The NeoPixel 1/4 60 LED Ring – Cool White gives you a 15-LED quarter segment with RGBW control, ready to build into a full 6.2" 60-LED ring with crisp cool white light, smooth colour mixing, and simple single-pin control… and more!
What is better than smart RGB LEDs? Smart RGB+White LEDs! These NeoPixels have four LEDs in each package (red, green, blue and white) for more flexible lighting effects and a proper dedicated white channel. Round and round and round they go!
This is the NeoPixel 1/4 60 LED Ring in Cool White. With four of these quarter sections, you can assemble a large 60-LED ring measuring 6.2" in diameter. Each order includes one quarter ring (15 LEDs). To create the complete circle, you’ll need to purchase four segments and solder them together.
The segments are chainable – connect the output pin of one to the input pin of the next. Only one microcontroller pin is required to control as many sections as you link together. Each LED is individually addressable, with the driver chip built into the 5050-sized (5mm x 5mm) LED package. Each pixel features ~18mA constant current drive for consistent colour even if the supply voltage varies, and no external resistors are required. Power everything with 5V DC and you’re ready to go.
The NeoPixel is effectively split: one half is the familiar RGB LED, and the other half is a white LED with a yellow phosphor. Unlit, it resembles an egg yolk. When powered, they are extremely bright and can be controlled with 8-bit PWM per channel (8 bits × 4 channels = 32-bit colour per pixel), making them ideal for projects that need both vivid colour and clean cool white light.
NeoPixels use an 800 kHz single-wire protocol, so precise timing is required. The PWM refresh rate is approximately 400 Hz, which works well in most situations but can be noticeable if the LEDs are moving. By comparison, DotStar LEDs use a 20 kHz PWM rate for smoother blending during motion.
Each LED acts like a shift register, reading incoming data on its input pin and passing remaining data down the chain. Once you set the brightness and colour, the PWM runs internally, and you can stop sending data until you want to update the display.
We have a full tutorial covering wiring, power calculations and example code for NeoPixel. Please note that you’ll need a NeoPixel library with RGBW support. Using a standard RGB-only library will produce incorrect results. Our Adafruit NeoPixel library supports RGBW, but other libraries may require modification.
Specifications
Outer diameter of full circle (four put together): 157mm
Inner diameter of full circle (four put together): 145mm
Thickness: 3.25mm
Weight of one individual quarter: 4.1g
When soldering these together, line up the four pieces and connect all the GND and 5V pins together as shown above. Then for three out of the four pieces solder DIN to DOUT. The remaining DIN is the input pin for the entire ring.
Revision History
As of January 25, 2024 – We've updated this PCB with Adafruit Pinguin to make a lovely and legible silkscreen.
Skip to content
