RGB LED RING - 12 X 5050 RGB LEDS WITH WS2812 INTEGRATED IN SOUTH AFRICA

If you've ever wanted to add an unconventional display to your project, you've no doubt come across the magic that is RGB LEDs. This ring consists of 12 of these super (and when mean SUPER) bright RGB LEDs placed into a ring and integrated with the ubiquitous one-wire WS2812 controller. All you need to do is download the easy-to-use AdaFruit Neopixel library for your microcontroller of choices (there's support for Arduino, Teensy and even the ESP8266). This ring is easily able to be powered straight from USB without the need of external power. The great thing about these LED rings, like all WS2812-driven RGB LEDs is that you only need a single pin to write to all your LEDs, as the data out pin of the each LED is connect to the data in pin of the next. Just keep in mind - each LED required 3 bytes of memory (one for each RGB colour), so when driving a large number of RGB LEDs, memory on the lower-spec side tends to become an issue. You'll also need a logic-level converter if your microcontroller doesn't use 5V logic. Power requirements Pay careful attention when driving a large number of these at full power. According to our measurements, each RGB LED uses about 30mA when driven at its maximum, although the datasheet specifies up to 60mA.  If you're going to be driving more than one ring, you'll need to replace the USB power with an alternative supply 5V with the required current: Required current = Number of LEDs  x 30mA OR Required current (extra safe) = Number of LEDS x 60mA. Hookup There are two extra steps that you should take in order to ensure your RGB LED Ring is protected. Place a 220-1000uF capacitor over the VCC and GND pin of the LEDs. This is to protect any voltage spikes from accidentally damaging them. Place a 500Ohm resistor (or thereabouts) between the Data In pin and your microcontroller. This is to prevent any noise interfering with the data signal. Documentation WS2812 Datasheet