How To Control WS2812B

Individually Addressable LEDs

using Arduino
by Dejan • January 13, 2018 • 29 Comments

In this tutorial we will learn how to control individually

addressable RGB LEDs or a WS2812B LED strip using
Arduino. You can watch the following video or read the written
tutorial below for more details.
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Overview Table of Contents

1. Overview
First we will explain the working principle through some basic
2. How WS2812B LEDs
examples and then take a look at really cool Arduino Project
Work
using these LEDs, a DIY interactive LED coffee table. The coffee
3. Arduino and WS2812B
table features WS2812B LEDs, infrared proximity sensors for LEDs Examples
detecting objects and a HC-05 Bluetooth module for controlling 3.1. Example 1
the colors via a custom-build Android app. This project is 3.2. Example 2
actually a collaboration between me and Marija from Creativity 4. Interactive LED Coffee
Hero YouTube channel. Table using the WS2812B
LEDs
5. Source Codes
5.1.
DIY_Reactive_LED_Table
_Control
5.2.
DIY_Reactive_LED_Table
_Control MIT App
Inventor Project File

How WS2812B LEDs Work

Let’s start by taking a closer look at the LED strip. It consist of
type 5050 RGB LEDs in which the very compact WS2812B LED
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driver IC is integrated.

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Depending on the intensity of the three individual Red, Green,

and Blue LEDs we can simulate any color we want.

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What’s great about these LEDs is that we can control even the
entire LED strip with just a single pin from our Arduino board.
Each LED has three connectors at each end, two for the
powering and one for the data. The arrow indicates the data flow
direction. The data output pad of the previous LED is connected
to the Data Input pad of the next LED. We can cut the strip to any
size we want, as well as distance the LEDs using some wires.

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As for the powering they work on 5V and each Red, Green and
Blue LED draws around 20mA, or that’s total of 60mA for each
LED at full brightness. Note that when the Arduino is powered
via the USB, the 5V pin can handle only around 400 mA, and
when powered using the barrel power connector, the 5V pin can
handle around 900 mA.

If you are using more LEDs and the amount of current that they
would draw exceeds the limits mentions above, you must use a
separate 5V power supply. In such a case you also need to
connect the two Ground lines two each other. Additionally it is
recommended to use a resistor of around 330 Ohms between
the Arduino and the LED strip data pin in order to reduce the
noise on that line, as well as a capacitor of around 100uF across
the 5V and Ground to smooth out the power supply.

Arduino and WS2812B LEDs Examples

Example 1

Now as an example I will use 20 LEDs long strip, connected to

the Arduino through a 330 Ohms resistor and powered with a
separate 5V power supply, just as explained above. For
programming the Arduino, we will use the FastLED library. This
is an excellent and well documented library which enables easy
control of the WS2812B LEDs.

You can get the components needed for this example from the
links below:

WS2812B LED Strip ………………….. Amazon / Banggood /

AliExpress
Arduino Board …………………………… Amazon / Banggood /
AliExpress
5V 6A DC Power Supply ……………… Amazon / Banggood
/ AliExpress

Disclosure: These are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I

earn from qualifying purchases.

Here’s the Arduino source code for first example:

#include <FastLED.h>

#define LED_PIN 7
#define NUM_LEDS 20

CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];

void setup() {

FastLED.addLeds<WS2812, LED_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);

void loop() {

leds[0] = CRGB(255, 0, 0);

FastLED.show();
delay(500);
leds[1] = CRGB(0, 255, 0);
FastLED.show();
delay(500);
leds[2] = CRGB(0, 0, 255);
FastLED.show();
delay(500);
leds[5] = CRGB(150, 0, 255);
FastLED.show();
delay(500);
leds[9] = CRGB(255, 200, 20);
FastLED.show();
delay(500);
leds[14] = CRGB(85, 60, 180);
FastLED.show();
delay(500);
leds[19] = CRGB(50, 255, 20);
FastLED.show();
delay(500);
}

Desctiption: So first we need to include the FastLED library,

define the pin to which the LED strip data is connected, define
the number of LEDs, as well as define an array of type CRGB.
This type contains the LEDs, with three one-byte data members
for each of the three Red, Green and Blue color channel.

In the setup section we just need to initialize the FastLED with

the parameters with defined above. Now it the main loop we can
control our LEDs anyhow we want. Using the CRGB function we
can set any LED to any color using three parameters of Red,
Green and Blue color. In order to make the change happen on
the LEDs we need to call the function FastLED.show().

Example 2

Using some “for” loops we can easily make some animations.

