Energy Efficiency Is a Global Issue
Feb 25, 2008
Improving energy efficiency continues to be a focus around the globe as the cost of energy rises and significant attention is being drawn to lighting...
LED Streetlight Demands Smart Power Supply High-Brightness LEDs
Feb 1, 2008
A two-stage architecture enables designers to meet requirements for energy efficiency, power factor correction, dimming control, ac input voltage and constant-current regulation for solid-state large-area lighting...
Simple, Constant-Current Drive Controls 16 LEDs
Feb 1, 2008
To match the brightness and color of multiple LEDs in RGB applications you should drive all LEDs with a constant current. However, some of these driver...
LED Lighting Illuminates Buck Regulator Design
Oct 1, 2007
When driving high-brightness LEDs with switching regulators, LED requirements will influence many details of regulator design including the methods used for closing the feedback loop and for LED dimming....
Controller Drives CCFLs With Common Return
Sep 1, 2007
In backlights where two cold-cathode fluorescent lamps
share a common low-voltage connection, the lamps can be
driven by a dual-channel controller chip in combination
with an indirect high-side current-monitoring scheme....
Discrete Components Enable Random Neon Display
Jul 1, 2007
Toys and novelty items sometimes require random light displays to create a desired visual effect. However, creating a battery-powered random light display...
Driving LED Backlights in Large LCD Televisions
May 22, 2007
Selecting a driver architecture for white LEDs used in LCD backlighting requires consideration of the desired TV features, the available dc system voltages, and the manufacturing tolerances of the LEDs themselves. ...
Compact Drivers Help LEDs Replace Halogens
May 22, 2007
Using a driver circuit based on a specialized buck controller, a white LED with integrated heatsink can replace a 10-W halogen bulb in MR16 lamps....
Flybacks Charge Xenon Flash Capacitors
Mar 1, 2007
The popular Xenon photoflash bulb is typically driven by
a battery-powered high-voltge source. A flyback converter
based on peak current limiting is the best option for this
circuit in portable applications....
Microcontrollers Simplify Lamp Ballast Design
Feb 1, 2007
An 8-bit microcontroller can implement the essential
functions of an electronic ballast for HID or fluorescent
lamps, while enabling many desirable features....
LED Balancing Circuit With Power Limit
Jan 1, 2007
Light-emitting diodes are often used with a voltage source from a power-supply output voltage. The output voltage increases until the current through the LEDs reaches the value of the constant-current source from the power supply....
Chips Simplify Driving of High-Brightness LEDs
Nov 1, 2006
A pair of LED drivers from Maxim Integrated Products provides highly compact and simplified designs for driving the high-brightness (HB) LEDs that are...
SPICE3 Enables Accurate Modeling of Complex ICs
Nov 1, 2006
The capabilities of SPICE3 permit the simulation
of circuits incorporating the latest ICs by way of
special algorithms and modeling techniques....
Optimizing Power Designs for Digital Light Projectors
Oct 1, 2006
High-intensity discharge or LED requirements, power factor corrertion and energy efficiency all shape power-supply design in projection systems....
Shedding Light on HID Ballast Control
Oct 1, 2006
Aided by a new full-bridge controller, a popular electronic HID ballast topology manages lamp operation, while enhancing lamp safety....