High Current LED - Capacitive Drop Drive Application Note

AND8146/D
High Current LED −
Capacitive Drop Drive
Application Note
Prepared by: Carl Walding
ON Semiconductor
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APPLICATION NOTE
Incandescent lamps, including the tungsten−halogen type,
have efficiencies of only about 4 to 10% for visible light.
These emit a broad, almost continuous spectrum of energy,
including not only visible light, but also ultraviolet (UV) and
infrared (IR) as unusable heat. Technically, only 15 to 20%
of an incandescent lamp’s energy is converted directly into
heat; a surprisingly large amount of heat generated by them
is caused by the IR radiation being absorbed by the
surrounding area. This heat can be reflected out away from
the lamp, but if there is a lens or filter in front of the lamp the
heat is trapped.
The only practical way to obtain different colors with
incandescent lamps is with the use of a light filter. This is not
the case with LEDs. LEDs produce a rather narrow spectrum
of light and therefore are intrinsically more efficient at
converting electrical energy to a particular color than
incandescent lamps with a filter. There is less electrical
energy needed for the same lumen output, as the filter will
attenuate the light output substantially. Therefore color
LEDs are the most efficient way to obtain colored light.
White LEDs have the same efficiency as incandescent
lamps, but are less efficient than fluorescent lamps. The
white LEDs have a particular advantage over most known
white light sources; this advantage is longer lifetime. Many
incandescent lamps are rated between 750 hours and 2000
hours of life. A fluorescent lamp including like the compact
incandescent type can offer between 8000 and 12,000 hours
of life. All of these lamps have filaments. The greater the
number of “on−off ”cycles the shorter the lamp life due to
filament breakage. White LEDs on the other hand do not
have filaments and thus do not have this failure mode.
LEDs, regardless of color, have an extremely long
lifetime, if their current and temperature limits are not
exceeded. Lumileds Lighting LLC [1, 2, 3, 4] has
published lifetime data stating that after 50,000 hours the
LEDs will have 70% or greater of the original light output.
Using an engineering rule of thumb with data already
collected, and plotted, on semi−log graph paper, LEDs are
projected to have 50% or greater of the original light output
after 100,000 hours. There are 8736 hours in a normal year
Abstract. This application note describes the basics for
powering high current light emitting diodes (LEDs)
utilizing a capacitive divider circuit off the AC mains. A
linear regulator is used to control the LED current in
order to ensure optimal performance and long life. LED
characteristics are explained, followed by an example
design to illustrate the concept.
INTRODUCTION
Light emitting diodes, called LEDs, have existed for many
years. LEDs behave similarly to normal diodes in that they
have a forward voltage drop associated with the forward
current. Early LEDs emitted radiation only in the infrared
(IR) spectrum. Later, visible red LEDs emerged using
various III−V compounds, such as aluminum gallium
arsenide (AlGaAs). Other colors, such as yellow, amber and
green came shortly thereafter. The breakthrough for more
colors came with the blue LED; originally, this was silicon
carbide. The applications for these early LEDs were largely
limited to low power displays, because the output was
limited.
A breakthrough in LED technology is opening the door to
a wide variety of higher power illuminating applications,
which is now commercially available. This new generation
utilizes an Aluminum−Indium−Gallium−Phosphorus
(AlInGaP) substrate to emit significantly higher power red
or amber light intensity. Additional colors, such as green and
blue, built on an Indium−Gallium−Nitrogen (InGaN)
substrate soon followed. The full color spectrum, including
white, is now possible by using the proper mixing and
filtering of multiple colors. Today, the colors of amber,
red−orange, and red are typically from AlInGaP substrates,
while royal blue, blue, cyan, green and white are from
InGaN substrates.
The conversion efficiency of electrical energy into light
energy is very important. Today’s LEDs vary between 10
and 20% efficiency. The rest of the energy is converted to
heat. This heat must be effectively dissipated, as the
operating junction temperature of the LED die must be
maintained between −40°C and +125°C.
 Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, 2004
February, 2004 − Rev. 0
1
Publication Order Number:
AND8146/D
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For an average, LEDs rated 0.350 A, (350 mA), are
considered 1.0 W devices. This makes calculation easy for
a first order approximation.
Because the amount of light is limited from a single LED,
multiple LEDs are used to increase the amount of light.
LEDs are specified at their rated current. It is easy and
advantageous to place LEDs in series because LEDs in
series have the same current. Since LEDs are current
devices, a current control technique must be used to ensure
the LEDs are maintained within the manufacturer’s
specifications.
