NeoPixels are plenty bright, suuuure. BUT ARE THEY 3 WATTS BRIGHT? No! They are not! That’s why you need a Pixie. These chainable smart LEDs are not only super-smart, they are ridonkulously bright with 3W total, compared to 0.2W of a ‘standard’ NeoPixel. Designed by Ytai Ben-Tsvi, these are the ultimate in LEDs.
Each Pixie not only contains that aforementioned 3W LED, it also has a Microchip PIC microcontroller. You send it the color you want to appear at standard 115200 baud (1 byte per color). You can send a longer string of pixel data and it will ‘forward’ along the messages so you can chain them like a shift register. You only have to send the data once per color change. Once set, the microcontroller does all the PWM handling for you.
You do have to send it data every 2 seconds at a minimum (as a protection against the bright and hot LEDs staying ‘stuck on’, they will eventually timeout if no updates are received). 1 second updates (or faster!) is best.
Since the Pixie uses so much power, there’s a risk of the LED heating up so much it damages itself and/or the microcontroller. That’s why Ytai added a temperature cut-off. When the PIC detects that the Pixie’s temperature is too high, it turns off the LED until it gets back down to a reasonable level.
Each Pixie comes fully assembled, with big pads for power wires (don’t forget, we’re talking about max 1 Amp per Pixie!) and mounting holes on the sides that fit M2 size screws. You’ll also need thick wires to power each Pixie and a microcontroller that can send 115,200 baud 8N1 data to the Pixie (on its own, it will not do anything, you must send it data for it to light up).
Check the tutorial for more information including code, schematics, libaries, pinouts & more! Our Arduino library is easy to use, has the same API you’re used to with our NeoPixel library, and will get you blasting ROYGBIV in 5 minutes or less.
Technical Details
- Weight: 2g
- Datasheets, schematic, and Fritzing available in the product tutorial
Product Dimensions: 24.1mm x 19.7mm x 8.2mm / 0.9″ x 0.8″ x 0.3″
Fast Shipping with Professional Packaging
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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