This pixel protocol was designed by Newstar in China. WS2812 offers many of the benefits the WS28xx series is famous for, as well as being the first in the series to offer an integrated LED design. Typically, users will choose WS2813 or above for higher quality, however WS2812 is still 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.
PixLite Support
Are you looking for WS2812 pixel drivers that work with Art-Net or sACN? All PixLite Mk1 and Mk2 products support WS2812 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 | Yes |
| RGBW | See WS2814 |
| Output Pixel Voltage | 5 – 12V |
| PWM Rate | 400Hz |
| Suitable Camera | Unsuitable for cameras, see Refresh Rate and PWM Rate |
| Data Transfer Rate | 800kbps |
| Redundant Data Line | No |
Color Specifications
| Color | Brightness | Wavelength |
| Red | 550 – 700 mcd | 620 – 630 nm |
| Green | 1100 – 1400 mcd | 515 – 530 nm |
| Blue | 200 – 400 mcd | 465 – 475 nm |
WS2812 Advantages
- Up to 12V, allowing for long cable lengths
WS2812 Disadvantages
- Data-only restricts refresh rates to be limited by the speed of the protocol, which will generally be slow
- Low PWM rate makes theses pixels unsuitable for cameras
- Only 8 bits of data for each color makes dimming curves less smooth
- No redundancy in data
