Datasheet

connector. This is how Fadecandy gets data from your computer, and how it powers itself.

The LEDs themselves draw so much power that they need a separate power brick, but the

controller board requires very little power.

At the bottom, there are eight outputs. Each output can drive a chain of up to 64 LEDs. In

this guide, we're running an 8x8 matrix with exactly 64 LEDs. It could connect to any of the

eight outputs, but by convention we'll start with the first one (labeled with a Zero).

At the top-left there's an LED. You can control it in software, but by default it will blink any

time the Fadecandy board receives data over USB.

The largest chip, on the left, is the brains of the Fadecandy Controller. It's a 32-bit

microcontroller running at 50 MHz. This chip needs to simultaneously receive data over

USB, output it to all of your LEDs, and run the dithering and interpolation algorithms. The

Fadecandy Controller ships with firmware built-in that you don't need to modify.

The second largest chip, on the right, is an electrical buffer that drives the eight outputs with

a strong 5-volt signal. This helps Fadecandy run reliably even in hostile environments and

with longer wires.

The tiny 6-pin chip right above that is a power supply boost chip that gives the electrical

buffer a stable 5-volt power supply even if the USB power isn't so great, as is often the case

when dealing with long cables and hostile environments.