Advice needed for Flora, Jewel 7 and NeoPixels project

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megacamel
 
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Advice needed for Flora, Jewel 7 and NeoPixels project

Post by megacamel »

Hi,
I have a Flora v3, an RGBW Jewel 7 and 8 RGB NeoPixels v2 which I hope to use to animate a volcano model for a game. The Jewel will be in the crater and the eight NeoPixels will mark the winding path of the lava to the players' location (on the model the distance is about 15cm and the LED's will be connected with wires). My intention is that the LEDs will serve as a timer for the game which will last for about eight minutes with time being up once the last NeoPixel is fully illuminated.

1. Will the Flora be sufficient to control all the LEDs or do I need something else such as an Arduino Uno or Trinket?
2. If the setup will work with just the Flora can they be connected:
Flora GND ----- Jewel GND ----- NeoPixel Negative ----- NeoPixel Negative, etc
Flora VBATT (or 3.3V) ---- Jewel PWR ---- NeoPixel + ---- NeoPixel + , etc
Flora No. 6 ---- Jewel IN - Jewel OUT ---- NeoPixel arrow in - NeoPixel arrow out - , etc
3. There are multiple GNDs on the Flora and Jewel. Does it matter which I use?
4. If I use a mains 5V power supply, will that be too much for the Flora or will it regulate the voltage?
5. Can you recommend a tutorial / video for learning the code necessary to control the LEDs? I'd ideally like them to increase in intensity and flicker though learning how to turn on each LED at set times would be a great first step.

I'm a novice when it comes to electronics and my only experience with programming was with BASIC in the 80's so any advice or links you can offer would be much appreciated. Thanks.

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adafruit_support_carter
 
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Re: Advice needed for Flora, Jewel 7 and NeoPixels project

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

1. Will the Flora be sufficient to control all the LEDs or do I need something else such as an Arduino Uno or Trinket?
A Flora would work, but that platform in geared more towards wearable projects. So it has pads that can be attached to with alligator clips or thread for sewed projects. Since you mention using mains power below, you also wouldn't need the battery aspects of the Flora. Depending on what other hardware you might want to attach (buttons? switches?), a better option might be something like a Trinket M0 (PID 3500) or an ItsyBitsy (PID 3727).
2. If the setup will work with just the Flora can they be connected:
I think you've got the general idea correct. Read the guide linked below for more details.
3. There are multiple GNDs on the Flora and Jewel. Does it matter which I use?
No. They are all the same and are connected to each other.
4. If I use a mains 5V power supply, will that be too much for the Flora or will it regulate the voltage?
That will be fine as long as you supply it through the micro USB connector.
5. Can you recommend a tutorial / video for learning the code necessary to control the LEDs?
Start here:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide
and then look through the Learn System for other projects that use NeoPixels to get some ideas.
I'm a novice when it comes to electronics and my only experience with programming was with BASIC in the 80's so any advice or links you can offer would be much appreciated. Thanks.
You may find CircuitPython easier to use than Arduino.
https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-c ... n/overview
However, note that only certain boards can run CircuitPython. NeoPixels are supported though.

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