This pixel protocol was designed by Newstar in China. WS2818 offers many of the benefits the WS28xx series is famous for, as well as being the first in the series to support an output voltage of up to 24V, making it one of the most common protocols for pixel lighting displays. The control circuit comes in a SOP8 package, allowing for more flexibility with LED choice.
PixLite Support
Are you looking for WS2818 pixel drivers that work with Art-Net or sACN? All PixLite Mk2 products support WS2818 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.
Note: when you use product with WS2813 IC, select 'WS2815' as your Pixel IC Type. This is the equivalent protocol that will allow you to use WS2818 pixels.
Technical Specifications
| Clock Type | Data-Only |
| Color Resolution | 8 bits |
| Physical Package | SOP8 |
| RGB | Yes |
| RGBW | See WS2814 |
| Output Pixel Voltage | 5 – 24V |
| PWM Rate | 2000Hz |
| Suitable Camera | Up to 67fps, see Refresh Rate and PWM Rate |
| Data Transfer Rate | 800kbps |
| Redundant Data Line | Yes |
WS2818 Advantages
- Up to 24V, allowing for very long cable lengths
- High PWM rate allows for filming these pixels with cameras up to 67fps
- Redundant data line reduces chance of entire strip failure
WS2818 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
