Complete Compact FL Driver Placed Onto Single Chip

Targeted for use in high-volume compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), this new lamp driver embeds on a single chip ballast half-bridge driver and timing circuits. The IR2156 chip includes all of the necessary core ballast and safety functions, such as protection from failure-to-strike and filament failure. An external shutdown signal can be used for automatic reset and is designed to shutdown the ballast in a controlled fashion. Pre-heat frequency, dead- and pre-heat times are programmable with R-C networks to accommodate different lamp types and operating voltages. Available in either a 14-pin DIP or narrow body SOIC, the IR2156 CFL driver costs $1.60 each/10,000.