NeoPixel Ring - 16 LEDs RGB

A NeoPixel ring with 16 ultra-bright smart LEDs

In a circle, round, ring... here is the "NeoPixel Ring"! 16 ultra-bright RGB LEDs placed on a 44.5mm diameter circle (outer diameter). As with all NeoPixels, these rings are "chained" - connect the output pin (data out) to the input pin (data input) of the next ring.

Use just one pin of your micro-controller to control as many LEDs as you want... just have to chain the rings together! Each LED is addressable independently of the others thanks to the chip (the driver) which is in the case of the LED. The LEDs have a constant current driver of about 18mA, which ensures a stable and consistent color even if there is a voltage variation. No need for resistance to limit the current... which allows for really very thin designs.   

Power everything with a continuous power supply of 5 Volts and let's go (runs between 4 and 7V DC).

The protocol used requires a very high precision in time management and can only be controlled by micro-controllers that can reach an accuracy of 100ns (over time and reliably).
Adafruit offers code examples using an Arduino Uno/Mega micro-controller at 8MHz and 16MHz but it doesn't work with a Raspberry Pi, Basic Stamp, NETduino or any other machine based interpreter or virtual machine whose speed is less than 8 MHz. 

Comes in the form of a ring with 16 individually addressable RGB LEDs. Assembled and tested.

Some ideas

Here are some ideas for using a NeoPixel Ring. 

• With a compass or a GPS:
  
  • Indicate the position of the North.
  • Indicate the speed of movement (such as the tachometer of a car).
• With a potentiometer - Indicate a position (for example amplification)
• With a real-time clock - Indicates the current time (with one color for hours and one for minutes).
• And all the other ideas you can have...