This page has a list and details of some LEDs I've evaluated, or at least considered, for lighting in fursuits. Most of these are addressable, using a semi-standardized one-wire protocol or an SPI-compatible two-wire protocol. This post has a good introduction to the range of available addressable LEDs.
Many different suppliers offer LEDs that are almost the same, so I've tried to group those together with all the information I have about different suppliers.
Nobody actually develops or builds low-cost addressable LEDs outside China. I've found various websites with details about products, but usually without a way to buy them.
Inolux appears to re-sell several types of addressable LEDs from Chinese manufacturers for higher prices. They do offer consistent part numbers and products that are easy to buy from reputable suppliers like Mouser Electronics
These LEDs use a two-wire SPI-compatible APA102 protocol, so they're easier to control from a microcontroller. They have 8-bit resolution for each color, plus 5 bits of global brightness control.
| Brand | Part number | Datasheet | Places to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inolux | IN-PC20TBT5R5G5B | IN-PC20TBT5R5G5B datasheet | Mouser, DigiKey |
These are the smallest addressable RGB LEDs that I know of. They first appeared on the market sometime around 2024, and as of 2025 they are becoming more common.
| Distinguishing features | Brand | Part number | Datasheet | Places to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 bits per color, mark next to pin 4 (DOUT), 0.33 mm thick | Normand | SK9818-EC10-000 | SK9818-EC10-000 datasheet | N/A |
| 16 bits per color, mark between GND and DOUT pins, 0.85 mm thick | Nationstar | TBA-C1010MB-J2I16 | TBA-C1010MB-J2I16 datasheet | LCSC |
| 8 bits per color, mark next to pin 4 (DOUT) | OPSCO | SK6805-EC10-000 | SK6805-EC10-000 datasheet | LCSC |
| 8 bits per color, mark next to pin 1 (GND) | Inolux | IN-PI10TAT5R5G5B | IN-PI10TAT5R5G5B datasheet | Mouser, DigiKey |
| APA | APA-104-1010 | APA-104-1010 datasheet | SparkFun | |
| Normand | SK6805-EC10-000 | SK6805-EC10-000 datasheet | Adafruit, LED Lighting Hut, Pi Hut | |
| 8 bits per color, mark next to pin 3 (GND) | Generic AliExpress | N/A | N/A | AliExpress |
Some LED destination signs on transit vehicles use multiplexing with a low refresh rate. Photos of those LEDs usually show only one row lit, and I can sometimes see artifacts when looking at them.
I didn't want to make fursuit LEDs with those artifacts. Fortunately, with common addressable LEDs, that is not a problem. All the LEDs I tried show up perfectly in photos with exposure times as short as 1 millisecond. I started seeing some artifacts in exposures significantly lower than that, but it's not clear if the LEDs or the camera caused those artifacts. Anyway, I don't think anyone takes fursuit photos with exposures shorter than 1 millisecond.