LilyPad Pixel Board Hookup Guide

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Contributors: Gella , MikeGrusin
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Hooking up LilyPad Pixel Boards

We'll be covering the basics of addressable LEDs for this project, for more detailed information check out our WS2812 Hook Up Guide.

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LilyPad Pixel Boards require three types of connections: Power, Ground, and Data. The + and - connect to the respective pins on the LilyPad.

Each board has 2 pairs of Data pins - DI for Data IN and DO for Data OUT. One of the Data IN pins on the pixel will connect to an output pin on the LilyPad (in this tutorial we will be using pin 6).

To connect more than one pixel we'll chain the Data OUT from one pixel to the Data IN of the next pixel. The pixels will be numbered in our code starting with 0 for the closest to the LilyPad pin.

Before we do any sewing, let's create a small pixel chain using alligator clips. We're starting with three pixels to keep the wiring chaos to a minimum. Carefully clip the pixels together as shown in the image below (colors of the clips don't matter, but will make seeing your connections easier as you add more parts):

Make sure to unplug the LilyPad from your computer and/or turn off battery power while moving the pieces to avoid short circuits caused by accidental disconnection of alligator clips or components touching each other during movement.

LilyPad Simple and Pixel Board Hardare Hookup

The pixels don't care which side (left or right) they get power and ground from, we've shown power, ground and data connecting from the left. Notice how in this image the power and data lines cross - this is okay while using insulated alligator clips, but we'll need to carefully plan our conductive thread stitches so we do not cross them in our project.