behind the LCD to shine white light from below. Here, we've got the LEDs available individually and they're really cool!

Each LED is encased in a 3.5mm thick strip of acrylic. The acrylic strip is a special type that is very good at diffusing light, so even though there's just one single white LED, it provides near-uniform lighting. The other flat side of the strip has a reflector, allowing light only from the top, preventing unnecessary brightness loss.

You can treat this backlight just like an LED: light it with ~3V at 20mA current and create a stunning shape to mask with vinyl or draw over with a marker. A resistor in series is necessary, like with any other LED, to set the max current. Gels can alter the color, offering customization options.

These strips are perfect for wearables without needing EL or inverters, as they're much brighter than EL and consume less battery. However, they're not flexible at all. This specific backlight provides a 0.5" by 1.5" (12mm x 40mm) lit area, offering a brilliant way to illuminate your projects.