This pixel protocol was designed by Newstar in China. WS2815 offers many of the benefits the WS28xx series is famous for. It uses 12V as its main power input for each chip, VDD, which is then dropped down to 5V inside each pixel for its logic requirements. This allows longer chains of pixels to driven in series, making it one of the most common protocols for pixel lighting displays. The control circuit and LEDs are integrated in a 5050 SMD package, which provides a small physical footprint for each pixel. similar with NS8808 Pixel LEDs.

PixLite Support

Are you looking for WS2815 pixel drivers that work with Art-Net or sACN? All PixLite Mk2 products support WS2815 as an available Pixel IC type, so get in touch with us to find out how the lighting specialists at Advatek can support you in your pixel lighting project.

Technical Specifications

Color Specifications

WS2815 Advantages

• 12V operation, allows for long cable lengths and long chains of pixels
• High PWM rate allows for filming these pixels with cameras up to 67fps
• Redundant data line reduces chance of entire strip failure

WS2815 Disadvantages

• Data-only restricts refresh rates to be limited by the speed of the protocol, which will generally be slow
• Only 8 bits of data for each color makes dimming curves less smooth

Operational Behavior

WS2815 has been known to induce defects during manufacturing which cause the pixels to display erratic behavior for a brief moment after power up. If this is a concern, then SK6813 could be considered as an alternative. While many of the features of SK6813 are adopted from WS2815, the design of SK6813 reduces the chance of these same defects during manufacturing. This design sets it apart, making it a more reliable and stable choice.