Micrel Illuminates Lighting Market With New Family Of Small Footprint, High Efficiency, Low Audible Noise Dual Electroluminescent Lamp Drivers

Micrel Illuminates Lighting Market With New Family Of Small Footprint, High Efficiency, Low Audible Noise Dual Electroluminescent Lamp Drivers

Micrel has launched the MIC4833/4, a new series of 220Vpp low noise electroluminescent lamp (EL) drivers. Applications – backlighting for mobile phones, personal multimedia players, portable navigation devices, and remote controls, and general lighting for automotive and industrial equipment.

Micrel has launched the MIC4833/4, a new series of 220Vpp low noise electroluminescent lamp (EL) drivers. Applications – backlighting for mobile phones, personal multimedia players, portable navigation devices, and remote controls, and general lighting for automotive and industrial equipment.

The MIC4833/4 devices greatly reduce solution size for footprint-constrained applications that utilize multiple EL lamps. The devices drive two EL lamps with only a single inductor and minimal number of external passive components, making the total solution size ideal for today's space- and, cost-conscious battery-powered portable products.

The MIC4833 and MIC4834 achieve high efficiency, in part, by consuming a typical supply current of just 152 micro Amp.  Utilizing Micrel's advanced Bipolar, CMOS, DMOS (BCD) technology, the ICs integrate a high voltage boost converter and a new H-bridge driver for driving a large EL lamp. 

In contrast to previous designs that often produced an annoying audible buzz, the new H-Bridge design eliminates this kind of noise by creating a smoother AC waveform across the EL panel.