LEDs can be operated in parallel. In order to operate LEDs
in parallel, the devices must be matched using forward
voltage drop. This matching should occur at the LED
manufacturer. The process of keeping the proper voltage and
current through the LEDs is called ballasting. Ballasting
techniques are used extensively in other lighting
applications like fluorescent lamps.
and 8760 hours during a leap year, which equates to 8742
hours per year. This calculates to over 11 years and 5 months
of continuous service with light greater than 50% of the
initial output. Remember, in order to obtain maximum life,
the LEDs must be operated within the manufacturer’s
specified limits of both current and diode junction
temperature. LEDs should be used where extremely long
life is desired and the cost of lamp replacement is very high.
Characterization
The maximum forward current varies with the different
type, style, and manufacturer of LEDs. Lumileds has
specified the maximum forward currents at 30 mAdc,
75 mAdc, 150 mAdc, 350 mAdc, 700 mAdc, and
1000 mAdc for differently constructed LEDs. The higher
current devices have special thermally designed packages to
transfer the heat from the junction to the heat sink. This
paper will concentrate on circuits using the Lumileds
350 mAdc LED devices. The same rules can apply to
devices having other current ratings by simply scaling the
current and power of the designs.
The LED forward voltage drop varies between 2.50 Vdc
and 4.00 Vdc at the rated forward current; see Figure 1. This
variation is due to material used, AlInGaP and InGaN,
operating junction temperature and the various
manufacturing tolerances. This variation in forward voltage
drop must be taken into account for each LED lamp design.
Lumileds sorts their devices according to color, intensity,
and forward voltage drop at maximum rated current. The
forward voltage characteristic provides a better match at
maximum current than the match at lower current, see
Figure 2.
Wattage is the product of the forward voltage multiplied
by the forward current. For LEDs rated 350 mA DC, the
total wattage is calculated by taking the minimum and
maximum forward voltage multiplied by 0.35 A.
0.350 * 2.50 = 0.88 W minimum
0.350 * 4.00 = 1.40 W maximum
Energy Supply Voltage Variation, AC Line Power
The AC power line normally varies within five percent of
the stated value. Like any other source, the variations can be
much greater. The AC line is considered to vary ten percent.
In the United States and Canada, the normal 120 Vac line can
take on values between 108 Vac to 132 Vac. There is another
condition called ‘brown out’ where the AC line voltage
drops another ten percent to 96 Vac. A ‘brown out’ condition
occurs when the electrical utility company lowers the value
of AC voltage generated. This happens under extreme high
demand conditions; the utility does this to keep the
generating equipment operational and within safe operating
conditions while still providing some electrical energy to its
customers. Under this condition 120 V incandescent lamps
operate but at a reduced light output and reduce wattage.
Most electric motors operate in a more economical fashion.
The AC line voltage variation from the normal can be stated
as +10/−20 for worst−case normal conditions.
400
1.0
Royal Blue, Blue, Cyan,
Green, White (InGaN)
300
Red, Reddish Orange,
Amber (AllnGaP)
250
200
150
Larger LED to LED
Variations
100
50
0
0.0
350 mA
Low Current
Operating Point 1
FORWARD CURRENT
FORWARD CURRENT (mA)
350
0.1
0.01
0.001
Low Current
Operating Point 2
0.0001
Threshold Voltage
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
0.00001
1.6
3.5 4.0
FORWARD VOLTAGE (V)
1.8
2.0
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.8
FORWARD VOLTAGE
Figure 1. Typical Forward Voltage of Different Colors
Figure 2. Forward Voltage Matching of LEDs
at 350 mA DC
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1.49 2 * * 60 * 33e−6 * 120
1.24 2 * * 60 * 33e−6 * 100
Constant Current Design for 12 Vdc
The easiest constant current approach for low voltage DC
systems is to use an adjustable linear regulator such as the
LM317 or the MC33269. The circuit is shown in Figure 3.
MC33269
Adjustable
Linear
Regulator
(eq. 3)
Only half of the above current flows to the load, the
remaining current is recirculated to discharge the coupling
capacitor.
