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NeoPixel Wiring Diagram

Run the NeoPixel Wiring Diagram MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

An interactive wiring diagram showing a Raspberry Pi Pico on the left and a 10-pixel NeoPixel strip on the right. Three colored wires connect them:

Learning objective: Applying - the student can wire a NeoPixel strip from a diagram.

How to Use

Use the on-screen controls - buttons, sliders, dropdowns, and clickable regions - to explore the idea. Every change updates the canvas immediately, so you can predict an outcome and then check it.

Iframe Embed Code

You can place this MicroSim on any web page by adding the following HTML:

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/moving-rainbow/sims/neopixel-wiring-diagram/main.html"
        height="402px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

Grades 6-12

Duration

10-15 minutes

Learning Objective

Applying - the student can wire a NeoPixel strip from a diagram.

Activities

  1. Explore (5 min): Open the MicroSim and try every control. Notice what changes on screen.
  2. Predict (5 min): Before each change, predict what will happen, then test your prediction.
  3. Discuss (5 min): Explain the idea in your own words and connect it to the LED code in Chapter 8.

Assessment

Ask students to describe, in one or two sentences, the relationship the MicroSim demonstrates and how it shows up when programming the LED strip.

References

  1. Chapter 8: NeoPixel LED Hardware — WS2812B, Wiring, and Form Factors - the chapter where this MicroSim is used.
  2. Moving Rainbow Intelligent Textbook - the full course this MicroSim belongs to.
  3. MicroSims Reference - the standards behind these interactive simulations.

Original Specification

Full specification used to generate this MicroSim 
Type: interactive-infographic
**sim-id:** neopixel-wiring-diagram
**Library:** p5.js
**Status:** Specified

An interactive wiring diagram showing a Raspberry Pi Pico on the left and a 10-pixel NeoPixel strip on the right. Three colored wires connect them:
- Red wire from VSYS (Pico) to +5V (strip)
- Black wire from GND (Pico) to GND (strip)
- Green wire from GP0 (Pico) to DIN/DATA (strip)

Each wire is clickable: clicking opens a tooltip explaining "What this wire does" and "What happens if you forget this wire." An arrow on the strip shows the data direction. A small inset shows the WS2812B chip inside one pixel with labels: "RGB LEDs", "Control IC", "DIN", "DOUT". Hovering over a pixel on the strip shows its index number (0, 1, 2...). Canvas: 700 × 400 px. Responds to window resize.

Learning objective: Applying — the student can wire a NeoPixel strip from a diagram.