Custom Heaters and LED Lighting Assemblies Engage. Collaborate. Innovate

Overview

Providing power in the most efficient manner to high power luminaire performance and lifetime. Knowing how to regulate electrical current to maximize brightness while maintaining longevity is a balancing act that can’t be overlooked if you expect to successfully promote your product to the general market.  Heatron has the experience and talent needed to ensure that your LED fixture performs as well and lasts as you say it will.

Design Process

• Understand customer needs/requirements
• Develop concept with Heatron engineering input
• Choose topology and select reference design
• Create BOM and develop customer proposal
• After acceptance of proposal and order placement, build prototype
• Preproduction and production runs

SPICE® Modeling

•  SPICE® Modeling is a process of creating a virtual model of the driver circuit and  LEDs using computer software.
• The computer software used for this is ORCAD®.
• The model is used for scenario building; that is, for testing various circuit iterations and predicting which produce the most efficient driver/LED combination.
• For switching power supplies and other circuit designs, it allows frequency/filtering analysis.
• SPICE® Modeling reduces time and cost because a virtual circuit is built and tested rather than physically needing to breadboard the circuit to determine actual performance.
• After the model is optimized, physical prototypes are tested to confirm final performance.

 Off-Shelf vs Custom Drivers

• Custom drivers
  • Allow tailored  functions (dimming, CCT control, etc.) that differentiate the end product in its market.
  • Typically have higher efficiency
  • Can be designed to optimize cooling.
• Off-Shelf Drivers
  • Quick delivery (speed to market)
  • Built in economy of scale for low volume applications
  • UL recognition

AC/DC

• 120 to 277 VAC needs to be converted to current regulated DC at low voltages for driving LEDs.
• There are several common topologies:
  • Cuk
  • Flyback
  • Push Pull
• Design Considerations
  • Efficiency
  • Cost
  • Power factor correction
  • EnergyStar Compliance, Title 24, etc.
  • Agency compliance testing
  • (UL, EC, FCC, etc.)
  • Thermal management considerations
• Functional configuration for a AC/DC driver

DC/DC

•  Sometimes AC/DC power conversion is not required but DC to DC is. For example: solar, transportation, portable lighting or other off-line applications.
• Two broad categories of DC to DC Converters:
  • Linear
    • Lower Cost
    • No emission concerns
    • Not always efficient
    • Produces heat from wasted power
  • Switchers
    • Highly efficient
    • Minimal wasted power
    • Minimal heat production
• Design considerations for DC/DC are efficiency, cost, thermal management,  agency requirements.

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)

•  The best and only appropriate method to dim LEDs.
• No shift in color temperature or hue.
• Drops power to LED efficiently with minimal wasted power.
• Cool running because it’s efficient
• Flexible because there are many integrated solutions and design options.