3.6 1.25 V
1.5 Aac in the 33 F cap
1.25 Aac in the 33 F cap
350 mA
LED Current
Half−Wave Capacitive Drop Circuit
RF
C1
D
Vin
0.1 F
LED
+
Vin AC
Z
C2
RL
LED
Figure 4. Half−Wave Capacitive Drop Supply
Figure 3. Constant Current Regulator
The half−wave circuit, of Figure 4, operates in the
following fashion. During the positive portion of the AC
voltage, AC current flows through the input resistor RF, C1,
D, and the parallel combination of RL and C2. When the
input voltage has charged C2 to one diode drop below the
Zener diode voltage, VZ, the current will have another
parallel path in which to flow. The excess current flows
through the Zener diode, Z, while capacitor C2 remains
charged and the voltage across the load RL remains
effectively constant. During this time, C1 charges to a high
voltage state. The capacitor C1 is a high voltage AC rated
capacitor. Once C1 is charged it must be discharged in order
to keep a charge on C2. During the negative half of the AC
voltage, C1 is discharged through the forward conduction of
the Zener diode, Z. As an engineering rule of thumb, this
approach can provide a load current of 10 mAdc for each
1.0 F of AC capacitance. This means that a 10 F, 125 Vac
capacitor can supply about 100 mAdc of current, and a
33 F 125 Vac capacitor is needed to supply a 0.35 Adc
LED. The following is the limit and purpose of each
component.
RF Fusible link metal film resistor and additional current
limit for AC line transients
C1 AC rated capacitor
Z
Zener diode, 5.6 V device is used for a 5.0 VDC output
D
Diode; e.g. 1N4004
C2 Electrolytic capacitor of at least 100 times the value
of C1
RL Load
Figure 4 can be modified for LED operation by adding a
constant current circuit, such as the previously described
In this scheme, the adjustable regulator is configured as a
current regulator. The regulator will act to maintain a voltage
of 1.25 V across the series resistor. The 1.25 V is the
reference voltage of the regulator. Consequently the load
current can be determined by:
ILED 1.25
Rs
(eq. 1)
If an LED peak current of 350 mAdc is required, the sense
resistor is calculated to be 3.6 .
Capacitive Drop
Capacitive drop supplies have been used in many
consumer products, such as smoke detectors. These types of
supplies are accepted by regulatory agencies, provided the
product is sealed, and the consumer can not touch any
connections. A concept schematic is shown below in
Figure 4 for a half−wave type capacitive drop circuit. A
capacitive drop supply is essentially a voltage divider such
that a series capacitor drops the input voltage down to a more
usable level. Each capacitive drop supply is good for a
narrow range of AC line voltage and AC line frequency
applications. The 120 Vac, 60 Hz design is different than a
230 Vac, 50 Hz circuit. Since the front end capacitor drops
the bulk of the AC line voltage, the rms input current, Iac,
can be defined by Equation 2 as a first order approximation.
As an example, Equation 3 shows the amount of current
using a 33 F capacitor for two AC line voltages: 120 Vac,
and 100 Vac.
IRMS X
VAC
V
AC 2FCVAC (eq. 2)
1
AC_CAPACITOR
2FC
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SPICE Simulation of Half−Wave Capacitive Drop
Circuit
LM317 circuit. This is shown in Figure 5, where the value
of Zener is defined to be a 24 V, 3.0 W, device, 1N5934B.
This circuit can operate one, or two, LEDs at 350 mA peak.
The half−wave capacitive drop circuit was simulated on
IsSPICE from Intusoft with the schematic as shown in
Figure 6.
10 F
125 VAC 1N4004
AC Hot
LM317
2.2 3.6
+
1000 F
25 Vdc
1N5934B
LED
AC Neutral
Figure 5. Two LED, Half−Wave, Capacitive
Drop Circuit
Vreg
C1
10 F
R1
2.2
Vs
1
4
+
V1
Vz
D2
1N4004
X1
LM317MOT
5
6
Iin
R2
3.6
Vin
IN
OUT
ADJUST
Vled
3
Ifiltercap
D6
1N4004
D8
Blue LED
7
C2
1000 F
D5
1N4749
2
D8x
Blue LED
8
Iled
R3
0.1
Figure 6. Half−Wave Capacitor Drop Lumiled Circuit
Several points should be noted. First, the schematic shows
a diode in parallel with the Zener diode, D5. The reason is
the forward voltage drop of a Zener diode is higher than a
standard rectifier such as the 1N4004. A parallel diode will
shunt some of the current, causing the Zener to dissipate less
power and therefore run cooler.
Secondly, to model the LEDs, the generic diode model
was modified to match the much larger LED forward voltage
drop. To do this, the fundamental diode equation was
evaluated:
iD Io(evDNVT−1)
In this equation iD is the diode current, vD is the forward
drop of the diode, N is the emission coefficient (usually
between 1 and 2), Io is the reverse saturation current, and VT
is defined as:
VT kT
q 26 mV
(eq. 5)
where k is Boltzmann’s constant (1.38 x 10−23 J/K), T is the
absolute temperature (K), and q is the charge on an electron.
