Cirrus Logic Inc. announces a digital LED controller that solves dimmer compatibility issues, which have been a barrier to consumer adoption of LED retrofit bulbs. Featuring the company's digital TruDim technology, the CS161X controller family has been tested to provide close to 100% compatibility with a wide range of dimmers.
LED retrofit bulbs offer superior energy efficiency and longer life than incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps, but barriers to mass adoption include higher cost and, like compact fluorescents, poor dimmer compatibility. None of the LED bulbs available today, primarily based on analog controllers, provide consumers broad compatibility with the wide variety of installed dimmers.
The CS161X family enables superior dimmer compatibility due to a three-year investment in TRIAC interface algorithms, LED driver topologies, and system architecture, which are the foundation of TruDim technology. The CS161X’s digital intelligence allows the controller to identify the type of dimmer in use and adapt its dimmer compatibility algorithm to provide smooth dimming in much the same way consumers are used to with incandescent light bulbs.
Cirrus Logic acquired more than 200 dimmers used globally and developed a compatibility test to measure the performance of existing solutions against the CS161X products. The test, involving 120 and 230 V products in single and multilamp configurations of five and 10 lamps in parallel, measures five parameters for determining dimmer compatibility: Functionality, flicker-free steady state, flicker-free transient, smooth dimming, and dimming range. The CS161X performed well across all metrics, achieving 97% compatibility. The closest competitive LED controller performed at 71%, and the average among today’s LED controllers was 50%.
The CS161X family’s adaptive dimmer compatibility algorithm controls the boost stage to enable superior flicker-free phase dimming across the light spectrum, including deep dimming down to 0% of light output with leading edge, trailing edge, and digital dimmers. The controller integrates a variable conduction mode boost converter, providing power factor correction and dimmer compatibility with primary-side control, constant output current, and quasi-resonant flyback or buck output stage and includes solutions for both 100 to 120 Vac and 220 to 240 Vac line voltages.
For more information, contact Cirrus Logic Inc., 2901 Via Fortuna, Austin, TX 78746. Phone: (800) 888-5016.
