Our QT Py boards are a great way to make very small microcontroller projects that pack a ton of power – and now we have a way for you to quickly add a glittering grid of 25 RGB addressable micro NeoPixels. It’s an excellent way to make tiny wearable, cosplay, or IoT projects with dazzling LEDs.
We call this the Adafruit 5×5 NeoPixel Grid BFF – a “Best Friend Forever”. When you were a kid you may have learned about the “buddy” system, well this product is kinda like that! A board that will watch your QT Py’s back and act like a technicolor raincoat.
This PCB is designed to fit onto the back of any QT Py or Xiao board, it can be soldered into place or use pin and socket headers to make it removable. Onboard is a grid of 25 1.5×1.5mm NeoPixel LEDs (SK6805 to be exact), connected to pin A3 by default. You can cut/solder some jumpers to select A1, or A2 instead if you like. There’s also solder pads for 5V, GND and IN data, in case you want to power externally. Advanced solderer’s can use a thin wire to connect from the IN pad to other GPIO pins if desired.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Open Hardware is In, New CircuitPython and Pi 5 16GB, and much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
