Get inspired with the latest tutorial from the magical workshop of Erin St Blaine: how to make an LED necklace insert that’s small, light, and compact with a USB-rechargeable battery and up to 23 addressable NeoPixels — all within a very low profile, 2″ wide package. Combined with a colorful resin “stone” and a gorgeous wire wrapped setting, this necklace would make a stunning addition to your cosplay (it looks like a magical amulet!) or can be classy enough to wear on the red carpet with a fancy evening dress. It’s versatile enough to slip into a top hat or belt buckle too, and we think it would also work for Iron Man or Steven Universe with a few mods.
From the guide:
Sometimes you want to add animated lights to your costume or project and you’re really limited on space. Necklaces are a great example of this – a glowing pendant can be so striking, but if it’s too big and bulky it can cross the line to “gaudy” pretty quickly.
This tutorial aims to make the smallest possible NeoPixel module or insert for your project. We’ve worked to make it super small, at around 1/2″ thick and about 2″ across.
This tiny package still contains all the niceties:
- 7-12 addressable NeoPixel lights
- A compact on/off switch
- A rechargeable battery with 4+ hours of battery life
- Onboard USB charging capability
We’re using an ItsyBitsy M0 microcontroller, which can be programmed with CircuitPython, MakeCode or Arduino, so you’ve got lots of options, and we’ve included an easy-to-customize code sample as well.
Check it out and add lights to your look! Full tutorial: https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixel-led-necklace-insert-with-usb-charging
