Chip Enables Designers To Shift From LED To EL Backlighting

Housed in a compact, 10-pin, 3 x 3-mm mini-SOIC package is a new driver circuit that is said to pave the way for portable equipment designers to replace LED display backlighting with a low-power electroluminescent (EL) lamp, thereby saving power and extending the life of batteries used in these products. Supply voltage can be as low as 2.7V and output voltage is 170V (typ.), with the chip capable of driving output currents of up to 2 mA.The PBL38085 driver IC also has a power-down mode that requires