WS2812B LED strip with Raspberry Pi Pico

Wiring for the WS2812B addressable LED strip on the Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040, 3.3 V logic), chosen with the same pin rules BoardPilot uses: default buses first, and no pins that are used for flash, USB, the debugger or booting.

Wiring

WS2812B LED strip pin	Role	Raspberry Pi Pico pin	Notes
5V	Power	VBUS	Use VBUS for a few LEDs; a separate 5 V supply for more (up to 60 mA per LED)
DIN	Input to the part	GP15	Data in. Add a 330 Ω resistor; a 3.3 V to 5 V level shifter makes it reliable
GND	Ground	GND

Check before you power it on

Supply: 5 V from the VBUS pin.
Motors, servos, relays and LED strips can draw more current than the Raspberry Pi Pico’s pins or USB can give. Power them separately and connect the grounds together.

Test code (Arduino)

// Library: Adafruit NeoPixel
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

Adafruit_NeoPixel strip(8, 15, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);  // 8 LEDs

void setup() {
  strip.begin();
  strip.setBrightness(40);  // keep it low when powered from USB
}

void loop() {
  for (int i = 0; i < strip.numPixels(); i++) {
    strip.clear();
    strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.Color(0, 80, 255));
    strip.show();
    delay(100);
  }
}

Arduino board: rp2040:rp2040:rpipico. If the board is not found, hold the BOOTSEL button while plugging in the USB cable.

Questions

Which Raspberry Pi Pico pins do I use for the WS2812B LED strip?

5V → VBUS, DIN → GP15, GND → GND.

Does the WS2812B LED strip work with the Raspberry Pi Pico at 3.3 V?

Yes: the WS2812B LED strip runs at 5 V and the Raspberry Pi Pico uses 3.3 V signals, so no level shifting is needed.

BoardPilot checks this wiring in 3D as you build it, and finds crossed or missing wires on the real board.

Download BoardPilot

Full Raspberry Pi Pico pinout · WS2812B addressable LED strip: all pins and data

The WS2812B LED strip on other boards

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