SM16712 Pixel Protocol
Manufacturer: Sunmoon MicroelectronicsA single-wire, individually addressable 8-bit RGB pixel driver with an integrated controller per LED, running from 5 to 24V.
Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Clock Type | Data-Only |
| Color Resolution | 8 Bits |
| Physical Package | SOP16 |
| RGB | Yes |
| RGBW | No |
| Output Pixel Voltage | 5 - 24V |
| PWM Rate | 1200Hz |
| Suitable Camera | Up to 40fps |
| Redundant Data Line | No |
Strengths
- Single-wire wiring: only power, ground and one data line per run, with each pixel regenerating the signal to the next, which keeps cabling and connectors simple compared with two-wire clocked chips.
- Wide 5 to 24V pixel supply gives installers flexibility to run higher voltages on longer strips to reduce voltage drop and copper cross-section.
- 1200Hz PWM is comfortably above the flicker threshold for the rated 40fps capture, so it reads clean on camera at typical broadcast and film frame rates without needing an ultra-high refresh figure.
Limitations
- No redundant (backup) data line: a single failed pixel or broken data joint blanks everything downstream, so long runs need careful joint quality and, where uptime matters, external injection or backup-data controllers.
- 8-bit per-channel colour resolution is standard but not deep: it can show visible banding on very slow, low-level fades where 12- or 16-bit chips hold smoother gradients, and being RGB-only there is no dedicated white channel for accurate pastels or tunable white.
Overview
The SM16712 is a single-wire (data-only) addressable RGB pixel driver: each LED carries an integrated controller that latches its own 24-bit word (8 bits per colour channel) and forwards the remaining data down the chain, so no separate clock conductor is run. Its SM part-number prefix is commonly attributed to Sunmoon Microelectronics, though this is a prefix-family attribution rather than a firmly documented, part-marked fact. It operates across a wide 5 to 24V pixel supply, drives RGB only (no white channel), and refreshes at a 1200Hz PWM rate that stays comfortably flicker-free for cameras up to 40fps. The IC ships in a SOP16 package. It has no redundant data line. ENTTEC is not affiliated with Sunmoon Microelectronics.
Mapping an installation? ELM, ENTTEC's free LED pixel mapping software, drives the controllers above over Art-Net and sACN, from a single fixture to building-scale maps.
ENTTEC has been engineering lighting control in Australia since 1999, and shipping LED pixel controllers since the original Pixelator in 2014.