Designing a Wide Range Input Linear Dimming T5/54W Fluorescent Ballast using the IRS2158D

Application Note AN-1149
Designing a Wide Range Input Linear Dimming
T5/54W Fluorescent Ballast using the IRS2158D
By Peter Green, Veronika Stelmakh, Andre Tjokrorahardjo
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction ................................................................................................... 2
Design of the Ballast .................................................................................... 3
Functional Description ................................................................................ 24
Conclusion .................................................................................................. 36
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INTRODUCTION
T5 lamps are popular due to their low profile and high lumen/watt output. These
lamps, however, can be more difficult to control due to their higher ignition and
running voltages. International Rectifier has one reference design kit dedicated
for a dimming application of T5 lamp: the IRPLDIM3. The IRPLDIM3 is a high
power factor and wide input voltage range dimming fluorescent ballast, with a
fully isolated 0 to 10 V control interface, driving a single T5 28W lamp. The
IRPLDIM3 contains an EMI filter, an active power factor correction and a
dimming ballast control circuit utilizing the PDIP16 version of the IRS2158D.
Figure 1: IRPLDIM3 Block Diagram
In this application note, we explore the design of a dimming ballast similar to the
IRPLDIM3, but for a different wattage lamp, a 54W T5 lamp. The purpose of this
note is twofold. First, this note will describe the design process, starting with the
Ballast Design Assistant (BDA) software, available for download from the IR
website. The BDA software can be used to calculate resonant circuit values, and
to generate the schematics and the bill-of-materials. The design process also
includes PCB layout consideration, inductor design, and the testing of the ballast.
Second, this note will explain, in full detail, the functional description of the
ballast, which includes the ballast performance, isolated dimming control
interface, different modes of the IC, and the protection features.
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DESIGN OF THE BALLAST
BDA Software
The initial step in designing the ballast is to determine values required for the
resonant output inductor LRES and capacitor CRES. The Ballast Design
Assistant (BDA) software, which can be downloaded from the International
Rectifier website, is an extremely useful tool in doing this. The BDA software
used should be Version 4.2.21 or above, this can be determined by clicking the
Help button and clicking About Ballast Designer.
The following inputs were selected:
Input
IC
Input
Lamp
Configuration
Value
IRS2158D
90 to 265VAC/500VDC
T5 54W
Single lamp/Voltage mode heating
Using the Advanced mode, the next step is to click “Calculate”. This displays the
operating points for the ballast and calculates the values of the tank components,
i.e. LRES = 2.3mH and CRES = 3.3nF.
Figure 2: BDA software window
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Figure 3: Ballast Operating Points
The operating points obtained here display an ideal condition where the ignition
frequency is above the run frequency, and the preheat frequency is somewhat
higher than the ignition frequency. The run frequency also meets the target of
40 kHz. In general it is preferable to keep the run frequency at 40 kHz or above
to avoid possible interference with infra red remote controls, some of which
operate at around 35 kHz.
In order to use a more practical value, it was decided to fix LRES at 2 mH for this
design, which is more easily available. In the BDA “Tank Components” section
the “Fix L” box should be checked and the value of 2.0mH entered in place of
2.3mH. After the “Calculate” button is clicked, the operating point graph is
changed to:
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Figure 4: New Ballast Operating Points
The operating points after the change are still ideal as the running frequency is
still above 40 kHz, and the ignition frequency is higher than the running
frequency. The operating points are as follow:
Operating Points
Preheat Frequency
Ignition Frequency
Resonance Frequency
Run Frequency at 100%
Value
82.4 kHz
71.1 kHz
62.0 kHz
48.7 kHz
After the “Calculate Components” is clicked, the BDA software will generate the
schematics and the bill-of-materials. The minimum frequency set by CT and
RFMIN should be set close to or below the resonance frequency in order to
guarantee that the ballast is always capable of producing a high enough output
voltage to ignite the lamp. If the minimum frequency is set too far above the
resonance frequency, then during ignition the frequency will ramp down to the
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minimum frequency and remain there indefinitely. The ballast would not be able
to operate correctly as it would never reach a low enough frequency to enable
the ignition regulation to function, and would never produce enough voltage at
the output, to ignite the lamp.
PCB Layout Considerations
In order to successfully utilize the IRS2158D in a ballast design, it is necessary to
follow the following PCB layout guidelines. This can avoid possible interference
and ground loop issues that can occur in the ballast circuit. These connection
techniques also prevent high current ground loops from interfering with sensitive
timing component operation, and allow the entire control circuit to reject
common-mode noise due to output switching.
Figure 5 and Figure 6 show the control section of a typical ballast designed
around the IRS2158D, where the IC is located in the center. In this design all
SMD devices are mounted under the PCB with discrete devices on top.
Figure 5: Critical traces on the bottom side of the PCB
Figure 6: Critical traces on the top side of the PCB
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1. The signal ground (pin 12) should only be connected to the power ground
at one single point to prevent ground loops from forming.
2. The point described in (1) should be where the grounds of the current
sense resistors for both the half bridge MOSFETs and the lamp current
feedback both meet.
3. The VCC decoupling capacitor should be placed as close to the
IRS2158D VCC (pin 13) and COM (pin 12) as possible with the shortest
possible
traces.
4. The devices; CPH, RFMIN, CVCO, CT and CCS should all be located as
close to the IRS2158D as possible with traces to the relevant pins being
as short as possible.
5. The ground connections from the devices listed in (4) should be
connected back to the COM pin of the IRS2158D through the shortest
possible traces. These should be connected back to the COM pin of the IC
without joining the power ground trace at any point. In the example shown
above the power ground trace runs along the lower side of the board on
the bottom Copper layer
6. The charge pump diode connection to ground should be made to the
power ground not the signal ground.
7. The power factor correction section (if used) should be kept apart from the
ballast control as shown in the example above. The power factor
correction section is at the left side of the PCB.
VCC Double Filter
It is recommended to utilize a double filter arrangement from the charge pump
(CSNUB, DCP1 and DCP2) to VCC as shown in the schematic of Figure 7. This
circuit is designed to protect the VCC supply pin of the IRS2158D from high peak
currents that occur when the MOSFET MHS switches VS from COM to VBUS.
DCP2 should be an 18 V rated zener diode and RSUPPLY should connect to the
cathode of DCP2. This is to protect the VCC input of the IRS2158D from possible
surges and transient voltages.
Figure 7: VCC Double Filter Arrangement
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Output Inductor Design
The output inductor LRES should be designed to allow a sufficient peak ignition
current without saturating. This is important as the ballast will be unable to ignite
if it is unable to deliver sufficient voltage at the lamp. The ignition current
depends on the type of lamp being used and must be kept to a minimum by
ensuring that the cathodes are sufficiently preheated. To minimize eddy current
losses in the inductor windings multi-stranded wire should be used. Ferrite cores
of sufficiently good quality should also be used to allow a high peak flux density
at increased temperature and low core losses. It is important to have a large
enough air gap to produce the highest available peak current before allowing the
inductor to saturate. If the air gap is too large however, losses can occur because
the magnetic field emanating from the gap extends far enough to induce eddy
currents in the windings.
When the cores are hot the saturation point and hence the peak current for the
inductor will be lower therefore a poorly designed inductor may result in the
ballast failing to ignite the lamp during an attempted hot re-strike.
The inductor design process can be greatly simplified by using the Ballast
Designer software. For this application it is recommended to fix the core size to
EF25.
Lamp Preheating
It is necessary in order to achieve the maximum possible lamp life to heat the
cathodes to the correct temperature before ignition. Accelerated deterioration
occurs if lamps are ignited when the cathodes are either not sufficiently heated or
over heated. The cathode temperature at ignition is determined by the preheat
current, which in turn is determined by the preheat frequency through RPH and
the preheat time set by CCPH. The correct preheat current can be determined
from published data or from International Rectifier’s Ballast Designer software.
Cathode Heating after Ignition (Run Mode)
The lamp filament (Cathode) resistance over the range of dimming levels should
be between 3 and 5.5 times the resistance when cold. A simple method for
determining the hot resistance is to first connect one cathode to a DC power
supply via an ammeter and slowly increase the voltage from zero, noting the
current at 1 V intervals. This should be done until the cathode can be seen to be
glowing red. When this occurs the voltage should not be increased further or the
cathode is likely to overheat and become open circuit. With these results, the
resistance can be calculated for each voltage and hence the acceptable voltage
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range can be found to comply within the 3 to 5.5 times cold resistance limits. The
cold resistance can be easily measured with a digital multi-meter (DMM).
When the ballast is running, a true RMS digital voltmeter or differential
oscilloscope probe can be connected across the lower cathode and the voltage
can be observed at maximum and minimum brightness. The cathode voltage
normally increases as the ballast is dimmed. The values of COUT1 and COUT2
plus the resonant output inductor heater windings will control how much.
Reducing the capacitance will reduce the amount by which the voltage rises. The
COUT1 and COUT2 values should be chosen to prevent the voltage exceeding
the upper limit at minimum output to prevent premature end blackening of the
lamps and reduced life.
Note that utilizing additional windings on the inductor to provide cathode heating
means that power is transferred through the core and consequently the core
losses will increase and hence the core operating temperature. The core will
reach its highest operating temperature when the ballast is running at minimum
brightness.
The component values in this design have been selected for a 54W T5 linear
lamp. The circuit will need to be optimized for the particular lamp used to obtain
best performance.
Low Voltage Test
After carefully populating the PCB with all the components, a low voltage test can
be used to ensure that the ballast will run and preheat at the correct frequency,
and to ensure that the IC is not defective before testing it in the high voltage
conditions. The run frequency can be measured by supplying the Vcc pin with
15V and the VDC pin with 5.5V to drive the IC out of the UVLO mode. Then the
LO-pin waveform can be captured to measure the run frequency of the ballast.
From the BOM generated by the BDA software, CT is 1 nF and RFMIN is 13 kΩ
giving a minimum frequency of approximately 51 kHz and a dead time of 1.5 µs.
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Figure 8: Run Frequency
The minimum frequency is a little too high since the target run frequency is 48
kHz. When running at higher frequency, the power delivered to the lamp can be
too low. The minimum frequency can be reduced by using a higher value of
RFMIN. Using RFMIN of 15 kΩ sets the minimum frequency to 44 kHz.
The value of RPH sets the preheat frequency and has been determined by BDA
software to be 15 kΩ. To measure the preheat frequency, the LO-pin voltage
waveform has to be captured in the PREHEAT mode. This can be done by using
the CPH-pin voltage as a trigger signal when capturing the waveform.
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Figure 9: Preheat Frequency
Fine Tuning Circuit
Often times, the design must be fine-tuned after it is tested at high voltage. Since
the minimum frequency is now slightly below the run frequency, it is important to
set the maximum lamp output in order to prevent over-driving the lamp. The
value of the lamp current sensing resistor RLS will determine the feedback
voltage provided to the op-amp feedback circuit of the IRS2158D. RLS is chosen
to be as large as possible, to produce a sufficient feedback voltage, without
dissipating too much power. A value of 10 Ω given by the BDA software is ideal
to produce an average feedback voltage of 1.5 V when the lamp current is at its
maximum value of 300 mA (RMS).
In this particular design, the glowing filament at the minimum output was
observed. This shows that the cathode voltage increase excessively during
dimming. To mitigate this, the values of COUT1 and COUT2 were changed from
the original values generated by the BDA, 100nF, to 47nF.
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These formulas may be useful when fine-tuning the circuit:
1) Program Deadtime
The deadtime is programmed with the timing resistor RDT at the DT pin. The
deadtime is given by:
t DT =1500 ⋅ CT
CT =
[Seconds]
t DT
1500
[Farads]
(1)
(2)
2) Program Run Frequency
The run frequency is programmed with the timing resistor RMIN at the FMIN pin.
The run frequency is given as:
f OSCRUN =
1
3

2.15 ⋅ CT ⋅  ⋅ RMIN + 1500 
5


5 
1
RMIN = ⋅ 
− 1500 
3  (2.15 ⋅ f OSCRUN ⋅ CT )

[Hz]
[Ohms]
(3)
(4)
3) Program Preheat Frequency
The preheat frequency is programmed with timing resistors RMIN and RPH. The
timing resistors are connected in parallel for the duration of the preheat time. The
preheat frequency is therefore given as:
f OSCPH =
1
 3 (R ⋅ R )

2.15 ⋅ CT ⋅  ⋅ MIN PH + 1500 
 5 (RMIN + RPH )

[Hertz]
(5)
4) Program Preheat Time
The preheat time is defined by the time it takes for the external capacitor on pin
CPH to charge up to 2/3*VCC. An external resistor (RCPH) connected to VCC
charges capacitor CPH. The preheat time is therefore given as:
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t PH = RCPH ⋅ C PH
[Seconds]
(6)
or
t PH
RCPH
C PH =
[Farads]
(7)
5) Program Ignition Ramp Time
The preheat time is defined by the time it takes for the external capacitor on pin
VCO to charge up to 5V. The external timing resistor (RPH) connected to FMIN
charges capacitor CVCO. The ignition ramp time is therefore given as:
t RAMP = R PH ⋅ CVCO
[Seconds]
(8)
or
CVCO =
t RAMP
R PH
[Farads]
(9)
6) Program Maximum Ignition Current
The maximum ignition current is programmed with the external resistor RCS and
an internal threshold of 1.2V. This threshold determines the over-current limit of
the ballast, which will be reached when the frequency ramps down towards
resonance during ignition and the lamp does not ignite. The maximum ignition
current is given as:
I IGN =
1.2
RCS
[Amps Peak] (10)
or
RCS =
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1.2
I IGN
[Ohms]
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(11)
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IRS2158D State Diagram
Power Turned On
UVLO Mode
SD/EOL > 5.0V (VSDTH+)
(Lamp Removal)
or
VCC < 10.5V (VCCUV-)
(Power Turned Off)
FAULT Mode
1
/2-Bridge Off
IQCCUV ~ 250uA
CPH = 0V
VCO = 0V (Oscillator Off)
VCC > 12.5V (VCCUV+)
and
VDC+ > 5.0V
and
SD/EOL<3.0V (VSDTH-)
VCC < 10.5V (VCCUV-)
(VCC Fault or Power Down)
or
VDC- < 3.0V
PREHEAT Mode
Fault Latch Set
1
/2-Bridge Off
IQCCFLT ~ 350uA
CPH = 0V
VCO = 0V (Oscillator Off)
VFMIN = 0V
1
CS > 1.2V for
60 events
/2-Bridge oscillating@ fPH
VCO = 0V
RPH // RFMIN
CPH Charging through RCPH
CS Fault Counter Enabled
SD/EOL>5.0V (VSDTH+)
CPH > (2/3)*VCC
(End of PREHEAT Mode)
CPH discharged
CPH < (1/3)*VCC
(Start of IGNITION Mode)
CS Regulation
VCO discharged
slightly with
current sink
CS<1.2V
IGNITION Mode
CS>1.2V
CPH charging through RCPH
VCO charging through RPH
CS Shutdown Disabled
EOL Shutdown Disabled
Regulated ignition frequency
CPH > (1/2)*VCC
(End of IGNITION Mode)
PRE-RUN Mode
CS > 1.2V (VCSTH+)
CS > 1.2V (VCSTH+) for 60 events
or
SD/EOL < 1.0V (VEOLTH-)
CPH charging through RCPH
VCO charging through RPH
frequency ramps to Rf UN
CS One Fault Enabled
EOL Shutdown Disabled
CPH > (2/3)*VCC
(End of PRE-RUN Mode)
For 60 LO Cycles
or
SD/EOL > 3.0V (VEOLTH+)
For 60 LO Cycles
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RUN Mode
SD/EOL>5.0V (VSDTH+)
VCO = 5V
1/2-Bridge Oscillating@fRUN
CS Fault Counter Enabled
EOL Thresholds Enabled
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L
AN-1149
LPFC
AUX
CY
RV1
C9
D2
C1
R13
D3
BR1
C2
C11
C6
R16
Q1
R15
R12
R17
R3 C3
R2
C5
C7
R11
R9
4
3
2
1
R5
R20
IC1
L6562
R10
R6
C8
5
6
7
8
6
5
2
3
IC3
D5
C4
R7
D4
4
8
7
1
RS
MPFC
D1
IC4
R14
CBUS2
CVDC
CBUS1
C10
R8
R22
RVDC
R24
R23
R19
VR1
R18
RDIM
CT
CDIV
CC2
RFB
CC1
ROUT
VCO DOUT
RPH
RFMIN
CPH
INV
NINV
OUT
VDC
CT
VCO
FMIN
CPH
RCPH
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
RIN
IRS2158D
0 to 10V RTN
0 to 10V IN
GND
N
F1
L1
R1
LPFC
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
CCS
SD/EOL
CS
LO
COM
CSD1
DSD2
CSD2
RSD
RLIM
RLO
DCP2
RHO
R21 DCP1
CVCC1
DSD1
R4
CBOOT
CVCC2
VCC
VB
VS
HO
RS1
RS2
CSNUB
RCS
MLS
MHS
RPU1
CEOL
DEOL2 DEOL1
RDC
CDC
RPU2
CLS
REOL4
REOL3
REOL2
REOL1
LRES
RLS
DS1
CRES
LRES-1
DS2
COUT2 LRES-2
COUT1
Schematics
Figure 10: Schematics
15/36
PCB Component Placement Diagram and Board Fabrication
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Figure 11: Top Layer
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Figure 12: Bottom Layer
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Bill of Material and Inductor Specification
Item
Qty
1
1
2
1
3
4
Manufacturer
Part Number
1
1
ST Microelectronics
International
Rectifier
ST Microelectronics
Panasonic
5
1
ON Semiconductor
2N6027RLRAG
6
2
7
1
8
1
9
6
10
11
Description
Reference
L6562N
PFC Control IC
IC1
IRS2158D
Ballast Control IC
IC2
LM393N
CNC1S101
Dual Comparator IC
Opto Isolator
Programmable Unijunction
Transistor
IC3
IC4
IRFU840
N-MOSFET
MHS, MLS
IRFB9N60A
Transistor, MOSFET
MPFC
DF10S
Bridge Rectifier
BR1
Diodes Inc
LL4148-13
Diode
12
13
14
15
1
1
2
1
3
1
1
Diodes Inc
Diodes Inc
Diodes Inc
Diodes Inc
Diodes Inc
Panasonic-ECG
Vogt Electronics
ZMM5236B-7
ZMM5231B-7
ZMM5248B-7
ZMM5242B-7
US1J-13-F
ELF-15N007A
16
1
Vogt Electronics
IL 060 320 51 01
17
18
19
20
21
1
1
1
2
1
Epcos
BC Components
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
B32922A2224M
2222 338 14104
ECU-V1H103KBM
ECJ-3YX1C106K
ECJ-3VB1C684K
Zener Diode 7V5
Zener Diode 5V1
Zener Diode 18V
Zener Diode 12V
Diode
Common mode Choke
PFC Inductor, 2mH
Resonant Inductor, 2mH, 2A
peak
Capacitor 220nF, 305VAC
Capacitor 100nF, 440V
Capacitor 10n, 50V, 1206
Capacitor 10u, 16V, 1206
Capacitor 0.68µF, 16V, 1206
22
5
Panasonic-ECG
ECJ-3VB1C104K
Capacitor 100n, 16V, 1206
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
3
2
2
1
1
1
2
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
ECU-V1H333KBM
ECJ-3YB1C105K
ECA-2EHG470
ECJ-3YB1C225K
EEU-FC1H470
ECU-V1H471KBM
ECQ-E6104KF
ECJ-3VB1C474K
31
1
Kemet
T356D226K006AS
32
33
34
2
1
1
WIMA
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
MKS2 Series
ECW-H16332HL
ECK-A3A102KBP
35
2
Panasonic-ECG
ECJ-3YC2D102J
36
1
Panasonic-ECG
ECJ-3YB2A223K
37
1
Panasonic-ECG
ECJ-3VC2A222J
Capacitor 33nF, 50V, 1206
Capacitor 1µF, 16V, 1206
Capacitor, 47µF, 250V, 105C
Capacitor 2.2µF, 25V, 1206
Capacitor 47µF, 50V, 105C
Capacitor, 470pF, 50V, 1206
Capacitor, 100nF, 630V
Capacitor, 0.47µF, 16V, 1206
Capacitor, 22µF, 6.3V,
Tantalum
Capacitor, 47nF, 400V
Capacitor, 3.3nF, 1600V
Capacitor, 1nF, 1 kV, Radial
Capacitor, 1nF, 200V, 1206,
NPO
Capacitor, 1uF, 25V, 1206
Capacitor, 2.2nF, 100V, 1206,
NPO
38
1
TDK
39
40
41
42
2
1
2
2
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
www.irf.com
International
Rectifier
IR / Vishay
Fairchild
Semiconductor
CS13E2GA332MYGS
ERJ-P08J684V
ERJ-8ENF7501V
ERJ-P08J223V
ERJ-P08J150V
AN-1149
Q1
DCP1, DOUT,
DSD1, D2, D4, D5
DEOL1
DEOL2
D3, DCP2
DSD2
DS1, DS2, D1
L1
LPFC
LRES
C1
C2
C3
C4, C6
C5
C11, CBOOT, CC2,
CSD2, CVCC2
C7
C8, CDIV, CVDC
CBUS1, CBUS2
CVCC1, CCPH
C9
CCS
CDC
CEOL, CSD1
CLS
COUT1, COUT2
CRES
CSNUB
CT, C10
CVCO
CC1
Capacitor, 3.3nF, Y
CY
Resistor, 680kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 7.5kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 22 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 15 Ω, 0.25W, 1206
R1, R2
R3
R6, R19
RLO, RHO
19/36
43
44
3
2
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-P08J104V
ERJ-P08J824V
45
1
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-P08J912V
46
47
1
1
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-8ENF1001V
ERJ-P08J472V
Resistor, 100 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 820 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 8.25 kΩ, 0.25W,
1206
Resistor, 1 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 4.7 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
48
6
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-8ENF1002V
Resistor, 10kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
49
50
1
2
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-P08J334V
ERJ-P08J100V
1
3
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-P08J153V
52
53
54
2
1
1
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-P08J105V
P0.82W-1BK-ND
ERJ-P08J433V
Resistor, 330kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 10 Ω, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 15kΩ, 0.25W, 1206,
1%
Resistor, 1MΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 0.82 Ω, 1W, Axial
Resistor, 56kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
55
4
Panasonic-ECG
ERJ-P08J224V
Resistor, 220kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
0
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
Panasonic-ECG
BC Components
DNP
ERJ-P08J203V
ERJ-P08J101V
PPC10W-1CT-ND
ERJ-P08J473V
ERJ-P08J471V
ERJ-P08J511V
ERJ-P08J104V
ERJ-P08J474V
PPC.47CTR-ND
DNP
66
1
Copal Electronics
CT-94EW203
67
1
Panasonic-ECG
68
1
Phoenix Passive
69
70
1
1
Wago
Wago
ERZ-V10D431
5063FM1R000J12
AFX
235 Series
234 Series
Resistor, 20kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 100Ω, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 10Ω, 0.25W, Axial
Resistor, 47kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 470 Ω, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 510 Ω, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 100 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 470 kΩ, 0.25W, 1206
Resistor, 0.47 Ω, 1W, Axial
DNP
Potentiometer, 20 kΩ, top
adjust
Varistor, 275VAC, 10mm
R9, R20, RSD
R10, R11
R12
RLIM
R14
R16, R17, RDIM,
RFB, RIN, ROUT
R18
R4, R21
R22, RFMIN, RPH
RPU1, RPU2
RCS
RVDC
REOL1, REOL2,
REOL3, R15
REOL4
R7
RLS
R5
R8
R13
RS1, RS2
R23, R24, RCPH
RS
RDC
VR1
RV1
Fusible Resistor, 1 Ω
F1
Connector, 5 Way
Connector, 4 way
P1
P2
Table 1: Bill of Materials. Lamp type: T5/54W
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INDUCTOR SPECIFICATION
TYPE : LPFC
E25/13/7 (EF25)
CORE SIZE
GAP LENGTH
1
PINS
8
HORIZONTAL
BOBBIN
mm
CORE MATERIAL Philips 3C85, Siemens N27 or equivalent
NOMINAL INDUCTANCE
2
mH
MAXIMUM CURRENT
1
Apk
MAXIMUM CORE TEMPERATURE
100
ºC
WINDING START PIN FINISH PIN TURNS WIRE DIAMETER (mm)
MAIN
ZX
AUX
1
6
TBD
4 strands of AWG32
3
4
8
7
10
15
Insulated single strand
ELECTRICAL LAYOUT
Insulated single strand
PHYSICAL LAYOUT
20.05mm
TOP VIEW
5mm
25mm
TEST
1
2
3
8
7 5mm
6
4
5
(TEST FREQUENCY = 50kHz)
MAIN WINDING INDUCTANCE MIN 1.9
mH
MAIN WINDING RESISTANCE
Ohms
MAX 1.5
MAX 2.1
mH
NOTE : Inductor must not saturate at maximum current and maximum core temperature at given
test frequency.
Figure 13: LPFC specification
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Figure 14: LRES specification
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Electrical Characteristics
Parameter
Lamp Type
Input Power
Lamp Running Voltage
Run Mode Frequency
Preheat Mode Frequency
Preheat Time
Lamp Preheat Voltage
Lamp Ignition Voltage
Input AC Voltage Range
Units
Value
54W TL5
55W
410
46.5
80.0
1
720
1
90-305 VAC
0.999 at 120VAC
0.995 at 220VAC
[W]
[Vpp]
[kHz]
[kHz]
[s]
[Vpp]
[kVpp]
[VAC]
Power Factor
Table 2: Electrical Characteristics of the Ballast
Fault Protection Characteristics
Fault
Protection
Ballast
Restart Operation
Brownout
Upper filament
broken
Lower filament
broken
VDC Brown-out detect
Shutdown
Line voltage increase
CS Over Current detect
Deactivates
Lamp Exchange
Deactivates
Lamp exchange
Deactivates
Lamp Exchange
Deactivates
Lamp Inserted
Deactivates
Lamp Exchange
Failure to ignite
No Lamp
End of Life
SD Open filament
detection SD/EOL pin
CS ignition detection
timeout
SD Open filament
detection SD/EOL pin
EOL lamp voltage
detection on SD/EOL pin
Table 3: Fault Protection Characteristics of the Ballast
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FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION
Description
The design of dimmable ballast for linear lamps requires that the lamp power can
be reduced smoothly to a low output level, less than 5% of nominal lumen output.
It is necessary that the lamp output is able to be held at any level and that there
will be no discernable flicker or instability at any level. In order to accomplish this,
a closed loop control scheme is required. The fluorescent lamp represents a
complex load, the impedance of which changes depending on the arc current
and temperature of the gasses within the lamp. Like all discharge lamps, the
fluorescent lamp displays a negative resistance behavior, meaning that as the
current in the lamp increases the effective resistance of the lamp will reduce. The
lamp impedance is strongly dependent on the arc current, however the
relationship is not linear and temperature is also a factor.
In this design, the ballast supplies the lamp through a resonant output circuit. The
lamp power is adjusted by changing the oscillation frequency of the MOSFET
half bridge, which is driven by the IRS2158D. In this system the lamp current
against ballast frequency characteristic of the system exhibits a sharp “knee”
characteristic such that as the frequency increases the lamp current is gradually
reduced up to a point at which a small increase of frequency will result in a large
reduction in the lamp current.
Ballast / Lamp Operating Characteristic
Lamp
Current
Ballast Running
Frequency
Figure 15: Lamp Current against Ballast Frequency
Consequently it becomes necessary to include a stabilized closed loop feedback
system to control the lamp current by adjusting the ballast frequency by means of
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a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). In this example the VCO within the
IRS2158D is driven by the output of an error amplifier and compensation network
that senses the lamp arc current directly and compares it with a reference.
Regulated Lamp Current Control System
VCO
&
DRIVER
Error Amplifier
and Compensation
∑
+
Lamp Arc Current
-
Reference
Figure 16: Closed Loop Dimming Control
Isolated 0 to 10V Control Interface
The isolated 0 to 10 V control interface operates by means of a simple circuit, is
described in the Design Tip DT-02. This operates in the same way as many other
commercially available 0 to 10 V dimming ballasts. The input internally biased at
10 V if nothing is connected and can be reduced to 0 V by sinking current only.
Isolation between the dimming input and the ballast circuitry is provided by
means of an opto-isolator (IC4) and an additional isolated winding of the PFC
boost inductor LPFC.
This winding must be isolated from the other two windings and from the ferrite
cores and should be flash tested to 4 kV. In order to obtain sufficient voltage, this
winding will need to have several more turns than the zero current detection
winding. It is necessary to ensure that the voltage across the 18 V zener diode
(D3) never falls below 18 V when the ballast output is dimmed and also over the
range of line supply voltage. The next part of the circuit, centered around the
programmable unijunction transistor Q1, generates an approximate ramp
waveform across capacitor C7, which peaks at approximately 10 V guaranteeing
maximum output when 10 V input is applied at the dimming input.
A trigger voltage provided by a potential divider of 9 V is applied to the gate of
Q1. C7 charges through R15 until the voltage reaches a point one diode drop
above the 9 V trigger voltage. Q1 then fires and remains switched on until the
current drops below the valley current of the device which is small, discharging
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C7 again. This produces a continuously oscillating ramp waveform. It is
important that R15 is sufficiently large that it does not supply a current larger than
the valley current, otherwise Q1 remains on indefinitely and the circuit does not
oscillate. It necessary for this oscillator to run at a frequency of several hundred
Hz to prevent it from being a source of visible flicker.
This sawtooth signal is fed into the inverting input of a comparator. Note that this
circuit makes use of a dual comparator IC by placing both comparators in parallel
so as to provide greater current sinking capability to drive the input of IC4.
However, there is no need for this provided the comparator used is capable of
sinking the opto-isolator diode current, which in this case is around 13 mA. The
opto-isolator diode current should be chosen to be as low as possible to
guarantee saturation of the transistor when it sinks 1mA and consequently R14 is
as large as possible. The non-inverting input is connected to the control input and
pulled high via R20, which provides a sink current of 1 mA. C8 removes any
noise that may be picked up at the comparator input.
The comparator output is open collector providing current to the input of IC4
when low. The diode will be continuously off when the input is at maximum and
on when it is zero. Hence the opto-isolator output transistor will be fully on when
the control voltage is at minimum and fully off when it is at maximum, providing a
reasonably linear change in the duty cycle at intermediate levels. It is important in
production to ensure that the opto-isolator used is rated to the correct voltage
and has been certified to the necessary safety standards. The transistor side of
the opto-isolator has the emitter connected to 0 V (COM) and the collector
connected to the IRS2158D VCC supply of 15.6 V via a pull up resistor R22. The
collector node is then connected via R18 to CDIV and R19 to 0 V (COM). This
averages the PWM signal and provides a DC reference to connect to the
IRS2158D, which varies between 0V and the maximum voltage set. The range
can be changed if necessary by adjusting the value of R19.
The value of the lamp current sensing resistor RLS will determine the feedback
voltage provided to the op-amp feedback circuit of the IRS2158D. The value of
RLS should be selected to provide as large a feedback as possible without
dissipating too much power at maximum light output. It is recommended to keep
the power dissipation in RLS below 0.25 W.
A delay is usually incorporated into dimming ballasts to provide a smooth fade
from one dimming level to the next. For example, if the control inputs were to be
shorted together, the lamp would fade down to minimum brightness over a period
determined by the values used. This neatly avoids any flicker that may be caused
by sudden changes in load in the PFC boost regulator section. In this case delay
is provided via the time constant of R18 and CDIV. As the frequency of the PWM
signal from the opto-isolator is of the order of tens of Hz, the delay has been
designed to be long enough to ensure minimal ripple on the DC control voltage
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input to the IC. This can be increased if a longer fade time is desired by making
CDIV larger.
Since the lamp arc current is being sensed with a resistor, it is necessary to use
voltage mode preheating to avoid detecting the sum of the current in the arc
added to the resonant output capacitor (CRES) current. This has an additional
advantage that during preheat and prior to ignition of the lamp the arc current will
always be zero and consequently the feedback circuit will not influence the
oscillator frequency at all until the lamp is running. This means that by setting the
value of RPH the preheat will occur in exactly the same way independent of the
dimming control voltage achieving optimum preheat and ignition under all
conditions.
Power Factor Correction Section
The power factor correction stage at the front end of the ballast is based on a
standard critical conduction mode circuit using an industry standard control IC.
This stage has been designed to provide a DC bus of 480 V and operates with
the AC line input voltage from 90 Vrms up to 305 Vrms, which is the maximum
voltage that may occur on a 277 VAC line, allowing virtually world wide operation.
In a dimming design with a wide voltage input range it is necessary to select the
optimum value for the PFC inductor.
The inductance must be sufficiently large to allow the PFC controller IC1 to
maintain stable operation when the line input at maximum and the dimming level
is at minimum. Under these conditions the COMP voltage at pin 2 will be very low
and the PWM on time will be very short. If the inductor value is too small the on
time will become too small for the control IC to be able to maintain a stable DC
bus.
The result of an unstable DC bus is a slight but visible flicker seen when the lamp
is dimmed. Such instability is usually caused by instability of the power factor
correction section rather than the lamp current regulation loop incorporated within
the IRS2158D (IC2).
The trade off is that if the value of LPFC is too high the bus voltage will start to
drop at low line input and maximum load since the COMP pin voltage has
reached maximum and therefore the maximum on time limit has been reached.
The lamp current control loop is however able to lower the ballast frequency in
order to compensate for this to some degree if necessary.
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Ignition
The IRS2158D incorporates regulated ignition control. At the end of the preheat
period the IRS2158D VCO pin voltage increases and so the frequency decreases
until the voltage at the CS pin reaches the internal threshold of 1.25 V. At this
point the IRS2158D internally pulls down the VCO pin voltage and therefore
regulates the circulating current in the resonant output circuit of the ballast and
maintains a constant voltage across the lamp (blue trace). This voltage will
remain while the CPH pin voltage (red trace) charges from 1/3VCC to 1/2VCC. If
the lamp has not ignited at this point the IRS2158D will shut down. If preheat is
insufficient the ballast will fail to ignite and shut down at the end of the ignition
phase as shown in Fig 17. In this design the ignition voltage has been set at
1.25 kV peak and 2 kV peak to peak. This ignition voltage is correct for worst
case conditions in a 54W TL5 lamp and can be set by using an RCS value of
0.82R.
Figure 17: Lamp Voltage (blue) and CPH pin voltage - No Ignition
A good lamp normally ignites as the output voltage ramps up to the ignition
regulation level as shown in Fig 18.
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Figure 18: Lamp Voltage (blue) and Current – Correct Ignition
Dimming
The following waveforms captures demonstrate the performance of the ballast at
10V (maximum) brightness and 0V (minimum) brightness.
Figure 19: Ballast Waveforms for Maximum Brightness
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Figure 20: Ballast Waveforms at Minimum Brightness
Trace
1
2
3
4
A
Color
Black
Red
Blue
Green
Orange
Signal
Feedback Voltage at RLS (and DS1 Cathode)
Half Bridge Voltage – VS
Lamp Voltage
Lamp Arc Current
Lamp Power (3 multiplied by 4)
The values of R18 and R19 have been selected so that when the opto-isolator
IC4 is completely off the voltage at the input of the error amplifier, at RDIM
connection with the wiper of VR1, will be 1.5 V. This will set the error amplifier
input voltage to 1.5 V when the 0 to 10 V dimming control voltage is a 10 V and
maximum output is required. This effectively limits the maximum lamp power
because the error amplifier will regulate the frequency in order to maintain equal
voltage at RLS to the input voltage at RDIM.
The minimum dimming level can be set by R19 and adjusted by RV1, which
prevents the opto-isolator transistor from pulling the error amplifier input voltage
all the way to zero. If the opto-isolator were on continuously the input voltage to
the error amplifier would be so low that the lamp would extinguish or enter an
unstable state of partial ignition. Tests have indicated that the T5 lamp behaves
differently when cold and hot at very low light levels. When the lamp is cold the
arc tends to become unstable as the lamp repeatedly extinguishes and re-ignites,
however when the lamp is hot it is possible to dim all the way down to virtually
zero output and a state can be observed where the lamp is in a stable state of
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semi ignition, characterized by an faint emission of light along only part of the
length of the tube.In a practical design it is desirable to limit the minimum output
level to the minimum current at which the lamp can maintain stable operation
when cold.
The ballast was measured over the input dimming range:
Control
input (V)
Frequency
(kHz)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
79.6
80.1
80.4
79.5
77.2
72.4
65.9
57.9
49.7
46.2
Ballast
Lamp
Arc
Power
Voltage
Current
(W)
(V)
(mA rms)
18.6
247
35
23.5
229
57
28.1
207
86
32.6
190
118
36.8
176
156
41.4
166
202
45.7
154
240
49.7
142
289
53.7
132
344
55.1
125
366
Table 4: Overall Ballast Performance
Arc Power
(W rms)
Feedback
RLS (V)
9.1
13.8
20.0
25.7
31.8
39.5
44.2
50.1
56.0
57.2
0.075
0.212
0.361
0.514
0.690
0.895
1.080
1.303
1.539
1.644
These are average values as there is some frequency modulation occurring at all
times as the system regulates and compensates for impedance changes in the
lamp. The measured results on the next page show that the lamp arc current and
power are reasonably linear with respect to the input control voltage.
Arc Current
400
arc current rms (A)
350
300
250
200
Arc Current
150
100
50
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
control input voltage (V)
Figure 21: Graph of lamp arc current vs. control voltage input
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Arc Power
70.0
arc power rms (W)
60.0
50.0
40.0
Arc Power
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
control input voltage (V)
Figure 22: Graph of lamp arc power vs. control voltage input
Protection Circuits
The SD pin of the IRS2158D is used for lamp removal protection. If there is no
lamp present the voltage at SD pin will be pulled above the 5 V threshold via
RPU1, RPU2 and RSD, charging CSD1 and CSD2 through DSD1 and DSD2.
When a lamp is in circuit the voltage at the junction of RPU2 and RSD will be
held low via DS1 and RLS. In this way when a lamp is removed the ballast shuts
down and the lamp is replaced with a good one the ballast starts up again. In the
IRPLDIM3 design the pull up of the SD pin for lamp removal detection is
connected to the DC bus instead of VCC as in some other designs. This is
because an additional 12 V zener diode DSD2 has been added, so that any
voltage at the lower cathode produced during preheat, which can contain some
DC offset will never be sufficient to falsely trip the lamp removal shut down
circuit. In addition to this pulling up through resistors to the DC bus provides a
more rapid response without draining current from VCC and maintains the SD pin
voltage firmly above the 5 V threshold when no lamp is present under all
conditions of line input voltage.
During preheat and ignition modes the end of life protection function, which
monitors the lamp voltage through the SD pin is not enabled, therefore the ballast
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will operate as long as the SD pin remains below 5 V. The SD pin is normally
biased at 2 V from an internal voltage source within the IRS2158D.
Figure 23: Lamp removal and replacement
Trace
1
3
4
Color
Red
Green
Blue
Signal
SD Pin Voltage
Lamp Arc Current
Lamp Voltage
The VDC pin of the IRS2158D (IC2) is also connected to the DC bus through the
divider formed by R23 and R24, with CVDC to COM to remove ripple and noise.
This provides brown out protection for the ballast which works by sensing the
rectified AC line voltage at the positive output of BR1. When the VDC voltage
falls below 3 V the IRS2158D shuts down. The values of R23 and R24 are
selected so that this condition occurs when the AC line input drops below the
minimum level at which the ballast can maintain sufficient DC bus voltage for the
lamp to remain ignited and run at the correct power. When the ballast has shut
down the voltage at the VDC pin will rise because the voltage at BR1 will no
longer be full wave rectified as there is no load and C2 is sufficient to maintain a
DC level. To prevent the ballast from immediately re-starting there is a 2 V
hysteresis such that the VDC pin must rise above 5 V in order for the IRS2158D
to restart. This will only happen after the AC line has been restored to a sufficient
level.
Without the brownout protection provided by the VDC pin if a brownout did occur
the ballast would shut down in the event of any hard switching at VS because
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voltage spikes would appear at the CS pin. This would cause the fault counter to
count up until the ballast shut down. In that event the ballast would shut down
and remain off until the line is switched off and then back on again. This is
undesirable and with the implementation of the VDC pin of the IR2158D can
easily be avoided so that the ballast will automatically recover from a Brownout
event and switch the light back on.
Figure 24: Brownout shutdown and restart
Trace
1
3
4
Color
Red
Green
Blue
Signal
VDC Pin Voltage
Lamp Arc Current
Lamp Voltage
The IRPLDIM3 ballast also includes end of life protection, which is enabled only
after successful ignition when the ballast is in run mode. The lamp voltage is
divided down through REOL1, REOL2, REOL3 and REOL4. This divided voltage
is fed to two back to back zener diodes, DEOL1 (7.5 V) and DEOL2 (5.1 V). The
SD pin is internally biased at 2 V with a window comparator that has 1 V and 3 V
thresholds. If the positive peak of the lamp voltage becomes large enough to
allow DEOL1 to reverse breakdown then the SD pin voltage will rise above 3 V. A
delay is incorporated by clocking the oscillator pulses with the fault counter so
that after a number of cycles the IRS2158D will shut down. The delay is normally
around 1ms and was added to provide some immunity to transients and false
shutting down of the end of life circuit. In the same way if the negative peak of
the lamp voltage drops low enough for DEOL2 to reverse breakdown then the SD
pin will fall below 1 V. After the same delay period the IRS2158D will also shut
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down. This end of life circuit will therefore cause the ballast to shut down if an
aging lamp is connected if it produces an asymmetric voltage in either direction,
due to the rectifying effect. End of lamp life shutdown is often a mandatory
requirement for electronic ballasts.
In the event of a ballast output becoming open circuit during running, for example
if the lamp is broken or cracked but the filament is still intact, the SD pin will not
detect a fault. However the ballast will still shut down because the CS pin will
detect the transients caused by hard switching of the half bridge MOSFETs. In
this case the fault counter will be active so that approximately 60 consecutive
transients need to be detected by the CS pin before shut down. The broken lamp
test is easily simulated by disconnecting the high voltage end of the lamp during
running, which is the end that is not connected to the SD pin lamp out detection
circuit.
Figure 25: Broken Lamp Test
Trace
2
3
4
Color
Red
Green
Blue
Signal
CS Pin Voltage
Lamp Arc Current
Lamp Voltage
The above waveforms illustrate the delay of approximately 1ms introduced by the
fault counter. This avoids any possibility of false tripping occurring if random
transients occur.
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CONCLUSIONS
The IRPLDIM3 is a high power factor and wide input voltage range dimming
fluorescent ballast, with a fully isolated 0 to 10 V control interface, driving a single
T5 28W lamp containing an EMI filter, an active power factor correction and a
dimming ballast control circuit utilizing the PDIP16 version of the IRS2158D.
The IRPLDIM3 can be modified for a T5 54W design as shown in this application
note. The design process is described, starting from the component calculations
using the BDA software, the bill-of-materials, and schematics, to the layout
consideration, the inductor design, and the testing of the ballast. This application
note also explains in full detail the functional description of the ballast, which
includes the ballast performance, isolated dimming control interface, different
modes of the IC, and the protection features.
Disclaimer
This application note is intended for evaluation purposes only and has not been
submitted or approved by any external test house for conformance with UL or
international safety or performance standards. International Rectifier does not
guarantee that this reference design will conform to any such standards.
Ballast Designer software may be downloaded free of charge from:
www.irf.com/whats-new/nr051026.html
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