Adafruit NeoPixel Pebble / Seed LED Strand

We have all sorts of LED strips for a wide range of needs. Chonky strips? We got those! Strips with alligator clips that are easy-peasy to MakeCode? Oh definitely. Weatherproof? We have a gamut of options.

And here’s a new variation, a treasure trove of glowing pebbles (or seeds, maybe?) Attaching NeoPixel strips to your costume can be a struggle, as the flexible PCBs can crack when bent too much. So, how do you add little dots of colour? Use this NeoPixel with solid cords of plated wire that hold their shape! They’re very small, so they’re easy to embed into any structure, costume, or wearable. The wires can be sewn over or embedded in a casting.

The strip is made of soft plastic wires with a coated NeoPixel every 100mm / 4′ with a whopping total of 100 LEDs. These are somewhat weatherproof with PVC coating on the wires and epoxy dots over the LEDs, they’ll put up with temporary outdoor use, but we still don’t recommend you wash them or dunk them underwater. You can cut the strand pretty easily with wire cutters.

Connecting to these is a little tricky because there are no power/data markings (there’s no PCB!) So instead, look at the dot at the end of the strand. The wire closest to the green dot is the ground. The wire on the opposite side is power. The centre line is data in. There are two ways to determine the input pixel. One is the green dot is actually a ‘pointy’ dot and the point shows the direction of the data. The other way is to hold the first pixel so the dot is closest to you; the input is then on the right side.

The strands come with connectors pre-attached but you can carefully solder to the solid wires as well. You can pick up a 3-pin JST set to turn it into a quick connection. Of course, you can also connect strands to make them longer, just watch how much current you need! 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.

These strands come with four different amounts of LEDs: 100, 150, 200, 300. Please choose which option you want before adding to your cart

We have a tutorial showing NeoPixel wiring, power usage calculations, example code for usage, etc. Please check it out!

Resources

• Datasheet