- Channels
- RGB
- Wires
- 1-wire
- Dimensions
- 5.0 × 5.0 × 8.6 mm
- Pins
- 4
- Max current
- 60 mA
- Supply
- 3.5–5.3 V
The WS2812 in a traditional 5 mm domed through-hole package with legs. Breadboard-friendly, and the lens shape means it reads as a classic LED rather than a surface-mount square.
Pin ORDER differs from the SMD parts: the legs are numbered around the package, not in the 5050’s sequence. Viewing angle is left null - it depends on whether the lens is clear or diffused and no verified figure was found.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS2812D-F5 | other | clear | — | 4 | — | active | unknown | — |
| Clear lens: a narrow, bright beam straight out of the dome, with visible individual dies. Angle is the conventional figure for a clear 5 mm dome and has not been verified against a datasheet. | ||||||||
| WS2812D-F5-D | other | diffused | — | 4 | — | active | unknown | — |
| Milky lens: dimmer but far more even, and the three dies blend into one colour instead of showing as separate points. Usually what you want for colour mixing. | ||||||||
Pinout
- 1 DOUT data out
- 2 VSS ground
- 3 VDD power
- 4 DIN data in
Protocol — WS2812B
Timings shown from datasheet. Other sources disagree; see the protocol page.
Compatibility
-
protocol compatible
WS2812
Same signalling; different package and pin count (4-pin vs 6-pin).
-
near clone
APA104
Same 800 kHz single-wire signalling, but the APA104 inverts nothing and differs in reset requirements; usually interchangeable in practice.
-
near clone of this
APA104
Same single-wire 800 kHz scheme and the same 5050 footprint, and every library drives it as a WS2812. Reset requirements differ, so a marginal driver that works on one may not work on the other.
-
near clone of this
APA106
Electrically a WS2812B workalike in a 5 mm through-hole dome rather than an SMD package. Colour order is commonly RGB rather than GRB, which is the usual thing people get wrong.
-
electrically similar of this
PL9823
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.
-
drop in of this
SK6812
Timings overlap enough that WS2812B code drives it without changes, and the 5050 footprint and pinout match. The differences that matter are better PWM frequency and a shorter required reset.
-
protocol compatible of this
WS2812
Same signalling, different package and pin count: WS2812 is a 6-pin part, WS2812B is 4-pin. Not footprint-interchangeable.
-
near clone of this
WS2812B-V5
Same package, pinout and command set, but the reset/latch period is extended to roughly 280 us. Code written against the old 50 us figure can glitch. This is the most common cause of "my new reel of the same part flickers".
-
drop in of this
WS2812C
Sold as fully compatible with the WS2812B and driven identically by every library; the difference is packaging and cost, not signalling.
-
near clone of this
WS2813
Close enough that libraries drive it with WS2812 timings, but it needs a longer reset (300 us) and has a second data input, so it is a 5-pin part on strip. Not pin-compatible.
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.