Moving Rainbow Base Kit
The club's most popular kit: a Raspberry Pi Pico driving a 30-pixel NeoPixel LED strip, with two push buttons to change patterns, a small breadboard, jumper wires, and a USB cable.
Moving Rainbow Base Kit
Key Features
- A pixel that blinks, then fades, then moves along the strip
- A full rainbow that slides down the strip and wraps around
- A comet with a glowing tail, a candle that flickers, and a Larson scanner like the Cylon eye
- A heartbeat, a field of fading stars, and a bouncing ball that settles to rest
- A breathing wave of light and a sunrise that blends colors from night to day
- A clock that shows the time as colored pixels
Key Benefits
- Free, open lessons. The Moving Rainbow textbook has the kit page, wiring, and MicroPython code.
- Classroom friendly. Built on a solderless breadboard or no-solder connectors.
- Budget. About $15 (Pico $4, 30-pixel strip $6, breadboard $2, jumper wires $1, USB cable $2).
Parts
| Part (price) | Role |
| Raspberry Pi Pico ($4) | Microcontroller |
| Momentary Push Buttons | Input button / switch |
| WS2812B NeoPixels | LEDs |
| 830-Point Breadboard ($1.10) | Breadboard |
| Micro-USB Data Cable ($2.50) | Power and programming cable |
Microcontroller listed first. Prices shown only where known; see the source book for quantities, wiring, and current prices.
About this kit: Students change the colors and animations purely in code (Chapter 19).
Source: Moving Rainbow
Source: Moving Rainbow