Software-free design for LED lighting

Design environment adds new features to improve light-engine performance and simplify design

Designing LED light engines using EZ-Color®, from Cypress Semiconductor, is now easier and faster with new tools including ColorLock to compensate time- or temperature-related colour shifts. There is also extra help to optimise the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) when designing with white LEDs.

The EZ-Color PC-based design suite targets customisable LED controllers from Cypress’s PSoC portfolio, and is used in conjunction with the PSoC Express tools. The available controllers provide up to 16 LED driving channels from 8- to 32-bits resolution per channel. These can save dozens or even hundreds of conventional controllers, delivering savings in size, complexity and power consumption. As well as easing design and saving component count, EZ-Color also dramatically cuts design time by eliminating the need for designers to programme controllers using C or Assembly language.

When designing LCD-panel backlights and other applications that need optical feedback, the new ColorLock feature provides an easy way for designers to guard against LED degradation caused by heat and time. Users can calibrate a colour sensor and set the colour co-ordinates using industry standard colour-space charts, and then set a range of allowable deviations. When calibrating, the user can alter a single LED or CIE-defined colour point to achieve an accurate result quickly. The EZ-Color controller refers to the colour-sensor signal to adjust the output of the LEDs to match the colour specified by the designer.

CRI optimisation in designs using white LEDs is also enhanced by allowing designers to select colour-temperature points that reproduce the widest range of colours.

In addition to implementing LED-driving functions, the EZ-Color controller ICs also support common analogue and digital peripherals including ADCs and DACs, comparators, timers, counters, PWM modules and communication interfaces. These allow designers to integrate other functions such as battery charging or motor control alongside the LED-control functions for further cost and footprint savings.

 

FEATURES Visual embedded design tool for HB-LED applications Choice of six LED controllers 4-, 8- or 16-channel drivers Configurable analogue/digital peripherals and I/Os

APPLICATIONS Architectural lighting LED signage Entertainment lighting LCD backlights

 

 

 

The CY3263-ColorLock evaluation kit is available to members of the Future Board Club. To apply for the development board, and membership of the Board Club, go to www.my-boardclub.com/manf-offers.htm This offer is free and subject to qualification.

 

Cypress Semiconductor / EZ-Color