NeoPixel Ring – 12 x 5050 RGBW LEDs w/ Integrated Drivers (Cool White) – What’s better than smart RGB LEDs? Smart RGB + White LEDs! This ring gives you colorful effects plus a dedicated white channel for cleaner whites and nicer lighting blends.

This is the 12-LED RGBW NeoPixel Ring (Cool White). You can also find other NeoPixel ring sizes in our store.

12 ultra-bright smart LEDs are arranged in a circle with a ~37mm outer diameter. The ring is chainable—connect the DATA OUT of one ring to the DATA IN of the next. Use only one microcontroller pin to control as many rings as you can chain together. Each LED is individually addressable because the driver chip is inside the LED, with constant-current drive for consistent color. Power it with 5V DC and you’re ready to rock.

Each NeoPixel contains two parts: the classic RGB you know and love, plus a separate white LED (with phosphor). These are extremely bright and can be controlled with 8-bit PWM per channel (4 channels total), giving you 32-bit color per pixel for smooth lighting effects. Perfect for projects that need colorful dots + real white light.

NeoPixels use an 800 kHz single-wire protocol, so timing matters. The PWM refresh is ~400 Hz, which works great for most builds but can be noticeable if the LEDs are moving quickly. If you need super-smooth motion lighting, DotStars use a much higher PWM rate.

NeoPixels are 5050-sized LEDs with a tiny controller built in. You set the brightness and color of each R/G/B/W channel, and once programmed, the LEDs keep running PWM on their own. Only 1 digital output pin is required to send data down the chain.

Important: You need a NeoPixel library that supports RGBW. If you use an RGB-only library, the white channel will behave incorrectly. The Adafruit NeoPixel library supports RGBW (make sure your code uses the RGBW pixel type).

New to NeoPixels? Adafruit’s NeoPixel guide includes wiring tips, best practices, and example code for Arduino boards (UNO/Mega/Due, etc.) and many other microcontrollers.

Inclusions: 1 × NeoPixel Ring (12 RGBW LEDs), assembled and tested.

Technical Details

• WS2812 Datasheet
• SK6812 Datasheet
• Outer diameter: 36.8mm / 1.45"
• Inner diameter: 23.3mm / 0.92"
• Thickness: 3.25mm / 0.13"
• Weight: 3.3g
• May ship with either WS2812B or SK6812-based LEDs (same protocol/brightness/color class)

Frequently Asked Questions