These fancy DotStar LED strips are a great upgrade for people who have loved and used NeoPixel strips for a few years but want something even better. DotStar LEDs use generic 2-wire SPI, so you can push data much faster than with the NeoPixel 800 KHz protocol and there’s no specific timing required. They also have much higher PWM refresh rates, so you can do Persistence-of-Vision (POV) and have less flickering, particularly at low brightness levels.
Like NeoPixels, DotStar LEDs are 5050-sized LEDs with an embedded microcontroller inside the LED. You can set the color/brightness of each LED to 24-bit color (8 bits each red green and blue). Each LED acts like a shift register, reading incoming color data on the input pins, and then shifting the previous color data out on the output pin. By sending a long string of data, you can control an infinite number of LEDs, just tack on more or cut off unwanted LEDs at the end. The PWM is built into each LED-chip so once you set the color you can stop talking to the strip and it will continue to PWM all the LEDs for you
However, unlike NeoPixels, these LEDs have 2 wires (input and output) for sending data – one clock pin and one data pin. That means you need two pins, not one, to control DotStars. Because the clock and data is separated, you can use any processor speed or type to control these strips, and you don’t have to worry about being careful with the timing. Hardware SPI support is handy but not required. This makes them excellent for use with any microcontroller or microprocessor, including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, Propeller, SparkCore, and any ‘raw’ microcontrollers/microprocessors. It’s very easy to port the library, and you can send data to the pixels at up to 32MHz clock rate!
Another nice thing about DotStars is their high PWM rate. You only have to set the 24-bit color data for each pixel LED once, and then the LED+built-in-chip will handle the PWMing of the red, green and blue. On NeoPixels, this PWM rate happens 400 Hz, which works well but is noticably at lower brightnesses and if the strip is moving in any way. DotStars have a 20 KHz PWM rate, so even when moving the strip around, you won’t see the pixelation, the color blending is very smooth.
This is the 30 LED-per-meter version of our DotStar strips, on black flex PCB.
The strip is made of flexible PCB material, and comes with a weatherproof sheathing. You can cut this stuff pretty easily with wire cutters, there are cut-lines every 1 LED. Solder to the 0.1″ copper pads and you’re good to go. Of course, you can also connect strips together to make them longer, just watch how much current you need! We have a 5V 4A power supply that can drive a half meter or meter, a 5V/10A supply that can drive a couple meters (depending on use) You must use a 5V DC power supply to power these strips, do not use higher than 6V or you can destroy the entire strip
This strip comes as a single full meter with a 4-pin JST SM connector on each end. If you buy multiples, you will get multiple 1 meter strips, they will not come on a continuous strip! To wire up these strips we suggest picking up some JST SM plug and receptacle cables for the signal wires For the power wires, you will also probably want a 2.1mm DC jack to wire in so you can connect one of our 5V wall adapters to power it.
We have a tutorial showing wiring, power usage calculations, example code for usage, etc. Please check it out!
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Please note: we are currently shipping a version that has DOTSTAR_BGR color order. You can select the color order in your Arduino sketch. Check the DotStar tutorial for details on how to do this! The LED colors are otherwise identical, you just have to pipe the data to it in a slightly different order.
Technical specs (for the strips):
- Width (with weatherstripping): 14mm / 0.55″
- Width (w/o weatherstripping): 10mm / 0.4″
- Thickness (with weatherstripping): 4mm / 0.16″
- 30 LEDs per meter
- Pixel pitch: 33.3mm / 1.3″ between LEDs
- Operating temperature: -40°C – 40°C
- Storage temperature: -10°C – 50°C
Technical specs (for the LEDs):
- SK9822 LED Datasheet
- Light source: Epistar 5050 SMD LEDs
- LED Brightness: Red ~600mcd, Green ~500mcd, Blue ~150mcd
- Beam angle: ~160°
- Max current draw per RGB LED: ~60mA (20mA max per Red, Green & Blue LED)
Note: Strips come with 4 solder points per segment, but the arrangement may vary depending on the supplier, so please check when soldering/powering!
We have a tutorial showing wiring, power usage calculations, example code for usage, etc. Please check it out!
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Due to our longstanding partnership with UPS FedEx DHL as well as other major international carriers, we are able to provide a range of shipping options. Our warehouse staff is highly trained to package your goods exactly according to the specifications we provide. Your items will go through a thorough examination and will be safely packaged prior to being sent out. We deliver to thousands of customers every day from all over the world. The fact that we are determined to become the largest online retailer in the world is obvious. Warehouses and distribution centres can be located in Europe as well as in the USA.
It is important to note that orders with multiple items are subject to a processing period that is based to the particular item.
Prior to shipping, our team will perform an extensive inspection of the products you have ordered. Most orders today are shipped in 48 hours. The expected delivery time will be between 3 and 7 days.
Returns
Due to the multiple parties involved such as the factory and the warehouse, we cannot completely manage our stock. The actual levels of stock can change at any moment. It's possible that you may not receive your order once the order has been made.
Our policy is for 30 days. If 30 days have gone without a trace since the purchase however, we're unable to give you a return or exchange.
You are able to return a product in the event that it is not used and still in the same state as when you first received it. The item must be returned in its original packaging.
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