PL9823-F5

F5 · through-hole · PL9823 · APA Electronic

Also sold as PL9823, PL9823 5mm

Channels
RGB
Wires
1-wire
Dimensions
5.0 × 5.0 × 8.6 mm
Pins
4
Max current
60 mA
Supply
4.5–5.5 V

A 5 mm through-hole addressable LED and the main alternative to the APA106. Two things catch people out: the colour order is RGB rather than the WS2812 family’s GRB, and the bit period is longer, which is why FastLED carries it as its own chipset rather than aliasing it to WS2812.

Variants

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

Order codeFaceLensWhite PinsSiliconStatusFirst seenDatasheet
PL9823-F5 other diffused 4 active unknown
PL9823-F5-C other clear 4 active unknown
Clear lens; narrow beam and visibly separate dies.

Pinout

PL9823-F5PL9823-F5-C
top view1. DININ2. VDDPWR3. VSSGND4. DOUTOUT
  1. 1 DIN data in
  2. 2 VDD power
  3. 3 VSS ground
  4. 4 DOUT data out

Protocol — PL9823

Timings shown from fastled.

hilo017103420T0H 350nsT1H 1360ns0 bit1 bit
T0H 350 / T0L 1360 · T1H 1360 / T1L 350 · period 1710 ns · reset 0 µs source: fastled

Compatibility

  • electrically similar WS2812B

    Often sold interchangeably with the APA106 as a through-hole "NeoPixel", but the bit period differs from the WS2812B and the colour order is typically RGB rather than GRB. FastLED carries it as its own chipset for that reason. source ↗

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.

  • 2015-11-06 first library support FastLED — first commit introducing PL9823 day