Wooooow now what kinda speed does that require in order to work?
Faster than what the WS28x can refresh at. 
Basically I’m pushing an entire column of 48 pixels out every 250-500 microsecs. I could go faster but … why. The WS28x simply could not keep up.
Now, one can slow it down to the point where it does work on a slower strip, but it also means you need to spin slower, otherwise you’re stretching the image.
slow refresh + slow spinning = fine
slow refresh + fast spinning = stretched image
fast refresh + fast spinning = fine
fast refresh + slow spinning = squished image
For a bicycle wheel, where you can potentially be spinning very fast, you want something that can refresh fast as well.
my next question is would i need a coustom pcb board to make something similar to yorus? also what would these do on a car that is lets say travaling at intermitant speeds from 20 all the way to 60+
i know ill need a magnet and hall sensor in the mix but is it doable with that wheel speed?
Sure. Others have done it.
cool so what im looking for are lpd8806 chips correct? and rgb smd leds?
Only if you’re adventurous enough to use them. They come in standard strip form, 32 per meter (most common) and 48 per meter. My custom ones are 48 in a little under 30cm (11.33"). So, very tightly packed.
Personally I would suggest starting with a regular strip and create a prototype. Once you have that, you can build a custom strip and use that instead.
granted i doubt ill find them in time for next fridays competition but i really do like the concept
That’s how I did it at least …
deal ill see if i can find some around here first then see how much aliexpress will cost to ship lol
Not by next Friday, Ali* won’t get it to you by then, even with expedited shipping.
You can start with whatever you have and work out the coding side of things. You don’t have to deal with the sped issues just yet, just get the basics done. When you’re ready, then switch to a higher speed strip.
When I started working on mine, all I had on hand were WS2801 strips (which is how I discovered they couldn’t keep up.) but I did everything on those, kept the speed low so they’d work and all. Once I got an LPD8806 strips in, I started testing on that and it wasn’t till that was working that I started making my own custom ones.
I’ll see what I can come up with
Ash, I do learn SO much by stalking your posts…
I think the strips that radio shack sells in store are low density LPD8806 + 5050 size RGB SMD LED. TLA soup, if you will.
Matt, I’ve never thought of anyone stalking my posts. That’s actually … kinda scary.
We have similar goals, you post more than I do. When our opinions differ, I learn. This is not NBC’s To Catch a Programmer.