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NeoPixel LED Strip Clock Kits

In this section we will present three clocks that use a string of low-cost RGB LEDs commonly called NeoPixels. The name of this standard is technically called the WS2812B addressable LED standards. NeoPixels are frequently used in art-clock projects because they are:

  1. Easy to hook up - just three wires can drive up to 400 RGB LED
  2. Low cost - typically they sell for about $5/meter (60 pixels per meter) on eBay
  3. Available in many variations - they come is strips of various densities, rings, matrices, string and fairy light configurations

We have an entire on-line course on how to used these fun and colorful strips at our Moving Rainbow website. That site includes hundreds of step-by-step lesson plans and sample programs for kids ranging from age 8 to 18.

In this book we have several examples of clocks built with NeoPixels.

  1. Binary Clock This kit displays the time using binary numbers. It is a little hard to read at first, but these kits are extremely popular. Link to the Binary Clock Project. There are also several alternate layouts of how to display a binary clock. There are six different NeoPixel strips, each strip requires about five minutes of soldering, so the assembly takes about an hour. The total parts cost about $11.
  2. Seven Segment Clock The second requires building four seven-segment displays from the LED strip (or LED string) so the assembly time is significantly longer - about three hours if you are good with a soldering iron. Link to the Seven Segment Clock Project
  3. Fibonacci Clock This clock is unusual since it requires a bit of time to be able to read the time. However, it has what many consider the most elegant simple display. Link to the Fibonacci Clock Project.