Best Dev Boards for Cosplay

Even the most gorgeous gowns and amazing accessories are static when you’re standing still. But cool cosplay can come to life with moving lights and sound effects. If you want to add LED animation, audio atmosphere, or sensors to your wearable creation, you’re in luck. These days there are plenty of great boards to choose from. Here are five to get you started.

Beginner-Friendly Boards

Adafruit Circuit Playground Express

This board is packed with features: 10 onboard NeoPixels, capacitive touch inputs, and sensors for motion, sound, light, and temperature. It’s ideal for newcomers, with support for MakeCode, CircuitPython, and Arduino. The large, sewable pads make it easy to integrate into fabric-based builds. There’s also a Bluetooth version (Circuit Playground Bluefruit) for wireless interaction.

Try it in: reactive fairy wings, glowing hat decor, necklaces, motion-triggered lights.

Adafruit Sparkle Motion Stick

This board was designed with cosplay in mind. It runs WLED and plugs directly into a USB battery (no cords required). It includes a screw terminal block for LEDs, a mic, and an IR sensor, and fits inside a custom enclosure that allows for button control. Power your lights right through the USB port with no need for separate power supply wiring (up to 2A draw). It’s small and compact and perfect for costume use.

Try it in: LED headdresses, synced costume pieces, glowing staffs.

SMLight A1-SLWF-03

Not a coder? This plug-and-play controller comes pre-loaded with WLED and is perfect for fast LED integration. It features screw terminals for direct LED strip connection, a built-in microphone for sound-reactive effects, and an IR remote for easy control — no coding required. It’s a little bulkier than other options, but great for medium-to-large-scale projects.

Try it in: light-up coats, bicycle lights, sound-reactive WLED projects.

More Advanced Options

Adafruit Prop-Maker Feather

Designed for interactive props, this board includes a 3-axis accelerometer, microphone with amplifier, servo support, and a 5V output for high-current LED strips. A JST connector allows for LiPo battery power, making it a strong platform for detailed, responsive builds.

Try it in: motion-reactive lightsabers, sound-activated helmets, animatronic costume pieces.

Seeed Studio Xiao

For costume pieces where space is at a premium, this board is a top contender. Its ultra-compact design offers built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, making it ideal for syncing LED animations, controlling effects from your phone, or linking multiple costume pieces, and it can handle addressable LEDs, sensors, and more. The low cost and tiny footprint make it perfect for tight spaces.

Try it in: masks, handheld props, crowns.

This article appeared in Make: Vol. 95.