SK9822 Pixel Protocol
Manufacturer: Opsco Optoelectronics
A two-wire clocked RGB pixel with separate data and clock lines and an integrated driver IC, functionally an APA102-style chip.
Specifications
| Clock Type | Clocked |
| Color Resolution | 8 Bits |
| Physical Package | SMD5050 with integrated LEDs |
| RGB | Yes |
| RGBW | No |
| Output Pixel Voltage | 5V |
| PWM Rate | 4600Hz |
| Suitable Camera | Up to 154fps |
| Redundant Data Line | No |
Strengths
- Clocked two-wire operation gives strong timing tolerance: because data is latched against the dedicated clock line, refresh is not held hostage by tight self-clocked pulse windows, which helps on longer or electrically noisier runs.
- 8-bit-per-channel RGB in a standard SMD5050 package with integrated LEDs makes it a practical, familiar building block for strips and matrices.
- Its 4600Hz PWM rate is comfortably flicker-free and camera-safe up to 154fps, covering typical broadcast and film capture without visible banding.
Limitations
- The second (clock) conductor is a real tradeoff, not a bonus: it adds wiring and cost and introduces another joint that can fail, and a high-frequency clock line radiates EMI that can cause interference in sensitive installations. The market is trending toward data-only single-wire chips to avoid both, so the SK9822's genuine timing-tolerance advantage comes at that cost and does not make clocked simply better.
- With no redundant data line, a single broken connection or dead pixel halts every pixel after it, so long runs need careful joints and power injection.
- Colour is limited to 8 bits per channel and RGB only (no white channel), so very deep dimming and pastel or tunable-white looks are constrained compared with higher-bit or RGBW parts.
Overview
The SK9822 is a two-wire clocked RGB pixel: each 5V device carries a separate data line and a separate clock line, so the receiver latches on the clock edge rather than reconstructing timing from the data stream. Built as an SMD5050 package with integrated LEDs, it drives 8-bit-per-channel colour at a 4600Hz PWM rate, which is comfortably flicker-free and safe for cameras up to 154fps. It has no redundant data line, so a broken joint stops the chain downstream. The SK9822 is commonly attributed to Opsco Optoelectronics. ENTTEC is not affiliated with Opsco Optoelectronics.
Compatible ENTTEC controllers
Sku: 71521
Sku: 73539
Sku: 70067
Sku: 70068
Sku: 73-545
Sku: 73924
ENTTEC has been engineering lighting control in Australia since 1999, and shipping LED pixel controllers since the original Pixelator in 2014.