Introduction: WS2812 and WS2811 Comparison

By Arduino Hacks
About: I am an electrical engineer and an Arduino and electronics enthusiasts. I believe working with electricity should be fun as well as beneficial to engineers and the world at large. Twitter handle: @arduinohack…

The WS2812 are addressable RGB LEDs. They are easy to use when creating a huge LED project. Here are some things that you should know about them before proceeding with your project.

Step 1:

Step 2: Difference

The WS2812 neopixel has 6 pins and six internal pads while the WS2812B neopixel has 4 pins and 4 internal pads as shown in the pictures.

Step 3: Advantages of WS2812B to WS2812

1. The reduced number of pins reduces the chances of short circuiting

2. Since there are fewer internal pads, the WS2812B dissipates heat better reducing chances of over heating

Step 4: Specifications

Power consumption is 5v and 60 milliamps.Though this rating can go high or low depending on several factors

Each neopixel also uses up 3 bytes of ram on the controller when running.

Step 5: Connecting Neopixels to an Arduino

The data in pin is connected to the arduino digital pin and the + and - pins are connected to 5v and ground respectively.

Step 6: Powering Many Neopixels

To run many neopixels from the same power supply you need to use a parallel connection as shown in the diagram. It is important to get the connection right otherwise you will burn the neopixels.

Step 7:

I am currently working on a wifi controlled neopixel display and will share it with you soon. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, go to this page for the full tutorial: http://www.arduino-hacks.com/ws2812-ws2812b-comparison-specifications/

Moreover, you can view the full video on this link WS2812