WS2812B LED Strip VS SK6812 LED Strip: Which is Better?

What is WS2812B LED Strip Light?

WS2812 LED strip is a 3-channel addressable strip with built-in IC, controlled by dedicated LED controllers. One LED as one individually addressable pixel, IC is integrated into the LED, not visible on strips. Less components on strips, easier for installation, and Ben.

These LEDs are very popular among the maker community, and because of their versatility and ease-of-use, a lot of similar flavors can be found in art/lighting-related installations.meaning each LED is actually a combination of three even tinier LEDs—one that is red, one that is green, and one that is blue (hence the RGB). These are great because each color can be turned on to a different brightness level. The power supply of the lamp is 5V, and the single lamp addressing function can be used; that is, the RGB color of each lamp can produce a jump, and interesting functions such as running horses and running water can be made.

WS2812B LED strip types usually have the following types, according to the number of 1-meter lamp beads: 1) 1 meter per 30 LEDs; 2) 1 meter per 60 LEDs; 3) 1 meter per 72 LEDs; 4). 1 meter per 96 LEDs; 5). 1 meter per 144 LEDs. Of course, the more the number of lamp beads, the more dense; the fewer the number of lamp beads, the more sparse. Cutting and welding are convenient and free: an LED can form a loop, which can be arbitrarily cut and welded along the above tangent line to achieve the desired length of various lamp strips.

What Package Types are Available for WS2812B?

The WS2812B has the following package types: 5050/3535/4020/2427/2020/1313,Package 5050 stands for 5x5mm, 3535 stands for 3.5×3.5mm, and 4020 stands for 4x2mm. 5050 and 3535 packages are relatively large, the price is also economical and practical, and the most used RGB LED strip has a large number of applications, and some other small sizes are used in some special occasions, such as some side lights and used for applications requiring compact LEDs.

What is the SK6812 LED Strip Light?

SK6812 Data protocol using unipolar NRZ communication mode, the pixel is reset after the end of DIN, accept the data transmitted from the controller to the 24bit, the first to send data by the first pixel to pixel extraction, internal data latch, the remaining data after the internal plastic, the processing circuit after shaping amplification through the DO port output began to turn to the next cascade of pixels, each pixel through a transmission signal, reduce. Pixel using automatic shaping forwarding technology makes the number of cascades without signal transmission limit of the pixel, only limited signal transmission speed.

An SK6812 LED strip is a type of addressable LED rope light that consists of individual LEDs mounted on a flexible circuit board. The SK6812 IC control circuit, which could be programmed, is integrated into SMD 5050 components, allowing for precise control over the color and brightness of each individual LED. SK6812 addressable LED strip consists of RGB and RGBW, widely used in architectural lighting, stage lighting, art installations, and retail displays, among other applications.

While the SK6812 addressable white LED strip is often compared to other LED strips, such as the WS2812B and WS2813, it offers some unique advantages, such as a wider color temperature range and more customization options. Consider your specific lighting needs when choosing between these LED strips to ensure you select the best option for your application.

What Package Types are Available for SK6812?

SK6812 is available in four different packages: SMD4020, SMD2020, SMD3535, and SMD5050, offering you flexibility in choosing the thickness, brightness, and size of the LEDs. However, these strip lights are expensive compared to WS2812B, as they are more advanced.

Main Differences Between WS2812B and SK6812

Compared with the WS2812B band, the performance of the two is basically similar, and the foot position is the same, so they can basically be used instead of each other. SK6812 addressable white LED band provides some advantages. For example, the SK6812 strip has a wider color temperature range and is more customizable; in addition, the SK6812 strip has a faster data transfer rate, which allows for smoother and more precise lighting effects.

