IR’s Control ICs for Energy-Efficient Fluorescent Ballasts

The IRS2158D 16-pin fluorescent dimming ballast control IC with half-bridge driver is designed for applications requiring dimming performance below 10 percent. Comprehensive protection features such as protection from failure of a lamp to strike, filament failures and end-of-life protection are offered making the device well suited for thin lamps including the increasingly popular T5 lamp.
“These innovative new devices add to IR’s rich portfolio of energy-efficient products. With the opportunity to save up to 30 percent of energy compared to non-dimming lighting, designers are seeking to create new dimming product lines using several different control methods. With a high level of integration and protection features, the new control ICs provide the small form factor, functionality and performance required while reducing part count and simplifying design,” said Tom Ribarich, IR’s director, Lighting Systems and Applications.

The IRS2530D DIM8 control IC features IR’s patented ballast and high-voltage technologies. A single high-voltage pin senses the half-bridge current and voltage to perform necessary ballast protection functions. The DC dim input voltage reference and AC lamp current feedback are combined allowing a single pin to be used for dimming. These high-voltage control algorithms coupled with a simple dimming method in a single 8-pin IC result in a significantly reduced component count, increased reliability and reduced design cycle time, while maintaining high dimming ballast system performance. The IRS2530D also features an internal non-ZVS protection and internal crest factor protection to prevent lamp failure damaging the ballast.

The IRS2158D is a fully integrated, fully protected 600V ballast control IC designed to drive a wide variety of fluorescent lamps. The device’s features include programmable half-bridge over-current protection, programmable pre-heat and run frequencies, programmable preheat time and deadtime, closed-loop half-bridge ignition current regulation, programmable end-of-life protection, brownout protection and low input offset operational amplifier for dimming, current or power control. In addition, the new device features end-of-life window comparator pin and internal 60-event current sense up/down fault counter to accommodate T5 lamp and multi-lamp ballasts.