The NeoPixel Stick – 8 x RGBW LEDs (Cool White) packs eight individually addressable 5050 RGBW LEDs into a slim, chainable board with 800KHz control and 5V operation for bright, precise lighting effects…and more!
What is better than smart RGB LEDs? Smart RGB+White LEDs! These NeoPixel sticks feature four LEDs in each package — red, green, blue and white — for excellent lighting effects. Compact and versatile, you can control each LED individually to create your own custom light arrangements.
This is the Cool White RGBW version. We also offer this stick in Warm White, Natural White, and classic RGB.
Each NeoPixel is ‘split’: one half is the familiar RGB LED, and the other half is a white LED with a yellow phosphor coating. 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 adding both colour and crisp white highlights to your project.
Eight tiny 5050 (5mm x 5mm) smart RGBW LEDs are arranged on a slim PCB with mounting holes and a chainable design. Only a single microcontroller pin is required to control all eight LEDs, and you can chain multiple sticks together for larger displays. Each LED includes an integrated driver chip with approximately 18mA constant current drive, ensuring consistent colour even if the supply voltage varies. No external choke resistors are required. Power the board with 5V DC (4–7V works) and you’re ready to go.
NeoPixel LEDs use an 800KHz data protocol, so precise timing is required. The PWM rate is approximately 400Hz, which works well for most uses but may be noticeable if the LEDs are moving. In comparison, DotStar LEDs use a 20KHz PWM rate for smoother blending during motion.
The sticks are chainable by connecting the output of one to the input of another via a single data line. Because the protocol is timing-sensitive, a real-time microcontroller such as an AVR, Arduino, PIC, mbed or similar is required. They are not suitable for Linux-based microcomputers or interpreted microcontrollers such as Netduino or Basic Stamp. An 8MHz or faster processor is required. The Adafruit NeoPixel library for Arduino supports RGBW devices, but if you use a standard RGB-only library, colour output will not behave correctly.
A detailed tutorial is available covering wiring, power calculations and example code to help you get started.
Supplied as a single stick with 8 individually addressable RGBW LEDs, fully assembled and tested.
Specifications
Dimensions: 10.2mm x 51.1mm x 3.2mm
Weight: 2.6g
May ship with either WS2812B or SK6812-based LEDs. They are the same brightness, colour and protocol
Revision History
As of June 2, 2023 - You may get a NeoPixel Stick with either WS2812B LEDs or SKC6812 LEDs; they are the same protocol and brightness. However, the SKC are more reliable and handle accidental over-volting a little better!
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