Digital AC/DC LED Driver

iWatt Inc. (Campbell, CA) recently introduced a new digital AC/DC solid state lighting (SSL) LED driver platform designed specifically to address the key issues of cost and lifetime in price-sensitive, non-dimmable, residential SSL bulb applications. The first device in this new platform is the iW3626, a singlestage driver with output power up to 10W for 60W-equivalent, non-dimmable LED bulbs. The iW3626 is believed to be the first SSL LED driver to offer an on-chip, user-configurable power factor correction (PFC) to manage the trade-off between PFC and output current ripple. Additionally, an internal, configurable over-temperature protection (OTP) and derating function enables a predictable and reliable bulb operating life.

The patent-pending, user-configurable PFC feature in the iW3626 allows designers to configure the PF strength from > 0.7 to > 0.9. The on-chip, configurable over-temperature protection and derating feature of the iW3626 monitors the temperature inside the sealed SSL bulb. When thermal conditions reach a point set by the system designer, the iW3626 LED driver automatically reduces the current drive to the LEDs, lowering the power dissipation and resulting in cooler overall operation.