If you’re working on a project that requires RGB LEDs, you may immediately think of NeoPixels from Adafruit — a flashy name for products using WS2812 parts. Although they certainly work well, and are well-supported in the maker/hacker/amateur electronics community, they are by no means the only type of programmable LED out there. If you’d like the ability to easily control many types of Programmable LEDs, or would like a head start driving a massive LED display, the AllPixel Universal LED Controller from Maniacal Labs is here to help!
Per its description, the board is:
Compatible will all the popular LED strip chipsets, including: LPD8806, WS2801, WS2811/WS2812 (NeoPixel), WS2811 400kHz, APA102 (DotStar), TM1809, TM1803, TM1804, UCS1903, P9813, SM16716, LPD1886
Additionally, these boards are each capable of driving up to 700 pixels, and multiple boards can work together to control even more! Its listing claims that you can control these boards with “nearly anything that has a USB port and supports Python.” This would certainly include the Raspberry Pi, which can be seen in the video below driving four sets of LEDs simultaneously:
Also, be sure to check out the Maniacal Labs homepage for more information on this, and other interesting projects that they’re working on!
