Adafruit Feather RP2040 SCORPIO - 8 Channel NeoPixel Driver

The Adafruit Feather RP2040 SCORPIO is a powerful microcontroller board designed specifically for driving NeoPixels (WS2812) and other PIO-based projects. Built around the RP2040 from Raspberry Pi, it utilizes the new PIO (Peripheral Input/Output) peripheral to handle large quantities of NeoPixels efficiently without burdening the processor. The PIO state machine generates perfect waveforms and supports up to 8 outputs simultaneously via DMA, freeing up the processor to handle other tasks like reading buttons, playing music, or running CircuitPython.

The SCORPIO features a clever pinout with all standard Feather pins, including I2C, SPI, and UART lines. It provides 8 consecutive GPIO pins (GPIO16-GPIO23) for PIO-based output, ideal for NeoPixel projects. For glitch-free NeoPixel driving, the board includes a 3V-to-5V level shifter to ensure 5V output logic, but this can be adjusted for 3V signals via a jumper on the bottom. You can also switch the direction of the level shifter, making the pins inputs for use as a logic analyzer.

With 264KB of RAM, the SCORPIO is capable of buffering a large number of NeoPixels, even allowing for dithering to achieve finer brightness control and better color accuracy at low brightness. The board supports both Arduino and CircuitPython with NeoPXL8 driver code, so you can dive right into creating beautiful LED-based projects.

Key Features:

• Dimensions: 2.0" x 0.9" x 0.28" (50.8mm x 22.8mm x 7mm)
• Weight: 5 grams
• RP2040 dual-core 32-bit Cortex M0+ running at 125 MHz with 3.3V logic
• 264KB RAM for easy NeoPixel buffering and dithering
• 8MB SPI Flash for storing files and code
• 21 GPIO pins, including PWM, I2C, SPI, UART, ADC
• 8 consecutive GPIO pins with 5V level shifting for NeoPixel driving
• Built-in 200mA+ LiPoly charger with status LED
• RGB NeoPixel indicator and a user-selectable Bootloader button
• STEMMA QT connector for quick I2C device connections
• USB Type-C for ROM USB bootloader and serial debugging

Technical Details:

• Product Dimensions: 52.0mm x 22.8mm x 7.2mm (2.0" x 0.9" x 0.3")