National Semiconductor LM3424: LED driver features temperature-management control

The LM3424 high-brightness-LED driver with temperature-management control supports the use of an online design environment. The vendor’s Webench LED designer supports the device, which enables lightning designers to build thermally reliable systems. The driver works in indoor, outdoor, and automotive applications and enables programming of temperature and slope breakpoints, allowing safe operation of the LEDs. During an overtemperature condition, the product’s thermal-foldback circuitry reduces the regulated current through the LEDs. A reduced current dims the LEDs to a programmed range, and the LEDs remain within that range until returning to a safe operating temperature. The device can drive as many as 18 high-brightness LEDs in series with a 2A output current and allows regulation of currents based on buck, boost, SEPIC, flyback, and buck-boost topologies. Operating over a 4.5 to 75V input range, the PWM controller operates at an oscillator frequency as high as 2 MHz. Available in a TSSOP-20 package, the LM3424 high-brightness LED driver costs $1.75 (1000).

National Semiconductor, www.national.com