This pixel protocol was designed by Taiwan company. APA109 is the RGBW version of APA104 and is one of the most common protocols for pixel lighting displays. The control circuit and LEDs are integrated in a 5050 SMD package, which provides a small physical footprint for each pixel. it is same protocol with SK6812 RGBW.
PixLite Support
Are you looking for APA109 pixel drivers that work with Art-Net or sACN? All PixLite Mk2 products support APA109 as an available Pixel IC type, so get in touch with us to find out how the lighting specialists at Advatek can support you in your pixel lighting project.
Technical Specifications
| Clock Type | Data-Only |
| Color Resolution | 8 bits |
| Physical Package | SMD5050 with integrated LEDs |
| RGB | See APA104 |
| RGBW | Yes |
| Output Pixel Voltage | 5V |
| PWM Rate | 1.2KHz |
| Suitable Camera | Up to 40fps, see Refresh Rate and PWM Rate |
| Data Transfer Rate | 800kbps |
| Redundant Data Line | No |
Color Specifications
| Color | Brightness | Wavelength |
| Red | 700 – 1000 mcd | 620 – 630 nm |
| Green | 1500 – 2200 mcd | 515 – 530 nm |
| Blue | 200 – 400 mcd | 460 – 475 nm |
| White | 3300 – 5000 mcd | 2700 – 7000 K |
APA109 Advantages
- High PWM rate allows for filming these pixels with cameras up to 40fps
- Presence of white LED allows for higher brightness and more color mixing options
APA109 Disadvantages
- Data-only restricts refresh rates to be limited by the speed of the protocol, which will generally be slow
- Only 8 bits of data for each color makes dimming curves less smooth
- Limited to 5V, causing short cable lengths
- No redundancy in data
