TI's newest LED driver goes modular to eliminate external components

The modularization of power electronics is a significant trend in our business. And along with the growth of power modules is the trend toward their specialized applications. So it should come as no surprise that TI’s most recent introduction in the LED power management space are two fully integrated LED driver micro-modules. TI claims the 450-mA TPS92550 and TPS92551 DC/DC buck modules are the industry’s first to incorporate all the required power and passive circuitry into a single IC-like package to deliver up to 23W of power to the LED array. These modules eliminate most external components as well as the complex layout decisions common in LED driver designs by integrating both the power management and control circuitry, the power inductor, and a handful of other passive components into a single 7-pin 10.16mm x 9.85mm x 4.57mm package.

The TPS92550 is a high power floating buck LED driver with input voltage range of 4.5-36V. It requires no external current sensing elements or loop compensation network. The integrated power switch enables high output power up to 14W with 450-mA LED current. The TPS92551 can power up to 23W with a V_IN of 4.5-60V. High speed dimming control input through the 0-5.5V V_DIM signal allows precision and high resolution brightness control for applications which require fine brightness adjustment. Together with TI’s WEBENCH LED Architect, LED light designers can design a power management circuit with a minimum number of components to drive a string of up to 18 LEDs at up to 96-percent power efficiency. The14-W TPS92550 is $5.00 and the 23-W TPS92551 is $5.50 (1,000).