SparkFun
SMD LED - RGB WS2812B (Strip of 50)
The WS2812B (or "NeoPixel") may look like a common 5050-sized (5x5mm) SMD LED, but there’s actually an integrated control circuit embedded inside there too. ...
The WS2812B (or "NeoPixel") may look like a common 5050-sized (5x5mm) SMD LED, but there’s actually an integrated control circuit embedded inside there too. Sometimes you don't need 10, maybe you need 50! If you are the person who needs that many than this is the perfect quantity for you. If you look really hard, you can see the tiny black chip hidden in there, along with minuscule gold wires connecting the chip to the LED. This LED is certainly more than meets the eye! The 'B' at the end of the WS2812 name denotes that these specific LEDs are equipped with and only require FOUR pins instead of SIX!
The LED itself is unlike most RGB (Red/Green/Blue) LEDs. The brightness of each color can be adjusted using a serial string to one of 256 different levels. That means there are 16,777,216 (2563) possible combinations of colors. You can produce any color from white to black (off), or salmon to sienna.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- NeoPixel
- A type of addressable LED system where colour data is sent along a single digital data line from one LED or controller to the next. Compatibility matters because the timing and signal format must match for the lights or driver board to respond correctly.
- RGB
- Short for red, green and blue, usually referring to an LED that can mix those three colours. It matters because controlling an RGB LED teaches how separate outputs combine to create different colours.
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Components
WS2812B Datasheet
Datasheet · 347.0 KB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — sparkfun.com
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