At 350 mA the forward drop for a blue LED from Lumileds
is about 3.5 V. Letting N = 2, Equation 4 can be solved for
Io. Modifying the IsSpice model with these numbers yields
the simulation results shown in Figure 7.
(eq. 4)
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Figure 7. Simulation Results of Half−Wave Capacitive Drop Circuit
simulation results shown in Figure 7 show good correlation
with the actual waveforms shown in Figure 8. The LED
model appears to be a good first order model.
Figure 7 shows the LED current, the DC input voltage to
the LM317 regulator, and the 132 Vac input voltage.
The circuit shown in Figure 6 was built and tested. The
results of the actual waveforms are shown in Figure 8. The
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Figure 8. Oscilloscope Measurements of Half−Wave Capacitor Drop Lumiled Circuit
is a three LED, full−wave, capacitive drop supply using an
LM317 as the current limiting element.
In the full bridge version, the coupling capacitor, C1, is
charged and discharged through the full bridge. Depending
upon the load, the value of the Zener may vary and may not
be needed except during high line conditions. The resistor,
Rd, is mainly used as a filter, and to help maintain regulation.
Notice that in both the actual and simulated results, the LED
current is clamped to 350 mA as per Equation 1. During the
time the AC input is negative, the energy source for the load
is the 1000 F capacitor. As the capacitor’s energy is
depleted, the LM317 comes out of regulation and the LED
current decreases. Depending on the individual observer,
light flicker at the line frequency rate may be noticeable
under certain conditions. To reduce or eliminate any
possibility of noticeable flicker larger electrolytic capacitor
may be used. Another method to reduce the flicker effects is
to use a full−wave version of the capacitive drop supply.
Rd
RF
C1
Z
+
Full−Wave Capacitive Drop Circuit
The full−wave version of the capacitive drop circuit is
shown in Figure 9. The engineering rule of thumb on this
approach is 20 mAdc of load current is possible for each
1.0 F of AC coupling capacitor. The full bridge approach
would use only a 15 F, 125 Vac rated capacitor. Figure 10
C2
+
C3
RL
Vin AC
Figure 9. Full−Wave Capacitive Drop Supply
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AND8146/D
Making the assumption, that all of the IDC−AVERAGE is
used for the LED, and is equal to 0.35 A. The value of the
coupling capacitor, C, can be calculated for low line,
100 Vac, 60 Hz. This is shown in Equation 7. This is the
value of the AC coupling capacitor used in Figure 10.
1N5934
10
10 F
2.2 125 VAC
+
100 F
50 Vdc
Vin
AC
LM317
3.6
+
470 F
25 Vdc
C
ILED
0.35
10.3e 6 10 F
4 2 FVAC
4 2 * 60 * 100
(eq. 7)
As mentioned above, since there are no losses in the Zener
diode, an 8.0 F capacitor will be used.
Figure 10. Three LED, Full−Wave, Capacitive Drop
The current flowing through the coupling capacitor is
determined by using Equation 2. In the full bridge version,
this is less than half the value of the half−wave capacitive
drop approach. The value of the coupling capacitor may be
able to be reduced if the there are no losses in the Zener
diode. The DC average value of the current flowing past the
bridge rectifiers is calculated as shown in Equation 6.
2 22 2 FCV
IDC−AVERAGE IRMS 2 AC
4 2 FCVAC
SPICE Simulation of Full−Wave Capacitive Drop
Circuit
The full−wave capacitive drop circuit was also simulated
using IsSPICE from Intusoft. The LEDs were modeled as
before. The simulation schematic is shown in Figure 11.
(eq. 6)
Vreg
Vdc
Vinpcap
Vs
C1
8 F
R1
2.2
5
7
12
D2
1N4004
X1
LM317MOT
Vfilt
R4
10
IN
13
D4
1N4004
C4
470 F
Pr4
Vinpbrg
OUT
ADJUST
R2
3.6
3
D13
Blue LED
2
8
D12
Blue LED
C3
100 F
Iin
4
+
V1
2
1
D15
1N5359A
D1
1N4004
Vout
D8
Blue LED
D7
1N4004
18
Iled
Figure 11. Simulation Schematic of Full−Wave Capacitive Drop Circuit
The results of the simulation are shown in Figure 12.
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R3
0.1
Vled
AND8146/D
Figure 12. Results of Simulation of Full−Wave Capacitive Drop Circuit
As before, the waveforms shown are the LED current, the
input voltage to the LM317 regulator, and the input AC
voltage. Again this shows good correlation with the actual
oscilloscope measurements of Figure 13.
