SK6812RGBW
5050 · smd · SK6812 RGBW · OPSCO Optoelectronics
Also sold as NeoPixel RGBW, SK6812 RGBW, RGBW NeoPixel
- Channels
- RGBW
- Wires
- 1-wire
- Dimensions
- 5.0 × 5.0 × 1.6 mm
- Pins
- 4
- Max current
- 80 mA
- Supply
- 3.7–5.5 V
The main reason to choose SK6812 over WS2812B. Mixed white from RGB is greenish and inefficient; a dedicated white die is cleaner, brighter per watt, and the only way to get a usable neutral white. The three temperature variants below are physically different parts - you choose at purchase.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK6812RGBW-WW | white | clear | 3000 K warm | 4 | — | active | unknown | 01 |
| Warm white, around 3000 K. The usual choice for domestic lighting. | ||||||||
| SK6812RGBW-NW | white | clear | 4500 K neutral | 4 | — | active | unknown | 01PDF ↗ |
| Neutral white, around 4500 K. | ||||||||
| SK6812RGBW-CW | white | clear | 6000 K cool | 4 | — | active | unknown | 01 |
| Cool white, around 6000 K. | ||||||||
Pinout
- 1 VDD power
- 2 DOUT data out
- 3 VSS ground
- 4 DIN data in
Protocol — SK6812 RGBW
Timings shown from datasheet. Other sources disagree; see the protocol page.
Compatibility
-
protocol compatible
SK6812
Identical timing, but four channels rather than three. Driving it with an RGB library shifts colours down the strip, because every pixel consumes one extra byte.
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.
- 2015-07-31 datasheet revision OPSCO SK6812RGBW specification rev. 01 - the INITIAL revision - dated on its cover page ↗ day
- 2015-08-10 first library support Adafruit_NeoPixel — first commit introducing NEO_GRBW ↗ day
- 2015-12-16 first seen listing Adafruit began selling SK6812-based 'NeoPixel RGBW' strip (products 2824 / 2832 / 2847) ↗ day
- 2020-02-24 first library support WLED — first commit introducing SK6812_RGBW ↗ day
- 2020-04-09 first library support FastLED — first commit introducing SK6812RGBW ↗ day
Where to buy
Stub data — a few rows so purchase links can grow later. Prices are not tracked.