Datasheet



furthest pixel. This does not operate like a traditional shift register!

After all the color data is sent, the data line must be held low for a minimum of 50 microseconds for

the new colors to “latch.”

You may want to dig through our Arduino library (http://adafru.it/aZU) for insights. The timing-critial

parts are written in AVR assembly language, but it’s extensively commented with C-like

pseudocode.

My Microcontroller Isn’t Fast Enough to Do That

The WS2812 appears to be backwardly-compatible with the 400 KHz WS2811 signal. If you can

precisely match the latter chip’s timing, either type will respond. The WS2811 protocol is not

simply a half-speed WS2812. The duty cycle for the “0” and “1” bits is slightly different. From

the WS2811 datasheet (http://adafru.it/cDS):