SK6812 series addressable LEDs

Today, we would like to recommend you addressable RGB LEDs equipped with the SK6812 driver.

In recent decades, we are witnessing the rapid development of LED technology. This applies in particular to the field of lighting systems, but also to signalling solutions, where LEDs started their “career”. In the case of these components, one of the most important innovations was the integration of three light-emitting structures – red, green and blue (RGB) – in a single package. The option of controlling each colour individually made it possible to obtain mixed light which, when perceived by the human eye, can adopt virtually any colour.

A relatively recent big hit on the market involved combining three RGB emitters with a driver circuit and a digital controller into a single package. From the perspective of the user/designer, the product is still equipped with four leads, however, there are only two power lines and two serial digital signal lines (input and output). In order to obtain the desired colour and intensity of light, it is necessary to send data containing the address of the diode and the intensity of each RGB channel via the serial port. This offers immense possibilities in terms of creating light effects – especially if the diodes are placed in a matrix or line. As each diode has its own address, the controller software can operate each unit individually. This process is further facilitated by the possibility of chaining the programmable RGB LEDs (so-called daisy-chaining).

Developing a code for controlling LEDs via a microcontroller (which may be included in an Arduino module, for example) or a single-board computer is very simple, as most of the drivers integrated with RGB LEDs support freeware libraries for popular programming languages (including C, MicroPython). In the case of the products recommended today, these are the SK6812 drivers. The components are suitable for surface mounting (SMD) thanks to the use of 3535 or 5050 formats. Their power supply voltage ranges from 3.7 V to 5.5 V DC.

 

SK6812 addressable RGB LED

 

* depending on the model