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1.6 × 1.6 mm 6 pins top-emitting

APA-102-1515-256

1515 · smd · APA102 · APA Electronic

SPI RGB 5–5.5 V unknown

Also sold as APA102-1515, APA102 1515, B3DK3BRG

At a glance

Colour
RGB8 bits per channel
Data
SPIclock + data, timing-tolerant
Supply
5–5.5 Vno backup data line
Size
1.6 × 1.6 × 0.9 mm6 pins · top
Max current
—18 mA per channel
PWM
20 kHzno reset period
Library support
FastLED WLED Adafruit

Datasheets disagree: the same sheet gives the clock as 15 MHz maximum (absolute maximum ratings) and 0-5 MHz (recommended working parameters), and the supply as 2.5-7.5 V and 4.5-5.5 V. The recommended 0-5 MHz and 4.5-5.5 V are the safer figures.

The smallest APA102 package in the catalogue, from the maker the part is named after. The frame is the usual 32-bit start frame, 3 flag bits, 5-bit brightness and B-G-R bytes. The pinout is a trap: pin 1 is GND in the bottom middle of the package, and the other five numbers run clockwise from it, so no APA102C or SK9822 numbering applies.

Variants

One row per orderable SKU. Everything not listed is inherited from the part above.

Order codeFaceLensWhite PinsSiliconStatusFirst seenDatasheet
APA-102-1515-256 — clear — 6 — unknown 2025-02 PDF
Clear epoxy resin per the sheet; 3000 pieces per reel.

Pinout

APA-102-1515-256
APA-102-1515-256 1515 package, top and side viewPin 1 is ringed. pin 1 GND (ground), pin 2 SDO (data out), pin 3 CKO (clock out), pin 4 VDD (power), pin 5 CKI (clock in), pin 6 SDI (data in).11 GND22 SDO33 CKO44 VDD55 CKI66 SDI1.6 mm1.6 mmtop view0.9 mmside view
  • Ground
  • Data
  • Clock
  • Power
  • Pin 1

Outline and pin positions checked against the manufacturer datasheet (APA-102-1515-256 sheet p7: bottom-view pad labels mirrored to the top view). Pin 1 is the bottom-MIDDLE pad and the numbers run clockwise. Pad sizes approximate. What this means.

  1. 1 GND ground
  2. 2 SDO data out
  3. 3 CKO clock out
  4. 4 VDD power
  5. 5 CKI clock in
  6. 6 SDI data in

Protocol — APA102

This is an SPI part: the clock is explicit, so there is no fixed bit period. The frame layout is shown below.

APA102 SPI frameAPA102 clocked frame: start frame, one 32-bit LED frame per pixel with brightness and colour bytes, and an end frame, plus data and clock waveforms1 · Frame stream (data clocked on CLK)Start frame32 × 0LED 132 bitsLED 232 bits…LED N32 bitsEnd frameclock ≥ N/2 edgeseach LED forwards what it does not keep on DO / CO2 · One LED frame: 32 bits, MSB first111brightB 8G 8R 83 marker bits (111), 5-bit global brightness 0–31, then 8-bit channels3 · DATA and CLK, first 8 bits of an LED frameDATACLK11110010111 markerbrightness bits 4..0data changes while CLK is low,LED samples on the rising edgeno fixed bit period: clock rateis set by the host
Frame layout: APA102-family 32-bit LED frames convention, see the protocol notes for end-frame differences

Compatibility

  • near clone SK9822

    Frequently sold as interchangeable and usually works, but the SK9822 implements global brightness as a real current source rather than superimposed PWM, runs a lower PWM frequency, updates non-staggered, and differs in end-frame handling. Not reliably drop-in. source ↗

  • protocol compatible of this ABOC HBGR32L two-wire IC (18 mA)

    The frame is APA102-shaped (32 zero bits, 111 + 5-bit brightness + three 8-bit values, 32 one bits) and the sheet shows the same SDI/CKI waveform. The two sheets disagree about the colour order, and neither names APA102, so only the frame structure is compared.

  • protocol compatible of this ABOC IC-NL3C-BA two-wire IC

    Same CIN/DIN clock-and-data arrangement and the same 32 zero-bit start frame, 3-bit '111' marker + 5-bit brightness and B, G, R order as APA102 on the page-4 description, but the sheet never mentions APA102 and gives no end-frame behaviour; recorded as a structural match.

  • drop in of this APA102C

    A cost-reduced APA102 sold under a near-identical name. Driven identically; the difference is manufacturing, not protocol.

  • drop in of this APA107

    Driven identically to the APA102 by every library. Marketed as a higher-refresh successor.

  • near clone of this HD107S

    Driven with the APA102 protocol by every library, and generally treated as a faster APA102. The caveat is that the specifications are vendor claims rather than a verifiable manufacturer datasheet, and the HD107S, APA107 and APA102 are frequently conflated in listings.

  • protocol compatible of this HD108

    Same SPI framing concept, but each pixel carries 16 bits per channel, so an APA102 driver will not produce correct output without explicit HD108 support.

  • protocol compatible of this H-Great P36 two-wire IC (15 MHz)

    Same 32 zero-bit start, '111' + 5-bit global brightness + B, G, R 8-bit command and the same separate clock / data wiring as APA102. The sleep command and the 15 MHz / 30 ns limits are extras with no APA102 counterpart on the sheet, and the sheet never names APA102.

  • protocol compatible of this Inolux PC (clock-and-data IC)

    Frame structure matches APA102 as drawn on the PC55 sheet p5: 32 zero bits start frame, per LED 32 bits '111' + 5-bit global brightness + Blue + Green + Red, 32 one bits end frame, clock and data on separate pins. The sheet never names APA102, so this is a structural match only; clock limits (30 MHz, 30 ns widths) and the end-frame behaviour have not been compared with the APA102 sheets.

  • electrically similar of this P9813

    Both are clock-plus-data chains with a 32-bit zero start frame and 32 bits per pixel in blue-green-red order, but the P9813 flag is two bits and is followed by inverted check bits rather than a 3-bit flag and 5-bit global brightness, so frames are not interchangeable.

  • near clone of this SK9822

    Widely sold as an APA102 equivalent and usually works, but it is not a drop-in. Global brightness is a controlled current source rather than superimposed PWM, so it does not flicker when dimmed. PWM is 4.7 kHz against 20 kHz. The update is non-staggered, and end-frame handling differs - a driver that relies on the APA102's end-frame behaviour can misbehave.

  • protocol compatible of this WL-ICLED (dual-wire)

    The frame layout reads like the APA102's: 32-bit zero start frame, 3 flag bits, 5-bit global brightness, blue-green-red 8-bit values, N/2 end bits. The differences on paper are the flag decoding (0b101 puts the LED to sleep) and the 300 ohm series resistors on both lines in the reference circuit. Nothing here has been run against an APA102 driver.

Dating evidence

Nobody announces these parts, so this records what we can actually cite rather than a release date. Library support proves only that the part existed by that date.

  • 2013-05-30 first library support FastLED — first commit introducing APA102 ↗ day
  • 2014-08-27 first documented cpldcpu, 'APA102 aka Superled' - the first detailed public analysis of the part ↗ day
  • 2014-11-30 first documented cpldcpu, 'Understanding the APA102 Superled' - full protocol and PWM teardown ↗ day
  • 2019-05-01 first library support WLED — first commit introducing APA102 ↗ day
  • 2025-02 first seen listing LEDYi upload path of the datasheet PDF (wp-content/uploads/2025/02/) ↗ month

Similar parts

Same protocol or package first, then the same data scheme and colour channels.

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