The world’s first MCU with 4-channel constant high-current drive

For space and cost savings in controllers for high-brightness LED arrays, NEC has combined a Flash-based MCU with a four-channel constant-current driver supporting PWM dimming for up to 40 LEDs.

The µPD78F8024 integrates an 8-bit MCU featuring an I²C interface as well as four A/D converters, enabling advanced features such as dynamic control using external sensors for temperature or ambient light.

The driver can be configured to provide four independent channels for applications that require flexible control of on-state, dimming level, and flashing sequence of each channel to generate a desired lighting effect. In entertainment lighting applications, this configuration can be combined with the MCU’s UART interface to support DMX512-compliant lighting.

Combining the four channels allows designers to build arrays of up to forty high-power LEDs. This configuration delivers benefits including extra brightness for signage and public-lighting applications, as well as built-in redundancy in the event that one channel experiences an open failure.

Further features supporting enhanced flexibility include a wide input-voltage range, from 9V to 38V, which enables designers to create a common hardware platform meeting requirements in a variety of territories. Examples include emergency-vehicle systems that operate from a 12V supply in the USA and 24V in Europe.

 

FEATURES Output current range: 350mA to 1.5A 1MHz switching frequency Support for buck and boost converter modes 64-pin LQFP package

APPLICATIONS Architectural lighting Gaming machines Emergency-vehicle signage Theatre lighting Street lamps

 

 

 

• NXP Semiconductors’ PCA9550 LED driver, page 080508
• Rohm Electronics’ SML-P11 series, page 080514

 

NEC uPD78F8024 LED MCU