How to do this....

[zeke-zero]

Hi everyone,

I would like to fit the following product to an RC aircraft:

NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - WS2812 5050 RGB LED w/ Integrated Drivers

I am totally new to Neo Pixels and would like to know the following please:

1) What type of micro-controller do I need to control the pixel ring. (Ideally it should be as lightweight as possible whilst retaining the features required to operate the Neo Pixel Ring).
2) What hardware/software do I use to program the micro controller. (If relevant, I do own a Rasperry Pi but have never used it).
3) Once programmed with the light sequence does the micro-controller store the information indefinately?
4) I saw the Adafruit Flora microcontroller - would this be relevant to Q1?

FYI: The aircraft has a stand alone 5V DC power supply at present.

Thanks in advance,

Zeke

[adafruit_support_bill]

You can control this with a Trinket : http://www.adafruit.com/products/1500
The Trinket is the lightest-weight processor we carry ( < 2 grams!)
The Trinket can be programmed with a PC or Mac.
The Trinket program is stored in Flash memory & will start running at power up.

Trinkets are available in 3.3v and 5v models. Either can control Neopixels.

[michaelmeissner]

IMHO, for neopixels, it is better to go with a 5v processor. They are spec'ed for 5v, and many neopixels will run at lesser voltage. However, I have one neopixel ring (the 24 LED ring) that only works at 5v. The li-po batteries are 3.7v, so you would need to investigate boosting up the voltage using li-pos, or using a 5v battery, such as used to charge a cell phone.

[zeke-zero]

Thanks Michael,

I purchased2x 3.3V Trinkets before reading your post! It is my understanding that if I power the NeoPixel Ring (60 led's) from VBAT (power source is a 5A, 5.25V switching UBEC) then I will need a logic level shifter to covert the data signal from 3.3v to 5v?

Can you confirm that this is correct?

Thanks,

Zeke.

[adafruit_support_bill]

if I power the NeoPixel Ring (60 led's) from VBAT (power source is a 5A, 5.25V switching UBEC) then I will need a logic level shifter to covert the data signal from 3.3v to 5v?

That is right. The pixels need a signal voltage that is very close to VCC.