LED pixels
NeoPixel and DotStar are not two names for the same thing. One-wire timing versus clocked SPI is a real constraint that surfaces the moment an interrupt fires mid-frame.
WS2812/SK6812 NeoPixel strips, rings and Jewels, APA102 DotStar pixels, and plain analog RGB strips — each matched to its protocol and host, not just its connector.
- NeoPixel rings (16/24 px), Jewels, strips and 2020/3535 SMD LEDs use the WS2812/SK6812 one-wire protocol; SK6812 RGBW variants add a dedicated white channel that plain RGB pixel code won't drive correctly.
- DotStar APA102-2020 micro LEDs use a clocked two-wire SPI-style protocol, so they tolerate interrupt-heavy hosts like Raspberry Pi far better than timing-critical NeoPixels.
- Not everything here is addressable: DFRobot's 5V COB and 60-LED flexible strips and Adafruit's 3W common-anode RGB LED are analog parts that need PWM or a driver, not pixel data.
- Driving long runs from 3.3V logic? The NeoPXL8 Friend level-shifts 8 strands and the NeoDriver offloads pixels to I2C — both fix flaky first-pixel issues on ESP32 and Pi.
