Capacitor necessary for new 8mm NeoPixel?

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tichy
 
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Capacitor necessary for new 8mm NeoPixel?

Post by tichy »

Hello, the pictures with the breadboard of the new product 8mm Neo Pixel does not show a capacitor, although in every other application of the WS 2811/WS 2812 there is one (of about 0.1 uF) between +5V and Ground. Is the capacitor built-in or not required for those LEDs?

How would you compare the brightness compared to the NeoPixels from e.g. the NeoPixel 8x8 matrix?

Greetings from northern Norway,

Frank

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Capacitor necessary for new 8mm NeoPixel?

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

I'm not sure if there in an internal capacitor. I suspect so, but I'll check into it.

As for brightness: these will have about the same total light output as the bare pixels in the matrix. However, the light is diffused over a larger surface area. So when looking directly at the LED it will appear less blindingly bright. But in terms of illumination, they will be about the same.

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adafruit2
 
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Re: Capacitor necessary for new 8mm NeoPixel?

Post by adafruit2 »

There is no internal cap, for short leads you may not need one, just add a couple of uF if you hvae more than 10 is probably best.

diffused pixels are *not* as blinding but they have color in all directions and have a nice glow. they are certainly visible in a well lit office

tichy
 
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Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 3:40 pm

Re: Capacitor necessary for new 8mm NeoPixel?

Post by tichy »

adafruit2 wrote:There is no internal cap, for short leads you may not need one, just add a couple of uF if you hvae more than 10 is probably best.

diffused pixels are *not* as blinding but they have color in all directions and have a nice glow. they are certainly visible in a well lit office
Ok, one of the ideas I have is to build a desk lamp with a slightly changing colour temperature (e.g. visible in direct comparison but not looking too different from plain white) . The diffused nature makes that a bit easier.

Thanks for the quick and competent help, I really appreciate it!

Greetings from the (somewhat) dark Norway,

Frank

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Capacitor necessary for new 8mm NeoPixel?

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Sounds like a nice project. Be sure to post photos when you are done :)

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