Solder a + and - wire to each n00d. Make them longer than you think you need. It's easy to trim the wires later but tricky and time consuming to extend them.
Figure out your placement and secure the n00ds in place. They're silicone coated, so most glues won't stick but clear RTV silicone sealant works great. It's a little goopy but dries fully clear, and as a bonus, adds some waterproofing too.
I glued the n00ds in place and used zip ties to hold them while the glue dried. It cures to a touchable rubber in about an hour.
Once all the n00ds are in place, manage all the wires. Make sure the wires from both ends of the n00ds all reach back to the spot you're planning to put the controller boards. If any wires look like they might be too short, extend them now.
While the glue is drying, add an on/off switch to your battery by cutting the red battery cable and soldering the battery leads to the two halves of the red wire.
Use a zip tie or rubber band around the battery so the wires don't detach from the connection points. These points are delicate and these battery wires pull out easily -- this will save you a lot of heartache.
I used all black wires, which made my life a little difficult at this point -- which wire is which? I figured it out using the coin-cell-battery test trick. Solder the - leads to the numbered GPIO pins, and the + leads to the VIN pins on the AW9523. Take your time and keep track of which n00d is on which pin.
Once the AW9523 is connected to all the n00ds, plug the Feather in using a Stemma QT cable. Plug in your battery and give it a test. If you're using the example code, all the n00ds should come on and pulse slowly. Tilt to the left or right, and the n00ds will animate in sequence.
The way you orient the Feather will determine how well this works. Mine is sitting on top of my head, more-or-less level, with the USB port facing forward. This simple orientation makes the tilt pretty easy to read. If yours just isn't going to work out that way, you can update the code to use the orientation your board requires.
Glue the boards in place with hot glue or RTV silicone.
Keep the battery connector accessible and the battery removable if you want to be able to swap out batteries -- like if you plan to dance in your creation all night long without taking an hour to go recharge. However, it's also an option to bury the battery in the project if the USB port on the Feather is accessible.
This Feather has onboard battery charging capabilities, so you can recharge the battery without removing it from the build, if that works better for your design. Just make sure your battery is switched "on" during the recharge cycle -- the physical switch between the battery and Feather means it can't be charged when it's turned off.
Troubleshooting
If the n00ds don't turn on at all:
- Try unplugging and re-seating the stemma cable.
- Make sure your battery is charged and switched on.
- Try powering through a USB cable plugged into the Feather -- if they work this way, the issue is with your battery
- Make sure you can see code.py and the /lib files on the CIRCUITPY drive when you plug the Feather into your computer
- Make sure the pin definitions are right: the sample code uses 0, 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 -- if you soldered to different pins, fix it in the code.
If some of the n00ds light up but not all, or the sequence is wrong:
- Check the pin definitions in the code and look closely to make sure you soldered to the pins you thought you did
- Make sure both ends of the n00d are connected: - to GPIO, and + to VIN. Wiggle the wires and make sure no stray wires are shorting across pins
- If the sequence is wrong, it's easy to fix in the code - check the previous page for instructions
If the n00ds light up but the motion sensing doesn't work as expected:
- Try orienting the Feather so it's facing up and the USB port is facing forward -- even just momentarily -- and test again
- Go into the code and change the tilt axis or the sensitivity until it triggers happily with your preferred motion
Page last edited March 05, 2026
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