It's easy to use DotStar LEDs with Python or CircuitPython and the Adafruit CircuitPython DotStar module.  This module allows you to easily write Python code that controls your LEDs.

You can use these LEDs with any CircuitPython microcontroller board or with a computer that has GPIO and Python thanks to Adafruit_Blinka, our CircuitPython-for-Python compatibility library.

CircuitPython Microcontroller Wiring

First wire up some DotStars to your board exactly as shown on the previous pages. When using this library, you pass in the pin names you choose when you create the object. If the LEDs are on hardware SPI pins, they will create a SPI device. If they're not on a hardware SPI pin combination, they will be bit banged. Wiring up to a hardware SPI pin combination means they'll respond screaming fast! However, it also means you can't share SPI with anything else. So if you have the need for another SPI device, you can bit bang but the LEDs will respond more slowly.

Here's an example of wiring a Feather M0 to a DotStar strip to hardware SPI pins:

Here is an example of wiring a Feather M0 to a DotStar strip to bit banged pins:

Python Computer Wiring

Since there's dozens of Linux computers/boards you can use we will show wiring for Raspberry Pi. For other platforms, please visit the guide for CircuitPython on Linux to see whether your platform is supported. 

Here's the Raspberry Pi wired with hardware SPI (faster than bit-bang but you must use a hardware SPI interface and you cannot share the SPI device since there's no chip select)

Here's the Raspberry PI wired up with bit-bang SPI (you can use any two digital pins, but its not as fast as hardware SPI)

CircuitPython Installation of DotStar Library

You'll need to install the Adafruit CircuitPython DotStar library on your CircuitPython board.

First make sure you are running the latest version of Adafruit CircuitPython for your board.

Next you'll need to install the necessary libraries to use the hardware--carefully follow the steps to find and install these libraries from Adafruit's CircuitPython library bundle.  Our CircuitPython starter guide has a great page on how to install the library bundle.

For non-express boards like the Trinket M0 or Gemma M0, you'll need to manually install the necessary libraries from the bundle:

• adafruit_dotstar.mpy
• adafruit_bus_device

Before continuing make sure your board's lib folder or root filesystem has the adafruit_dotstar.mpy, and adafruit_bus_device files and folders copied over.

Next connect to the board's serial REPL so you are at the CircuitPython >>> prompt.

Python Installation of DotStar Library

You'll need to install the Adafruit_Blinka library that provides the CircuitPython support in Python. This may also require verifying you are running Python 3. Since each platform is a little different, and Linux changes often, please visit the CircuitPython on Linux guide to get your computer ready!

Once that's done, from your command line run the following command:

• sudo pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-dotstar

If your default Python is version 3 you may need to run 'pip' instead. Just make sure you aren't trying to use CircuitPython on Python 2.x, it isn't supported!

CircuitPython & Python Usage

To demonstrate the usage of the this library with DotStar LEDs, we'll use the board's Python REPL.

If you're using a SPI connection run the following code to import the necessary modules and initialize SPI with a strip of 30 DotStars:

import board
import adafruit_dotstar as dotstar
dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.SCK, board.MOSI, 30, brightness=0.2)

import board
import adafruit_dotstar as dotstar
dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.SCK, board.MOSI, 30, brightness=0.2)

Or if you're using bit banged pins, run the following code:

import board
import adafruit_dotstar as dotstar
dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.D6, board.D5, 30, brightness=0.2)

import board
import adafruit_dotstar as dotstar
dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.D6, board.D5, 30, brightness=0.2)

Now you're ready to light up your DotStar LEDs using the following properties:

• brightness - The overall brightness of the LED
• fill - Color all pixels a given color.
• show - Update the LED colors if auto_write is set to False.

For example, to light up the first DotStar red:

dots[0] = (255, 0, 0)

dots[0] = (255, 0, 0)

To light up all the DotStars green:

dots.fill((0, 255, 0))

dots.fill((0, 255, 0))

That's all there is to getting started with CircuitPython and DotStar LEDs!

Below is an example that turns all 30 LEDs random colors. To use, download the file, rename it to code.py and copy it to your board!

Full Example Code

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 ladyada for Adafruit Industries
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import time
import random
import board
import adafruit_dotstar as dotstar

# On-board DotStar for boards including Gemma, Trinket, and ItsyBitsy
dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.APA102_SCK, board.APA102_MOSI, 1, brightness=0.2)

# Using a DotStar Digital LED Strip with 30 LEDs connected to hardware SPI
# dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.SCK, board.MOSI, 30, brightness=0.2)

# Using a DotStar Digital LED Strip with 30 LEDs connected to digital pins
# dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.D6, board.D5, 30, brightness=0.2)


# HELPERS
# a random color 0 -> 192
def random_color():
    return random.randrange(0, 7) * 32


# MAIN LOOP
n_dots = len(dots)
while True:
    # Fill each dot with a random color
    for dot in range(n_dots):
        dots[dot] = (random_color(), random_color(), random_color())

    time.sleep(0.25)

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 ladyada for Adafruit Industries
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import time
import random
import board
import adafruit_dotstar as dotstar

# On-board DotStar for boards including Gemma, Trinket, and ItsyBitsy
dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.APA102_SCK, board.APA102_MOSI, 1, brightness=0.2)

# Using a DotStar Digital LED Strip with 30 LEDs connected to hardware SPI
# dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.SCK, board.MOSI, 30, brightness=0.2)

# Using a DotStar Digital LED Strip with 30 LEDs connected to digital pins
# dots = dotstar.DotStar(board.D6, board.D5, 30, brightness=0.2)


# HELPERS
# a random color 0 -> 192
def random_color():
    return random.randrange(0, 7) * 32


# MAIN LOOP
n_dots = len(dots)
while True:
    # Fill each dot with a random color
    for dot in range(n_dots):
        dots[dot] = (random_color(), random_color(), random_color())

    time.sleep(0.25)