Here’s the Arduino source code for second example:

#include <FastLED.h>

#define LED_PIN 7
#define NUM_LEDS 20

CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];

void setup() {

FastLED.addLeds<WS2812, LED_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);

void loop() {

for (int i = 0; i <= 19; i++) {

leds[i] = CRGB ( 0, 0, 255);
FastLED.show();
delay(40);
}
for (int i = 19; i >= 0; i--) {
leds[i] = CRGB ( 255, 0, 0);
FastLED.show();
delay(40);
}
}

Here the first “for” loop lights up all 20 LEDs in blue, from the
first to the last LED with 40 milliseconds delay. The next “for”
loop lights up again all 20 LEDs, but this time in red color and in
reverse order, from the last to the first LED.

The FastLED library features many other functions which can be

used for making really interesting animations and light shows, so
it’s only up to your imagination to make your next LED project
shine.

Interactive LED Coffee Table using the

WS2812B LEDs
Now let’s take a look at the DIY interactive LED coffee table
project that I mentioned at the beginning. So this was a
collaboration project between with me and Marija from Creativity
Hero.

You can check her website article where she explains the entire
process making the table, starting from cutting and assembling
the wooden construction, to soldering and connecting all
electronics parts together. Here I will explain how the electronics
part work, how to build the custom Android application and
program the Arduino board.

Here’s the complete circuit schematic of this project.

So the table consist of 45 addressable LEDs, 45 infrared

proximity sensors and a HC-05 Bluetooth module, all of them
connected to an Arduino Mega board. The circuit is powered
with a 5V 6A power supply.

You can get the components needed for this example from the
links below:

WS2812B LED Strip ………………….. Amazon / Banggood /

AliExpress
IR Proximity Sensor …………………… Amazon / Banggood /
AliExpress
HC-05 Bluetooth Module …….…… Amazon / Banggood /
AliExpress
Arduino Board …………………………… Amazon / Banggood /
AliExpress
5V 6A DC Power Supply ……………… Amazon / Banggood
/ AliExpress

Disclosure: These are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I

earn from qualifying purchases.

Related: How to use a RGB LED with Arduino | Tutorial

Source Codes
Here’s the Arduino code for this project and if we exclude the
Bluetooth color control feature, we can notice that the code is
actually very simple.

#include "FastLED.h"

#define NUM_LEDS 45
#define LED_PIN 2
#define COLOR_ORDER GRB

CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];

void setup() {
FastLED.addLeds<WS2812, LED_PIN, COLOR_ORDER>(leds, NUM_LEDS);
FastLED.setBrightness(brightness);
// Set the 45 proximity sensors pins as inputs, from digit
al pin 3 to pin 48
for (int pinNo = 0 + 3; pinNo <= 45 + 3; pinNo++) {
pinMode(pinNo, INPUT);
}
}

void loop() {
for (int pinNo = 0; pinNo <= NUM_LEDS-1; pinNo++) {
leds[pinNo] = CRGB( 0, 255, 0); // Set all 45 LEDs to
green color
// If an object is detected on top of the particular sen
sor, turn on the particular led
if ( digitalRead(pinNo + 3) == LOW ) {
leds[pinNo] = CRGB( 0, 0, 255); // Set the reactive LE
D to bluee
}
}
FastLED.show(); // Update the LEDs
delay(20);
}

Desctiopion: First we need to define the basic parameters as

explained earlier and set the 45 proximity sensors pins as inputs.

In the main loop using a single “for” loop we set all LEDs to a
particular color, and also check whether the proximity sensor
has detect an object. If that’s true, or a LOW logic state in this
case, the particular reactive color will be set to the particular
LED. At the end using the FastLED.show() function we update
the LEDs colors.

For including the Bluetooth color control feature we need to add

some more lines of code as well as make the Android app. I
already have separate tutorials on how to use the HC-05
Bluetooth module with Arduino and how to make your own
Android application using the MIT App Inventor online
application, so you can always check them for more details.

Here’s how the Android app works. It consist of a color palette

image from where we can pick up colors, two check buttons
from where we can select whether the chosen color will be be
applied to the reactive or the background LEDs and a slider for
adjusting the brightness.

If we take a look at blocks of the app, we can see what happens

when we touch the canvas where the color palette image is
placed. Using the .GetPixelColor blocks we get the Red, Green
and Blue values for the picked up color and using the Bluetooth
SendText block we send this information to the Arduino in a form
of text.

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Depending on the selected check box, we send a different first

character or marker which helps when receiving the text at the
Arduino. The same happens when we change the position of the
slider, a value from 10 to 100 is sent to the Arduino in a form of
text, with the marker “3” in front.

You can download the Android app below, as well as the MIT
App Inventor project file:

DIY_Reactive_LED_Table_Control DOWNLOAD