Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has released a six-channel, 40V white light emitting diode (LED) driver with a built-in, high-efficiency boost regulator and 1.5A FET. The smallest LED driver to manage up to 60 white LEDs at once, the TPS61181 provides high power efficiency and accurate current regulation for medium-sized displays used in notebooks, portable GPS, industrial and medical applications.
Many portable electronics makers have switched from CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) to white LEDs for backlighting, allowing for greater power savings and thinner panels. This conversion has already taken place in most smaller LCD applications, such as mobile phones and portable media players. The TPS61181 gives engineers designing medium-sized portable applications an easy path to LED design. The 0.8x3x3mm integrated device, available in QFN package, provides several protection features, including a driver for an external FET to disconnect the battery from the white LEDs during shutdown and over-current conditions.
The TPS61181 also offers enhanced pulse-width modulation (PWM) brightness dimming control for a 100:1 brightness range. Featuring two patented technologies, the device is designed to minimize any potential audible noise or output AC ripple across a wide dimming duty cycle and frequency range.