LEDs for HUDs and instrument clusters

Jon Lawson

Allegro MicroSystems has announced the A8060x family, its latest generation of advanced LED backlight drivers. The device family is designed with a patented Pre-Emptive Boost (PEB) control, eliminating noise that is typically audible. PEB control substantially reduces Vout ripple and eliminates the common problem of audible noise from ceramic output capacitors during PWM dimming, while also requiring less output capacitance overall. Systems can achieve an LED brightness contrast ratio of 15,000:1 using PWM-only dimming at 200 Hz. A higher ratio of 150,000:1 is possible when using a combination of PWM and analogue dimming.

“This family of LED drivers alleviates significant customer pain points in the areas of audible noise and device footprint,” explained Mark Gaboriault, Allegro’s Director for DC/DC Regulators and LED Drivers. “The A8060x family offers excellent PMW dimming ratios without analogue adjustment and eliminates noise that is emitted from ceramic capacitors, making them perfect for automotive applications.” 

The ALT80600 and A80603 combine a switching converter with integrated MOSFET and four current sinks, while the A80601 and A80602 drive an external boost FET for higher output power. All devices can be configured in a boost or single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) topology to cover a wide range of application configurations. The switching converters are designed for low EMI, including programmable switching frequency, controlled switching slew rate, and programmable dithering. In addition, a clock-out pin allows other switching converters to be synchronised to the A8060x switching frequency for enhanced EMI performance of the overall system. 

These are ideal for all types of automotive backlighting, including Audio-Video systems as well as instrument clusters and heads-up display (HUD). These devices offer a wide input range from single power supply from 4.5 to 40 V - once started, it can continue to operate down to 3.9 V. This allows the parts to withstand stop/start, cold crank, double battery and load dump conditions encountered in automotive systems.