Multi-channel mini LED driver targets digital signage

By Warren Miller, contributing writer

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corp. recently unveiled a new multi-channel mini LED driver designed for use in digital signage. The company has over a decade of experience in developing LED drivers for televisions, but digital signage that’s installed outdoors needs to function on a much larger scale at which the display size can range up to several hundred inches. MagnaChip’s mini LED driver can control 36-channel LEDs concurrently, compared with conventional LED drivers that typically control 12-channel or 16-channel LEDs.

MagnaChip’s driver further separates itself from its closest competitors in terms of surge protection by providing a high withstanding voltage of 65 V to ensure safety and reliability. To combat the heating issues commonly associated with large-scale digital signs, the mini LED driver is housed in a 64-pin QFN package.

Other key features include a 64-step output current control, optimal for clear representation of digital images that vary in brightness. The LED driver also implements 12-bit grayscale pulse-width modulation (PWM) to enable both the 4,000-step PWM control and the LED current control.

“MagnaChip’s multi-channel LED driver features high efficiency, high contrast, low-temperature heat, and highly reliable surge voltage characteristics, bringing the benefit of both energy and cost reduction to the entire ecosystem of customers in the long term,” according to YJ Kim, CEO of MagnaChip. “MagnaChip is planning to extend the product line for the fast-growing segment of digital signage by developing products with an extension of channels and micro LED drivers with a high accuracy of LED current based on our new 36-channel LED driver.”