Adafruit
Adafruit NeoPixel LED Dots Strand
Best addressable lighting for wearable projects and custom costume designs.
Illuminate your projects with the Adafruit NeoPixel LED Dots Strand, featuring 20 individually addressable LEDs housed in small, weatherproof plastic buttons. Each 5050-sized NeoPixel has an embedded microcontroller, allowing for precise control over RGB brightness and dynamic color-changing effects. These dots are spaced 4 inches apart on a flexible strand, making them ideal for embedding into costumes, wearables, and various creative structures. Simple 5V wiring with a single data line ensures easy integration into your designs, offering full RGB color control for vibrant, custom lighting.
$27.50
Owner Satisfaction
4.7
/ 5
Category Rank
20
/ 574
#20 in Diodes
Price vs Category Average
-61%
Below average
Number of LEDs
20
Who it's for
- Creative coders building complex, custom light animations
- Makers installing lighting in outdoor or rugged environments
- Beginners needing reliable documentation and community guidance
Who should skip it
- Users wanting a simple, plug-and-play power solution
- Developers working with strict real-time operating systems
- Designers seeking high-resolution, dense light displays
Performance breakdown
Addressability
Individual pixel control allows for incredibly complex and fluid lighting animations.
Wearability
Flexible wiring and compact button housings integrate seamlessly into fabric and costumes.
Wiring Simplicity
Single data line architecture significantly reduces complex soldering and cable management.
Environmental Durability
Weatherproof enclosures provide reliable protection for outdoor or high-movement creative projects.
Color Fidelity
Full RGB spectrum control delivers vibrant, consistent hues across every single diode.
Integration Ease
Standard 5V power requirements make these compatible with most hobbyist microcontrollers.
Key Specs
Number of LEDs
20
LED Pitch
4 inches
LED Type
5050-sized NeoPixel with embedded microcontroller
Voltage
+5V
Data Connection
Digital signal
Enclosure
Small plastic weatherproof button
Diode Type
LED
Configuration
Series
Features
- Individually addressable RGB LEDs
- Weatherproof button enclosures
- Flexible strand for easy embedding
- Embedded microcontroller per LED
- Full RGB color control
- Single data line control
- Ideal for costumes and wearables
- Dynamic color-changing effects
What customers say
Customers overwhelmingly value the Adafruit NeoPixel LED Dots Strand for its superior quality and reliability. The ease of integration is a major highlight, supported by robust libraries and excellent documentation that simplifies development. Users particularly appreciate the flexible spacing offered by the dots strand format, which suits various applications like costumes and architectural lighting. The brightness and color accuracy are consistently praised as best in class, ensuring vibrant performance even with continuous operation. While the initial cost is premium, makers agree that the enhanced reliability and strong support ecosystem fully justify the investment. This strand is the preferred choice for projects prioritizing longevity and dependable addressable lighting.
Know before you buy
Yes, you can cut the strand between any of the LED dots. Since they are wired in series, you can easily shorten the strand to fit your specific project requirements.
The LEDs are housed in weatherproof plastic buttons, meaning they are resistant to moisture and splashes. However, they are not designed for full submersion in water.
These NeoPixels require a stable 5V power source. Ensure your power supply can provide enough current to support the number of LEDs you plan to light up at full brightness.
You will need a microcontroller capable of sending digital signals, such as an Arduino, ESP32, or Raspberry Pi. Adafruit provides extensive libraries for most popular platforms to make programming the color patterns straightforward.
Each LED has an embedded microcontroller, allowing you to control the color and brightness of every dot individually using a single data line. This setup enables complex, dynamic lighting effects with minimal wiring.
The LEDs are spaced 4 inches apart along the flexible strand. This spacing is designed to be versatile for embedding into costumes or wrapping around creative structures.
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