- Channels
- RGB
- Wires
- SPI
- Dimensions
- 5.0 × 5.0 × 1.7 mm
- Pins
- 6
- Max current
- 60 mA
- Supply
- 4.5–5.5 V
The SPI-driven alternative to the WS2812 family, sold by Adafruit as “DotStar”. Six pins rather than four, because clock has to come in and go out alongside data. In exchange, timing stops mattering and the PWM frequency is high enough to be invisible on camera.
Variants
One row per orderable SKU. Everything not listed is inherited from the part above.
| Order code | Face | Lens | White | Pins | Silicon | Status | First seen | Datasheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA102 | white | clear | — | 6 | — | active | unknown | — |
| APA102-B | black | clear | — | 6 | — | active | unknown | — |
| Black housing; identical die and pinout. | ||||||||
Pinout
- 1 VDD power
- 2 CI clock in
- 3 DI data in
- 4 VSS ground
- 5 DO data out
- 6 CO clock out
Protocol — APA102
Timings shown from datasheet.
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 ↗
-
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.
-
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.
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
Where to buy
Stub data — a few rows so purchase links can grow later. Prices are not tracked.
- Adafruit 2343 checked 2026-09-04