Atmel and IXYS Release New Light Ballast Demo Kits

Atmel and IXYS Release New Light Ballast Demo Kits

Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions has announced the release of dimmable and non-dimmable demo kits for light ballast applications. These new kits are the result of a cooperation between Atmel and IXYS Corporation to develop design tools and speed up the implementation of ballast solutions for the lighting market. They feature Atmel's AVR® and 8051 microcontrollers and IXYS's broad range of mixed signal and power management products.

The ATAVRFBKIT is a dimmable light ballast demo kit while the AT89RFD-10 is a non-dimmable light ballast demo kit. Both kits incorporate a broad range of design features including universal line input, low harmonic distortion, low stand-by power and various protection features.

The dimmable ballast incorporates DALI or one touch “Swiss” control for controlling the dimming level. The dimmable ballast demo kit incorporates Atmel's AT90PWM2 AVR microcontroller, which supports both dimmable fluorescent and HID ballast applications. The 8-Kbyte Flash AT90PWM2 device integrates the DALI protocol, allowing the networking of ballasts to a centralized system for greater flexibility and control of lighting levels, while reducing maintenance and energy costs.

The non-dimmable light ballast demo kit uses the AT83EB5114 8051-based microcontroller developed in partnership with a major lighting manufacturer for non-dimming fluorescent ballasts. The AT89EB5114 and AT90PWM2 are highly-integrated devices featuring 12- or 16-bit enhanced PWM generators, amplifiers and a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter.