
Atmel LED Drivers-MSL2160/MSL2161
16-string, White and RGB LED Drivers with Adaptive Configuration,
EEPROM, and SPI/I 2 C/SMBus Serial Interface
Detailed Description
The MSL2160 and MSL2161 are highly integrated,
flexible, multi-string LED drivers that use external
MOSFETs to allow high LED string currents, and include
power supply control to maximize efficiency. The drivers
optionally connect to a video subsystem to offer a simple
architecture for use in LCD TV backlight applications. Up
to eight devices can be cascaded together to drive large
numbers of LED strings in a system. The drivers provide
multiple methods of controlling LED brightness through
both peak current control and pulse width control of the
string drive signals. Peak current control offers excellent
color consistency, while pulse width control allows
brightness management. An on-chip EEPROM holds
all the default control register values. At power-up, the
data in the EEPROM are automatically copied directly to
the control registers, setting up the device for operation.
The factory programmed EEPROM values can be
changed through the serial interface if a different power-
up condition is desired.
The devices interface to an MCU via I 2 C (MSL2161)
or SPI (MSL2160). The robust 1MHz I 2 C interface
supports up to eight devices on the bus. The 20MHz,
bus-addressable SPI bus supports up to eight devices
per chip select line. While typically the LED drive PWM
signal is internally generated, both drivers also accept
an external direct PWM drive signal applied to the
PWM input that sets the PWM duty and the frequency
of the LEDs drive signal. Both devices also feature
phase spreading when external PWM direct drive is
used. With phase spreading enabled, a progressive
1/16 phase delay per string helps reduce both the
transient load on the LED power supplies and the
power supply input capacitor size requirements.
Atmel LED Drivers-MSL2160/MSL2161
The PWM frequency of the drivers is either synchronized
to an external signal applied to PHI, generated from
the internal oscillator for standalone applications, or
set directly by a signal at the PWM input. Typically the
VSYNC signal from the video system is used for the PHI
input. A frequency multiplier (1x to 32x) processes this
signal for use by the PWM engine. The on time of each
string is individually programmed via the device registers,
providing a peak resolution of 12 bits when using the on-
chip PWM generator. The actual resolution of the PWM
frequency depends on the ratio of the GSC frequency
(typically provided by a systems HSYNC signal, but can
be internally generated) to the PHI frequency because
the on time of a string is programmed as a 12-bit count
of the number of GSC clock cycles. This count can be
further scaled by an 8-bit global intensity value, when
enabled. The GSC clock is also used to precisely set
each string’s phase delay so that it is synchronized to its
physical position relative to the video frame.
The Efficiency Optimizers control a wide range of
different external DC-DC and AC-DC converter
architectures. Multiple drivers in a system communicate
in real time among themselves to select an optimized
operating voltage for the LEDs. This allows design of the
power supply for the worst case forward voltage (V f )
of the LEDs without concern about excessive power
dissipation issues. During the start-up sequence, the
MSL2160/1 automatically reduces the power supply
voltage to the minimum voltage required to keep
the LEDs in current regulation. The devices can be
configured to periodically perform this optimization to
compensate for changes in LED forward voltage, and to
assure continued optimum power savings.
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