User Manual

Most NeoPixel Code Adapts Easily to DotStars

Nearly any NeoPixel code should compile and run with DotStars, just changing the library #include and the strip

declaration…the remaining functions are roughly the same. There may be a few exceptions, but this is usually esoteric

code that’s doing NeoPixel-specific hardware trickery.

Pixels Gobble RAM

Each DotStar requires about 3 bytes of RAM. This doesn’t sound like very much, but when you start using dozens or

even hundreds of pixels, and consider that the mainstream Arduino Uno only has 2 kilobytes of RAM (often much less

after other libraries stake their claim), this can be a real problem!

For using really large numbers of LEDs, you might need to step up to a more potent board like the Arduino Mega or

one of our M0- or M4-equipped Metro Express or Feather boards. But if you’re close and need just a little extra space,

you can sometimes tweak your code to be more RAM-efficient. This tutorial has some pointers on memory

usage. (https://adafru.it/coj)