Diodes Incorporated (Diodes) has introduced the AL58818Q and AL58812Q, a new series of automotive-compliant 18- and 12-channel linear LED drivers, respectively, that offers precise color mixing and brightness control in automotive lighting applications. Key applications include automotive rear lamp modules, grille and emblem lights, and interior ambient lighting. They also can be used in infotainment displays, automotive status indicator lights, touch panels, and LCDs.
(Source: Diodes Inc.)
These new linear LED drivers simplify the creation of complex and animated LED lighting modules, enabling vivid lighting effects with zero audible noise. They provide an accurate 3% device-to-device and channel-to-channel current matching, which delivers precise color mixing and uniform color distribution across various lighting modules and displays, Diodes said.
For animation effects like blinking and breathing, the AL58818Q and AL58812Q offer LED bank control, allowing channels to be configured for either independent or bank-controlled operation, simplifying software effort for global LED effects.
The 18-channel AL58818Q is suited for up to six RGB LED lighting modules or 18 single-color LEDs, while the AL58812Q provides 12 channels for up to four RGB LED modules. Each channel delivers up to 70 mA of current, set by the external resistor.
In addition, each channel features an internal 12-bit pulse width modulation (PWM) generator operating at 30 kHz for fine-tuned color mixing and brightness control. System designers can select between I2C or SPI digital interfaces through a hardware-selectable pin for enhanced programming flexibility.
The devices feature independent color-mixing registers and brightness control registers per RGB LED module, enabling over 16 million (256 × 256 × 256) color combinations. They support both logarithmic and linear-scale brightness control for human-eye-friendly visual performance.
An internal 16-MHz oscillator eliminates the need for an external PWM clock. PWM phase-shifting is used to delay the activation time of individual LED drivers, significantly decreasing the peak load current from the power supply and reducing input-current ripple and audible ringing from ceramic capacitors, Diodes said.
Other key features include an open-drain FAULT indication pin and registers to report issues such as LED open/short circuits, undervoltage lockout (UVLO), pre-UVLO warning, overtemperature protection (OTP), and pre-OTP warning. Designers can enable or disable fault reporting for specific channels with individual fault mask registers.
The AL58818Q and AL58812Q support an ultra-low quiescent shutdown current of 1 µA. They automatically enter a power-saving mode, consuming a maximum of 15 µA, when all LED outputs are inactive for more than 30 ms.
The AL58818Q and AL58812Q, housed in the W-QFN5050-40/SWP (Type A1) package, are priced at $0.85 and $0.80, respectively, in quantities of 5,000. Standard compliance versions, AL58818 and AL58812, also are available for industrial and commercial applications. Design tools include the RGB 3-in-1 evaluation board, which features an on-board microcontroller.
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