WS2812B
1-wire RGB · WorldSemi · ws281x
- Channels
- RGB
- Bits / channel
- 8
- Supply
- 3.5–5.3 V
- PWM
- 400 Hz
- Backup data
- no
- Packages
- 6
The part most people mean by “NeoPixel”. Four pins, integrated driver, reverse-polarity protection over the WS2812. If a project or a strip says “WS2812” without qualification in the last decade, this is almost certainly what it is.
Refresh & flicker
400 Hz PWM on pre-V5 silicon; visible flicker on camera. V5 raises this substantially - see ws2812b-v5.
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 uses a 280 us reset for the whole WS2812 family, which is safe on both old and V5 silicon. The datasheet’s 50 us is not safe on V5. | ||||||||
| datasheet ↗ | 400 ns | 850 ns | 800 ns | 450 ns | 1250 ns | 800 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
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.
Library support
- FastLED
WS2812B↗- Adafruit_NeoPixel
NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800- WLED
WS281x
The default assumption of every library and every tutorial.
Parts using this protocol
Dating evidence
Evidence, not a release date. A library commit proves the part existed by that date and says nothing about how long before.