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Fairy Lights - Addressable RGB (5m)
Affectionately dubbed "Fairy Lights" for their similar appearance, these addressable RGB LED string lights are a great way to light up any project with no soldering required. The insulated strings come in 5m lengths with one RGB LED every 5cm for a total of 100 LEDs. These LEDs have an IP65 waterproof rating to protect your LEDs.
The string of lights terminate on either side with a locking 3-pin JST connector, one male and one female. The wiring and pinout is listed below.
- Red Stripe = 5V
- "White" (Middle) = DAT
- "White" (The Other Side) = GND (wire appears to be connected closest to the LED's dotted polarity marker side)
- Color: RGB
- LED Quantity: 100
- Operating Voltage: 5 VDC
- Control IC: WS2812
- Light Spacing: 50mm
- String Length: 5m
- Wire Color: Silver
- IP Rating: IP65
Fairy Lights - Addressable RGB (5m) Product Help and Resources
WS2812 Breakout Hookup Guide
July 24, 2013
How to create a pixel string with the WS2812 and WS2812B addressable LEDs!
Addressable LED Strip Hookup Guide
November 23, 2016
Add blinking lights to any holiday decoration with our Holiday Lights Kit using WS2812-based addressable LEDs!
WS2812-Based Protocol
Our catalog has the red/green/yellow wire JSM-SM pair [ CAB-14575 ] to mate with the connectors on the Fairy Lights. The bag that holds it has information about the wiring and pinout.
- Red Stripe = 5V
- "White" (Middle) = DAT
- "White" (The Other Side) = GND (wire appears to be connected closest to the LED's dotted polarity marker side)
The "male" housing receptacle with (female pin sockets) like the one shown below is the DIN side. The datasheet indicated that the LEDs communicated with "SPI". We tested the LEDs and it uses the WS2812-based protocol. You could use the Neopixel or FastLED library to control the LEDs.
Core Skill: Programming
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Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Rookie - You may be required to know a bit more about the component, such as orientation, or how to hook it up, in addition to power requirements. You will need to understand polarized components.
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My batch, 22-Apr-2021 is also backwards with socket being input end. Some info on power consumption: with all LEDs off, my string draws 41.8 mA for all 100 "pixels." I assume this is the draw of the controller chip in each pixel. It appears that each LED full on draws about 4.25 mA. So a pixel in "white mode" with RGB all full on is about 12.75 mA. At 5 volts that is about 0.064 W which is close to what the spec sheet says, 0.07 W. This was a pretty quick test but at least it gives you some idea of the order of magnitude. Also the order of the colors seems to be RGB for when you set up the protocol.
The 09-Mar-2021 batch is wired opposite. Socket (male housing) is input.... Blue = 5V, Middle = DAT, End = GND.
This is also true of the 26-APR-2021 batch
The wiring on the new batch seems off. Only 2 of 3 chains worked. The female end has a blue strip (no red one) and they seem to be in backwards in the connector. I had to put jumper wires in to daisy chain with the new ones with my old strand...
do you have a part number for the connector?
Unfortunately, that information isn't readily available from the manufacturer.
I could possibly this LED connector; however, with the COVID restrictions in place, I can't easily verify that for you.
I have not seen a clear, sheathed JST-SM connector before. However, our catalog has the red/green/yellow wire JSM-SM pair [ CAB-14575 ] as "Santa Claus Impersonator" explained. I was able to get a hold of the LEDs and the bag that holds it has information about the wiring.
The "male" housing receptacle with (female pin sockets) like the one shown below is the DIN side. I tested it using the FastLED library and these seem to be using the WS2812-like protocol.
will that thin wire really hold with 6 amperes (100 leds * 60mA each when full white) flowing through it?
The datasheet from the manufacturer seems to be lacking on that information. However, I don't think that the LEDs will be capable of drawing the amount of current you are estimating (60mA). As you mentioned, the wire looks fairly thin and will most likely act like a "current limiting resistor".
This seems a little short of documentation. How do you control them? The "data sheet" (more of a brochure really) says SPI, but with only one non-power pin, it can't actually be SPI …
Hi,
Yeah, we were wondering about that as well with the datasheet. The datasheet provided by the supplier did not make sense. We tested the LEDs and it uses the WS2812-like protocol. You could use the Neopixel or FastLED library.
What addressable LED type are these compatible with?
Hi!
The datasheet provided by the supplier did not make sense. We tested the LEDs and it uses the WS2812-like protocol. You could use the Neopixel or FastLED library.