SM16712 Pixel Protocol
Manufacturer: Sunmoon Microelectronics
A single-wire, individually addressable 8-bit RGB pixel driver with an integrated controller per LED, running from 5 to 24V.
Specifications
| 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.
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.