This Product Selection Guide contains information to help select products in the Power Supplies - Board Mount - LED Driver category on DigiKey.com
An LED Driver is a device designed to provide a steady flow of electrical charge (current) despite variances in the electrical potential (electro-motive force [EMF], voltage).
SelectionCharacteristics
Specifications to determine which LED driver is right for your application.
Topology: Indicates the basic circuit configuration of the device, determining core aspects of its functionality and behavior.
Available Topologies
AC/DC Converter
Commonly called offline drivers convert AC voltage and current into DC voltage and current for use by the LED application.
Boost
Produces a voltage level at the output that is higher than the input.
Buck
Produces a voltage level at the output which is lower than the input.
Buck-Boost
Can increase or decrease the voltage level at the output from the input. Works well with battery systems where the voltage input will change over time due to battery depletion.
Number of Outputs: The number of outputs available from the device.
Voltage – Input (Min): The minimum voltage input required for the device. Typically, if the voltage level drops below the minimum the device will shut down.
Voltage – Input (Max): The maximum voltage of the input circuit. Exceeding this will likely damage or destroy the device.
Voltage – Output: The possible output voltages of the device. Typically listed in a range such as 2-24V.
Current – Output (Max): The maximum amount of current that can be output by the device.
Power (Watts): Maximum amount of power the power supply can provide. Due to losses, you generally want your applications power needs to be no more than 80% of what your power supply can provide.
Dimming: Has a circuit built in that allows for dimming the LEDs and changing the brightness of the LEDs light output.
Features: These are different capabilities of the power supply such as overvoltage protection.
Available Features
OCP (Overcurrent Protection)
Has safeguards that activate if the power supply exceeds a specified current level.
OTP (Overtemperature Protection)
Has safeguards that activate if the power supply exceeds a specified temperature.
OVP (Overvoltage Protection)
Has safeguards that activate if the power supply exceeds a specified voltage level.
Remote On/Off
Can be turned on or off remotely.
SCP (Short Circuit Protection)
If a short circuit is detected the device shuts down to prevent damage or fire.
UVLO (Under Voltage Lock Out)
Shuts the system down if the voltage drops below a specified level to protect equipment from malfunctions or damage.
Operating Temperature: Recommended operating temperature, typically given in a range or as a maximum. Exceeding these temperatures may affect performance or damage the device and other system components.
Efficiency: Typically known as Power Factor. To calculate the power factor, we divide the power (Watts) being used by the driver by the voltamps of the input (Voltage X Current). Power factors fall in a range between 0 and 1 with .9 or higher being considered a good power factor. Can also be listed as a percentage.
Mounting Type: Indicates how the device is attached.
Mounting Types
Chassis Mount
Mounts to metal chassis.
Surface Mount
Have pins or pads that connect to solder pads on the PCB that are then soldered in place forming an electrical and mechanical connection.
There are three basic types of pins (leads) for surface mount devices.
Lead Types
Gull wing leads: Enable the most pins per inch when compared to J-lead types but they are more fragile. Easy to inspect for defects after soldering.
J-Leads: Less pins per inch than gull wing leads but they are stronger and less susceptible to breakage.
Flat Leads: Must be protectively packaged to prevent damage to leads. Leads must be formed into a gull shape prior to use with a separate piece of equipment. Due to that they are the least popular type of lead.
Surface Mount, Wettable Flank
A wettable flank is calling out a specific design in which the mounting edge of an IC has a fillet that allows you to see and test that a proper connection has been made on a pad that is for the most part not visible once soldered on a board. This aids in inspecting packages such as QFNs.
Through-hole
Have leads (pins) that go through a pre-drilled hole on a PCB and are soldered in place forming both an electrical and a mechanical connection.
Package/Case: Indicates the type of protective case used on an electronic component to allow easy handling, installation, and protection. This selection was determined to be the closest industry standard applicable to the suppliers device packaging. Typically it is best to check the actual dimensions from the datasheet rather than depend on this terminology when designing your circuit.
Available Through Hole Packages
SIP (Single In-line Package)
All connection pins are in a single row. Available with different numbers of pins. Number in front of SIP indicates how many pins, for example a 4-SIP Module package has 4 pins, and a 16-SIP Module package has 16 pins. May not use or even have all the pins, typically when this is the case the number of leads will be listed, for example 16-SIP module, 5 leads: would fit in the space of a 16-SIP module but only has 5 pins.
DIP (Dual In-line Package)
Connection pins are in two rows. Available with different numbers of pins. Number in front of DIP indicates how many pins, for example a 6-DIP Module package has 6 pins, and a 24-DIP Module has 24 pins. May not use or even have all the pins, typically when this is the case the number of leads will be listed, for example 32-DIP Module, 13 leads: would fit in the space of a 32-DIP module but only has 13 pins. Pins are typically 0.1 inches(2.54mm) apart. Rows are typically 0.3 inches(7.62mm) or 0.6 inches(15.24mm) apart.
SMD (Surface Mount Devices)
Have pins or pads that connect to solder pads on the PCB that are then soldered in place. Number in front of SMD indicates how many pins/pads, for example a 6-SMD module has 6 pins/pads. May not use or even have all the pins/pads for example 24-SMD module, 14 leads: would fit in the space of a 24-SMD module but only has 14 pins/pads. Typically, they are smaller than the through-hole components.
Available SMD Packages
SMD
Number in front of SMD indicates how many pins/pads, for example a 6-SMD module has 6 pins/pads. May not use or even have all the pins/pads for example 24-SMD module, 14 leads: would fit in the space of a 24-SMD module but only has 14 pins/pads.
LGA (Land Grid Array)
Has a rectangular grid of flat contacts on the bottom instead of pins. Can be used with a socket or soldered directly to the board.
Module, wire leads
Has wire leads as connection terminals.
Size/Dimension: The physical dimensions of the diver, typically length, width, and height.
Product Examples
| MFR PART # | RCD-24-0.35 |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | 945-1117-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Recom Power |
| DESCRIPTION | 350mA 2 ~ 35V Constant Current LED Driver Buck Topology 1 Output |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | RCD-24-1.00/PL/A |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | 945-1639-5-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Recom Power |
| DESCRIPTION | 1A 2 ~ 32V Constant Current LED Driver Buck Topology 1 Output |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | LTM8040IV#PBF |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | 505-LTM8040IV#PBF-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Analog Devices Inc. |
| DESCRIPTION | 1A 2.5 ~ 13V Constant Current LED Driver Buck Topology 1 Output |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | LDH-45B-700 |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | 1866-3130-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | MEAN WELL USA Inc. |
| DESCRIPTION | 700mA 21 ~ 64V Constant Current LED Driver Boost Topology 1 Output |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
MediaLinks
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TechForum
TechForum - LED Drivers