We’re excited to introduce what we imagine is the world’s smallest addressable LED, the SMD LED – Addressable RGB APA-104-1010.
The SMD LED – Addressable RGB APA-104-1010. Measuring an astonishingly small 1.0mm x 1.0mm, this LED represents the chopping fringe of miniaturization in digital parts. However how did we get right here? Let’s take a quick journey by the historical past of addressable LEDs and discover how they’ve shrunk to this unimaginable measurement.
The Evolution of Addressable LEDs
From being easy standing indicators to interactive artwork installations, addressable LEDs have been built-in into electronics in some ways. Not like conventional LEDs, lots of that are restricted a single colour, addressable LEDs simplify the method by embedding management circuitry inside every LED to vary colour and brightness by easy code. This development allowed for particular person management over every LED in a strip or sequence, making it simpler to create intricate lighting results.
The idea of addressable LEDs will be traced again to the event of good lighting techniques within the early 2000s. One of many earliest fashions that gained reputation was the WS2801 by Worldsemi, an LED driver IC that enabled management of RGB LEDs through a easy two-wire SPI interface. The WS2801 was quickly adopted by built-in fashions just like the WS2812s, which embedded the driving force inside the LED bundle, simplifying the design and lowering the scale.
Producers improved these techniques and developed much more compact fashions, such because the APA102C collection (manufactured by APA Electronics Co., Ltd.) which supplied sooner information charges and higher colour stability. The APA102C-5050 and APA102-2020 are prime examples of how addressable LEDs have turn into smaller and extra environment friendly, setting the stage for the miniaturized APA-104-1010. See the chart beneath to check the Addressable LED choices we at the moment keep it up our webstore.
| APA-104-1010 | APA102-2020 | APA102C-5050 | WS2812B 5050 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension (mm) | 1.0 x 1.0 | 2.0 x 2.0 | 5.0 x 5.0 | 5.0 x 5.0 |
| Working Voltage (V) | 3.3 – 5.5 | 3.3 – 5.5 | 3.3 – 5.5 | 3.3 – 5.5 |
| Max Present per LED (mA) | 15 | 30 | 60 | 60 |
| Coloration Depth (Bits) | 24-bit | 24-bit | 24-bit | 24-bit |
| Built-in IC | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Management Protocol | Single-wire | SPI | SPI | Single-wire |
1.0mm x 1.0mm!?
The pattern in direction of miniaturization in digital parts is pushed by many components, together with the demand for extra compact units, the necessity for vitality effectivity, and the pursuit of upper decision in shows and lighting purposes. As expertise superior the addressable LED turned smaller and smaller.
The most recent innovation on this discipline is the APA-104-1010, which our founder calls “insanely small”. At simply 1.0mm x 1.0mm, these LEDs retain the performance of their bigger predecessors whereas taking over a fraction of the house.
These tiny LEDs are significantly important for purposes the place house and weight are at a premium. We actually suppose that these LEDs give the flexibility to suit into extra versatile PCB shapes particularly in wearable expertise and drones, the place each millimeter and gram counts, the APA-104-1010 will permit designers to include RGB lighting into units with out compromising on measurement or weight.
Drawbacks?
One small disadvantage for these LEDs is that they’re fairly delicate to humidity and might crack throughout reflow. No want to fret although, SparkFun makes certain to ship them in humidity sealed luggage.
All in all, the SMD LED – Addressable RGB APA-104-1010 is extra than simply the newest in a protracted line of addressable LEDs — it is a testomony to how far we have include electronics. By persevering with to push the bounds of miniaturization, we’re not simply making smaller parts; we’re opening the door to new improvements that had been beforehand unimaginable. We’re proud to hold this merchandise and we will not wait to see how we, and others, use this unimaginable new LED of their builds.
