Which Pixels?

[philspitler]

I'm trying to figure out which pixels to use for a project i'm working on.

http://www.adafruit.com/products/683#Technical_Details

or

http://www.adafruit.com/products/738#Technical_Details

The square ones are 12v and the others are 5v. 12v would be preferable but I could make it work with 5v.

They will be used to light up some fabric petals so they will be nicely diffused and I doubt you would see the individual pixels.

The square one are more expensive but seem like they are much brighter @ 6000 mcd the other ones have a total of 1600 mcd.

So, in theory, i could use half as many pixels inside petals to produce a similar intensity of light.

Do you agree with my thoughts?

Any other consideration or thoughts about which pixels to use? I presume I could also mix and match as they both use the same protocol.

Thanks.

Phil

[adafruit_support_mike]

We'd need more information about your project requirements in order to make a decision.

How large are the fabric petals you plan to make, and how much light do you need from them?

[philspitler]

The petals will be approx 36" in length and maybe 24" wide.

Would love them to be nicely illuminated (whatever that means).

I suppose the question is really, would the square 12v pixels be twice as bright as the 5v pixels?

Are the neopixels the same protocol too? Would that be another option...

I'm thinking of using either FadeCandy or PixelPusher to control the LEDs.

Thanks.

Phil

[adafruit_support_mike]

I suppose the question is really, would the square 12v pixels be twice as bright as the 5v pixels?

No, at least not because of the voltage.

Almost all LEDs operate at voltages between 1.2v and 3.3v. They generally want about 20mA of current each, and the amount of light you get depends mostly on the number of LEDs you have. A 12v LED strip stacks three or four LEDs in series, generally with all of them displaying the same color.

Are the neopixels the same protocol too? Would that be another option...

The ones you linked above use a different protocol than the NeoPixels.

I'm thinking of using either FadeCandy or PixelPusher to control the LEDs.

In that case you'll need to stick with NeoPixels. The FadeCandy is specifically made for that protocol, and won't work with other RGB LEDs.