LED driver provides high tolerance to faults

Maxim Integrated Products has released a high-voltage HB LED driver for boost, buck-boost and buck configurations in high-power automotive lighting applications.

The MAX16833's architecture offers short-circuit protection, single-wire connection to LEDs and internal frequency dithering.

These features make it easier for designers to meet the demanding reliability requirements of high-power automotive lighting applications such as DRLs (daytime running lights), position lights, turn signals and high-/low-beam assemblies.

The MAX16833 allows the design of more fault-tolerant, reliable LED driver applications.

Thanks to its wide input-voltage range, it can sustain battery load-dump peaks up to 65V during normal operation.

The integrated high-side dimming p-channel Mosfet driver and high-side current-sense amplifier detect short-circuit events and protect the LEDs, the driver and the battery if those events occur.

This short-circuit protection is provided between the output and ground, as well as between the input and output.

This architecture also allows a single-wire connection to the LEDs, thus reducing LED-to-driver wiring cost and complexity.

The MAX16833 includes output over-voltage and over-temperature protection, as well as a fault-detection output.

Another feature is its internal frequency dithering, which improves EMI, thus easing the board designer's task and reducing EMI filter component costs.

The MAX16833B version of this HB LED driver does not include this frequency dithering, but instead features a +/-2 per cent accurate 1.64V reference voltage output that can be used by other devices on the driver board.

Both versions are available in a thermally enhanced, 16-pin TSSOP package and are fully specified to operate over the -40C to +125C automotive temperature range.

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