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Notify me when its in stockDotStar LEDs use a 2-wire SPI communication protocol, allowing them to transmit data much faster than the NeoPixel's 800 KHz protocol, without requiring specific timing. They also have much higher PWM refresh rates, making them suitable for Persistence of Vision (POV) projects and reducing flicker, especially at low brightness levels.
Like NeoPixels, DotStar LEDs are 5050-sized LEDs controlled by embedded microcontrollers. You can set the color/brightness of each LED to a 24-bit color (8 bits each for red, green, and blue). Each LED behaves like a shift register, reading incoming color data on its input pins and then shifting out previous color data on its output pin. By sending a long data sequence, you can control an unlimited number of LEDs; just connect more or trim unwanted LEDs at the end. PWM is embedded within each LED chip, so once you set the color, you can stop talking to the strip, and all LEDs will continue with PWM.
However, unlike NeoPixels, DotStar LEDs require 2 wires (input and output) for data communication - a clock pin and a data pin. This means you need two pins to control DotStars. Since the clock and data are separate, you can use any processor speed or type to control these strips, and you don't have to worry about timing. Hardware SPI support is handy but not necessary. This makes them perfect for use with any microcontroller or microprocessor, including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, Propeller, SparkCore, and any 'raw' microcontrollers/microprocessors. Moving the library is straightforward, and you can send data to the pixels at speeds of up to 32MHz!
Another great feature of DotStars is their high PWM rates. You only need to set the 24-bit color data once for each pixel LED, and the built-in chip on each LED will handle the PWM for red, green, and blue. NeoPixels have a PWM rate of 400 Hz, which works well but can have noticeable flicker at lower brightness levels and when the strip is moving. DotStars have a PWM rate of 20 KHz, so you won't see pixelation even when moving the strip, and color mixing is very smooth.
The strip is made of flexible PCB material and comes with a weather-resistant casing. You can easily cut these strips with wire cutters; there is a cut line every 0.65"/1.7 cm (each one represents 1 LED). Solder to the 0.1" copper pads, and you're ready to go.
You should use a 5V DC power supply to power these strips; do not go higher than 6V, or you can potentially damage the entire strip.
If you are using our DotStar library, you will need to change the initiation to specify which one you are using. Check the tutorial for details! The LED colors will otherwise be the same; you just need to send data in a slightly different order.
Note: The strips come with 4 solder points per segment, but this arrangement can vary depending on the supplier, so please check during soldering/powering.
You can order the Adafruit DotStar Digital LED Strip - White 60 LEDs per Meter per 1m from the Adafruit category at SAMM Market with reasonable prices, same-day shipping, and fast delivery.