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Figure 13. Oscilloscope Measurements of Full−Wave Capacitive Drop Circuit
Demo Board Circuit
The actual demo board circuit schematics and BOM are
shown below.
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IC1
LM317BT
w/Heatsink
TP1 R2
P/L
TP2
IN
OUT
ADJ
R3
3.6,
1W
TP3
JMP1
F1
1 A,
250 V
R1
22,
2W
D1
P/L
D2
P/L
ZD3
4.7 V
C1
P/L
D5
P/L
Conn1
C2
P/L
D3
P/L
ZD1
P/L
C3
P/L
ZD2
P/L
C4
P/L
ZD4
4.7 V
ZD5
P/L
D4
P/L
TP4
NOTE: P/L denotes see Parts List for value/type
Figure 14. Lumiled Demo Board Half/Full−Wave Capacitor Drop Circuit
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LED1
P/L
LED2
P/L
LED3
P/L
AND8146/D
HALF−WAVE PARTS LIST
Sch. Ref.
Vendor
Part Number/Description
Conn1
Phoenix Contact
1715035
C1
Panasonic
JSU23X106AQC (10 F, 230 Vac Dry Film Cap)
C2
Out
C3
Out
C4
Panasonic
EEU−FC1E102 (1000 F, 25 V)
D1
ON Semiconductor
1N4004 (1.0 A, 400 V, Axial)
D2, D3
Out
D4
24 Ga Bare Wire Jumper
D5
Out (Prov. for 1N4004)
F1
Littlefuse
224001 (1.0 A, 250 V, Pigtail Fuse)
IC1
ON Semiconductor
LM317BT (1.5 A, Adj. Regulator)
IC1
AAVID
566010B02800 (Heatsink)
JMP1
24 Ga Insulated Stranded Wire approximately 2″
R1
2.2 , 2.0 W
R2
24 Ga Bare Wire Jumper
3.6 , 1.0 W
R3
TP1
Keystone
5000 (Test Point − Red)
TP2
Keystone
5000 (Test Point − Red)
TP3
Keystone
5002 (Test Point − White)
TP4
Keystone
5001 (Test Point − Black)
LED1−LED2
Lumileds
LXHL−M*** (* indicates color)
LED3
ZD1
24 Ga Bare Wire Jumper
ON Semiconductor
1N5934B (24 V, 3.0 W)
ON Semiconductor
1N5917 (4.7 V, 3.0 W)
ZD2
ZD3−ZD4
Out
ZD5
Out
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FULL−WAVE PARTS LIST
Sch. Ref.
Vendor
Part Number/Description
Conn1
Phoenix Contact
1715035
C1
Panasonic
ECH−A22405JX (4.0 F, 220 Vac)
C2
Panasonic
ECH−A22405JX (4.0 F, 220 Vac)
C3
Panasonic
EEU−FC1H101 (100 F, 50 V)
C4
Panasonic
EEU−FC1E471 (470 F, 25 V)
D1, D2, D3, D4
ON Semiconductor
1N4004 (1.0 A, 400 V, Axial)
F1
Littlefuse
224001 (1.0 A, 250 V, Pigtail Fuse)
IC1
ON Semiconductor
LM317BT (1.5 A, Adj. Regulator)
IC1
AAVID
566010B02800 (Heatsink)
D5
Out
JMP1
24 Ga Insulated Stranded Wire approximately 2″
R1
2.2 , 2.0 W
R2
10 , 2.0 W
R3
3.6 , 1.0 W
TP1
Keystone
5000 (Test Point − Red)
TP2
Keystone
5000 (Test Point − Red)
TP3
Keystone
5002 (Test Point − White)
TP4
Keystone
5001 (Test Point − Black)
LED1, LED2, LED3
Lumileds
LXHL−M*** (* indicates color)
ZD2
ON Semiconductor
1N5934B (24 V, 3.0 W)
ZD3, ZD4, ZD5
ON Semiconductor
1N5917 (4.7 V, 3.0 W)
ZD1
Out
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Figure 15. Top Side Foil of Capacitive Drop Lumiled Demo Board
Figure 16. Bottom Side Foil of Capacitive Drop Lumiled Demo Board
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References
1. Lumileds, www.lumiled.com.
2. Luxeon, www.luxeon.com.
3. Lumileds, www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS45.PDF,
October 15, 2003.
4. Lumileds, www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS46.PDF,
October 15, 2003.
ON Semiconductor and
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