16-LED RGBW NeoPixel Ring with individually addressable pixels, 32-bit colour control, and a dedicated white channel. Chainable, 5 V powered, and controlled from a single pin—perfect for circular lighting and animation projects.
What’s better than smart RGB LEDs? Smart RGB + White LEDs! These RGBW NeoPixel rings add a dedicated white LED to every pixel, giving you brighter whites and more flexible lighting effects in a tidy circular layout.
This ring features 16 ultra-bright, individually addressable NeoPixels arranged in a circle with a 1.75″ (44.5 mm) outer diameter. Each LED has its own integrated driver, so every pixel can be controlled independently using just one microcontroller pin. The rings are fully chainable—simply connect the data output of one ring to the input of the next to control multiple rings from a single pin.
Each NeoPixel provides approximately 18 mA constant current drive, ensuring consistent colour even if the supply voltage varies. No external resistors are required, keeping designs slim and straightforward. Power the ring from 5 V DC and it’s ready to go.
Internally, each NeoPixel is split into two parts: the familiar RGB LED and a white LED with yellow phosphor. When unlit, the white element looks like an egg yolk, but once powered it’s extremely bright. Brightness and colour are controlled using 8-bit PWM per channel, giving 32-bit colour control per pixel—ideal for smooth colour blending and clean white light.
NeoPixels use an 800 kHz single-wire protocol, which requires precise timing. The PWM refresh rate is around 400 Hz, which works well for most projects but may be noticeable if the LEDs are moving. For applications that need higher PWM rates, DotStars offer 20 kHz PWM, though NeoPixels remain a solid choice for the majority of designs.
Each LED contains an embedded microcontroller and operates like a shift register, passing data from one pixel to the next. Once colour data is sent, the built-in PWM continues driving the LEDs automatically—no continuous updates needed.
Comprehensive documentation is available, including wiring guides, power calculations, and example code. A NeoPixel library with RGBW support is required, as RGB-only libraries will not work correctly. The Adafruit NeoPixel library supports RGBW devices, and the NeoPixel Überguide covers everything from basic setup to advanced use across a wide range of Arduino-compatible boards.
This product ships as one fully assembled and tested ring with 16 individually addressable RGBW LEDs.
Specifications
Outer diameter: 44.5mm
Inner diameter: 31.75mm
Thickness: 3.25mm
Weight: 4.2g
May ship with either WS2812B or SK6812-based LEDs. They are the same brightness, colour and protocol
Revision History
As of Aug 9, 2023 – we've updated this PCB with Adafruit Pinguin to make a lovely and legible silkscreen.
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