Same Point：

1. Both SK6812 and WS2812B protocols have the same pinout configuration.

2. Both SK6812 and WS2812B LED strips have built-in ICs that allow for independent control of each individual LED.

3. Both can produce a wide range of colors by adjusting the intensity of the red, green, and blue components.

4. Both of them don’t have a pixel break-continue function (breakpoint resume function).

Differentia：

1. SK6812 neopixel RGB LED strip has a higher PWM frequency (1200Hz) than WS2812B, which is 400Hz.

2. SK6812 has a built-in white LED component including both RGB and RGBW, while WS2812B does not, which supports only RGB.

In general, both the SK6812 and WS2812B are excellent options for addressable RGB LED strip lights. SK6812 neopixel RGB LED strip is considered an upgraded version of WS2812B due to its higher PWM frequency and wider voltage range, and the SK6812 has a faster refresh rate. However, WS2812B is still a popular choice due to its lower cost and widespread availability.

SK6812 vs WS2812B

Differences
IC Type	SK6812	WS2812B
Color	RGB/RGBW	RGB
Brightness	800-1000 mcd	500-700 mcd
Scan  Frequency	1200Hz/s	400Hz/s
Reset Time	80 μs	50 μs
Control Options	More advanced	Simple
Price	Slightly more expensive	Cheap
Similarities
Grayscale	256	256
IC Placement	Built-in	Built-in
Voltage	DC5V	DC5V
LED Density	60leds/m, 100leds/m 144leds/m	60leds/m, 96leds/m 144leds/m
SMD LED Size	3535/5050	3535/5050
Individually Addressable	Yes	Yes
Data Transmission	Single signal	Single signal
Output Channel	3	3
Cutting Unit	1 LED	1 LED

SK6812 RGBW’s white channel has three different color temperatures, with each temperature mixed with RGB colors to produce different lighting effects.

RGBWW=RGB+3000K warm white

RGBNW=RGB+4000K natural white

RGBCW=RGB+6000K cool white

How to Connect the WS2812B and SK6812 LED Strip?

1. The data transmission protocol of WS2812 and SK6812 adopts a single NZR communication mode, which does not match the control mode and communication protocol of the 512 decoder, so the 512 decoder cannot directly control the WS2812 light strip.

To control the WS2812 light strip, you need to use a compatible controller or microcontroller (such as the Arduino Uno), which can control multiple LEDs through a simple external interface and unique cascading scheme, greatly simplifying the complexity of the LED control interface. These compatible controllers can be programmed to implement a variety of lighting effects and control logic to meet specific application needs:

WS2812b and SK6812 led strips are currently more popular with the development board Arduino Uno on the market to use. If you are also a programming enthusiast, these connection and setting scenes will bring you unlimited fun. By default, the Arduino’s digital pin output is 5V, which means we can plug directly into the data cable of our LED light strip. Suitable for interested players can DIY.

2. The connection method of the two lamp belts is the same: To convert DMX signals to SPI signals, you need to use a DMX-SPI decoder. The DMX-SPI LED decoder parses the signals from the DMX controller and converts them into a format suitable for SPI communication. In this way, each addressable LED is able to display a specific color and brightness based on the dmx512 data.

Note:

• If the SPI LED pixel strip is single-wire control and the DATA and CLK output are the same, we can connect up to 4 LED strips.
• If the SPI LED pixel strip is two-wire control, we can connect up to 2 LED strips.

　　WS2812B and SK6812 LED Light Strip: Which is Better?

Both SK6812 and WS2812B are good, considering specific applications. If you want more color variation, go for SK6812 RGBW LED strips, which have an additional white channel that allows for more color combinations. Besides, the WWA variant of SK6812 is perfect for applications where you need varying CCT of white hues.

Though SK6812 allows advanced controlling options, more libraries are available for WS2812B. It has simpler programming than SK6812 and supports more integration.

However, for basic applications, WS2812B LED strips are great. Though it is only an RGB variant, you can still create more than 16 million hues with it. Above all, they are cheap and simple to configure. Therefore, pick the best one that fits your application, requirements, and budget.

Though SK6812 allows advanced controlling options, more libraries are available for WS2812B. It has simpler programming than SK6812 and supports more integration.