WS2812
1-wire RGB · WorldSemi · ws281x
- Channels
- RGB
- Bits / channel
- 8
- Supply
- 3.5–5.3 V
- PWM
- 400 Hz
- Backup data
- no
- Packages
- 0
The original integrated part: a WS2811 die bonded into a 5050 package with the RGB LEDs. Six pins. Superseded almost everywhere by the WS2812B, which is cheaper to assemble and adds reverse-polarity protection.
Refresh & flicker
400 Hz PWM is low enough to be visible as flicker on camera and in peripheral vision when panning.
Timing
Sources disagree. This is normal and worth understanding: FastLED's numbers are tuned to drive real parts reliably, including clones, while the datasheet gives the manufacturer's nominal figures. Both are recorded here rather than picking one and hiding the conflict.
| Source | T0H | T0L | T1H | T1L | Period | Rate | Reset | ± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fastled ↗ | 250 ns | 1000 ns | 875 ns | 375 ns | 1250 ns | 800 kHz | 280 µs | — |
| FastLED’s figures are tuned for reliability across clones and differ from the datasheet’s nominal values. Both are recorded; the site shows which. | ||||||||
| datasheet ↗ | 350 ns | 800 ns | 700 ns | 600 ns | 1150 ns | 870 kHz | 50 µs | 150 ns |
Clones & compatibility
“Compatible” is never stated bare here — each relationship carries how strong the claim is, and what bites if you assume too much.
-
protocol compatible
WS2812B
Same signalling, different package and pin count: WS2812 is a 6-pin part, WS2812B is 4-pin. Not footprint-interchangeable.
-
protocol compatible of this
WS2812B
Same signalling; different package and pin count (4-pin vs 6-pin).
Library support
- FastLED
WS2812↗- Adafruit_NeoPixel
NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800- WLED
WS281x
Parts using this protocol
No package is catalogued for this protocol yet — it is seeded for family completeness, or it is a driver IC that drives external LEDs rather than shipping as an integrated package.
Dating evidence
Evidence, not a release date. A library commit proves the part existed by that date and says nothing about how long before.
- 2012-12-12 announcement Adafruit launched the NeoPixel brand around the WS2812; the Adafruit_NeoPixel library's first commit is the same day, and Adafruit's retrospective 'NeoPixels: Five Years In' is dated exactly five years later ↗ day
- 2013-07-23 first library support FastLED — first commit introducing WS2812 ↗ day
- 2016-09-11 first library support WLED — first commit introducing WS2812 ↗ day