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NeoPixel FeatherWing - 4x8 RGB LED Add-on For All Feather Boards

by Adafruit

A Feather board without ambition is a Feather board without FeatherWings! This is the NeoPixel FeatherWing, a 4x8 RGB LED Add-on For All Feather Boards!

Using our Feather Stacking Headers or Feather Female Headers you can connect a FeatherWing on top or bottom of your Feather board and make your Feather board strut like a peacock at a rave.

Put on your sunglasses before staring into these 32 configurable eye-blistering RGB LEDs. Arranged in a 4x8 matrix, each pixel is individually addressable. Only one pin is required to control all the LEDs. On the bottom we have jumpers for the DIN line to any of the I/O pins on a Feather.  Works with any/all of our Feathers! You can cut the default jumper trace and use any pin you like. (In particular, the default pin for Feather Huzzah ESP8266 must be moved, try pin #15!)

To make it easy to start, the LEDs are by default powered from either the USB power line or Battery power line, whichever is higher. Two Schottky diodes are used to switch between the two. This power arrangement is able to handle 1 Amp of constant current draw and maybe 2A peak, so not a good way to make a flashlight. It's better for colorful effects.

A level-up shifter converts the 3.3V logic of the Feather to the power line voltage. If, say, you need MORE blinky, you can chain these together. For the second Wing, connect the DIN connection to the first Wing's DOUT. Also connect a ground pin together and power with an independant 5V supply to keep from loading the power supply too much.

Check out the tutorial for pinouts, usage, and more!

Adafruits detailed NeoPixel Uberguide has everything you need to use NeoPixels in any shape and size. Including ready-to-go library & example code for the Arduino UNO/Duemilanove/Diecimila, Flora/Micro/Leonardo, Trinket/Gemma, Arduino Due & Arduino Mega/ADK (all versions)

Check out our range of Feather boards here.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

3 customer reviews

9 years ago
Having been a frequent user of the NeoPixels and the Arduino platform over the years, I was intrigued by Adafruit's latest product range as available in the Pimoroni Store. This product range came to be called 'Feather'. It is a simplistic yet revolutionary microprocessor that follows the Arduino architecture which takes another form. In this instance, the new form is a small and nimble board, that is as light as a feather. You can tell that the board has been produced with the intention for it to be used within integrated electronics and hobbyist projects. For example, the addition of the 'EN' pin allowing a integrated on/off switch on the device, without the hassle of any complex logic control. But of course, this review is about the NeoPixel Featherwing. Which might I say is the perfect accompaniment for the Adafruit Feather Bluefruit 32u4 (a model from the Adafruit feather range). The FeatherWings for the feathers are similar to that of the hats for a Raspberry Pi or in terms of size a phat as seen with the Pi Zero. The NeoPixel wing provides a surprisingly powerful RGB LED Array with built in PWM drivers! Having tested it with a Adafruit Feather Bluefruit, it makes a brilliant device to have superb DIY Mood Lighting. In fact, it is so powerful it could easily fill an entire room's ceiling with a single array. But Adafruit have been clever if you have a particularly large room, as the board has built in data in / data out pin outs for the advanced user. It's amazing!
by Sam about NeoPixel FeatherWing - 4x8 RGB LED Add-on For All Feather Boards via REVIEWS.io