LED driver IC features real-time data exchange

By Majeed Ahmad, contributing writer

Infineon Technologies AG has introduced an LED driver IC that combines a quasi-resonant power factor correction (PFC) and a quasi-resonant flyback controller with primary side regulation. The XDPL8221 driver chip, the latest member of Infineon’s XDP LED series, features a UART interface to enable digital commands for control functions like dimming without any flicker.

The LED driver provides dimming to below 1% while still regulating current with a high degree of accuracy. And, depending on the actual situation, the built-in digital control can select the best mode of operation, switching between quasi-resonant, discontinuous conduction, or active burst modes.

The communication interface in XDPL8221 also facilitates numerically exchanged real-time data for control functions besides digital dimming. For instance, it provides the dim-to-off functionality to keep the device in a standby mode when the light is off with a low standby power of less than 100 mW, depending on the LED driver design.

Infineon’s new LED driver chip supports full functionality for both AC and DC input in the nominal input voltage range of 100 Vac to 277 Vac and 127 Vdc to 430 Vdc, respectively. The LED driver also offers configurable protection mechanisms that ensure safe, reliable, and robust LED driver function for a diverse array of use cases.

The XDPL8221 is available through distribution, priced at $3.25 in a single unit and less than $2 in medium quantities (below 1K at Digi-Key).

Infineon is exhibiting at the APEC conference in Booth #711.