12mm Diffused Thin Digital RGB LED Pixels (Strand of 25) - WS2801

RGB Pixels are digitally-controllable lights you can set to any color, or animate. Each RGB LED and controller chip is molded into a 'dot' of silicone. The dots are weatherproof and rugged. There are four flanges molded in so that you can 'push' them into a 12mm drill hole in any material up to 1.5mm/0.06" thick. They're typically used to make outdoor signs. We also have flat-backed pixels that are essentially the same, but are not as long and thin.

The pixels are connected by a 4-conductor cable. +5V (Red), Ground (Blue), Data (Yellow) and Clock (Green). Data is shifted down from one pixel to the next so that you can easily cut the strand or attach more onto the end. Each dot is digitally controlled, with an internal 8-bit PWM LED driver (24-bit color for 16 million different shades). The pixels must be clocked by a microcontroller, we have an example code linked below that works on an Arduino, it should be simple to adapt it to any other microcontroller.

The pixels use 8mm diffused RGB LEDs, with a 120 degree beam width. The total max brightness of all LEDs is about 1600mcd but with the light more evenly distributed & mixed than a clear LED. (Please note: mcd ratings of LEDs are notoriously inflated by most LED sellers, so be extra-skeptical when reviewing LED ratings!)

Technical Details

•  - 12mm diameter (0.45") 38mm deep (1.5")
•  - 80mm / 3" apart on the strand
•  - 25 pieces per strand
•  - New! These pixels use a WS2801 chip for full 24 bit color
•  - 5V power, 60mA maximum per pixel (LED on full white)
•  - 2-pin SPI-like protocol
•  - WS2801 Datasheet for the chip inside each pixel
•  - Brightness: Red = 3.3 Lumens/300 mcd, Green = 10 Lumens/1000 mcd, Blue = 2.7 Lumens/300 mcd (mcd calculation based on full 120 degree beam)