SparkFun Unveils the World's Smallest Addressable RGB LED: 1 Millimeter
These NeoPixel-compatible surface-mount LEDs have a teeny 1mm by 1mm footprint.
SparkFun Electronics is now selling the APA-104-1010, which they believe to be the world's smallest addressable LED. This tiny one millimeter by one millimeter RGB LED with a built-in control circuit is a brilliantly small device that will bring forward some unimaginable LED-based projects.
Addressable LEDs are devices with single or multiple color elements and an integrated control circuit. That circuit provides the current limiting and interface/protocol to control the diodes. The WS2812B, also known as a "NeoPixel," is the most popular. That part comes in a package measuring five millimeters by five millimeters. The new APA-104-1010 (1010) is so small that it is just barely larger than the solder pads of the popular 5050 footprint!
Like other components in the APA series, they operate between 3.3 and 5.5 volts. However, they are limited to only five milliamps per LED element, for 15 milliamps per surface-mount device. Another trade-off with the APA-104-1010 is its humidity sensitivity. It is MSL 4 rated, which means it can only tolerate exposure to moisture for 72 hours before requiring a bake-out.
Integrating these one-millimeter LEDs into your project's code is painless. SparkFuns assures that the APA-104-1010 addressable LEDs are fully compatible with the existing FastLED library and other NeoPixel-compatible products already used with popular microcontroller boards.\
As of now, and as far as we can find, SparkFun is the sole vendor offering the 1mm APA-104-1010. A strip of 20 devices costs $4.95. They come in a sealed bag with a desiccant packet and humidity indicator card, ensuring solderability.
