NSC LM3404

National Semiconductor
Chris Richardson
January 7, 2008
Introduction
The LM3404/04HV is a buck regulator derived controlled current source designed to drive a series string of high power,
high brightness LEDs (HBLEDs) such as the Luxeon™ K2
Emitter at forward currents of up to 1.0A. The board can accept an input voltage ranging from 6V to 42V when using the
LM3404. When using the pin-for-pin compatible LM3404HV
the upper bound of input voltage is 75V. The converter output
voltage adjusts as needed to maintain a constant current
through the LED array. The LM3404/04HV is a true step-down
regulator with an output voltage range extending from a VO
(MIN) of 200 mV (the reference voltage) to a VO(MAX) determined by the minimum off time (typically 300 ns). It can
maintain regulated current through any number of LEDs as
long as the combined forward voltage of the array does not
exceed VO(MAX)..
Circuit Performance LM3404
The LM3404 circuit and BOM have been designed to provide
a constant forward current of 1.0A to a single LED with a forward voltage of approximately 3.7V (Typical of white, blue,
and green LEDs using InGaN technology) from an input of
24V ±10%. Over the input voltage range of 6V to 42V the average LED current, IF, is 1.0A ±10%, the ripple current, ΔiF,
will not exceed 400 mAP-P, and the switching frequency is 450
kHz ± 10%.
Circuit Performance LM3404HV
The LM3404HV circuit and BOM have been designed to provide a constant forward current of 1.0A to a single LED with
a forward voltage of approximately 3.7V from an input of 48V
±10%. Over the input voltage range of 6V to 75V the average
LED current, IF, is 1.0A ±10%, the ripple current, ΔiF, will not
exceed 400 mAP-P, and the switching frequency is 200 kHz ±
10%.
Connecting to LED Array
The LM3404/04HV Evaluation Board includes a female 6-pin
SIP, J1, connector as well as two standard 94mil turret connectors for the cathode and anode connections of the LED
array. Figure 1 shows the pinout of J1. Solid 18 or 20 gauge
wire with about 1 cm of insulation stripped away makes a
convenient, solderless connection to J1.
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FIGURE 1.
Setting the LED Current
The default forward current ILED delivered to the LED array is
1.0A, typical of many 3W LEDs. To adjust this value the current setting resistor RSNS can be changed according to the
following equation:
LM3404/LM3404HV Evaluation Board
LM3404/LM3404HV
Evaluation Board
tSNS = 220 ns
This resistor should be rated to handle the power dissipation
of the LED current. For example, the closest 5% tolerance
resistor to set an LED current of 1.0A is 0.22 Ω. In steady state
this resistor will dissipate (1.0 x 0.22) = 220 mW, indicating
that a resistor with a 1/4W power rating is appropriate.
PWM Dimming
The DIM1 terminal on the PCB provides an input for a pulse
width modulation signal for dimming of the LED array. In order
to fully enable and disable the LM3404/04HV the PWM signal
should have a maximum logic low level of 0.8V and a minimum logic high level of 2.2V. The maximum PWM dimming
frequency, minimum PWM duty cycle and maximum duty cycle are illustrated in Figure 2. PWM frequency should be at
least one order of magnitude below the LM3404/04HV switching frequency. The interval tD represents the delay from a
logic high at the DIM pin to the onset of the output current.
The quantities tSU and tSD represent the time needed for the
output current to slew up to steady state and slew down to
zero, respectively. Typical response times for the standard
LM3404 and LM3404HV demo boards circuits are shown in
the Typical Performance Characteristics section.
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20215902
FIGURE 2. PWM Dimming Limits
The logic of DIM1 is direct, hence the LM3404/04HV will deliver regulated output current when the voltage at DIM1 is
high, and the current output is disabled when the voltage at
DIM1 is low. Connecting a constant logic low will disable the
output, and the LM3404/04HV is enabled if the DIM pin is
open-circuited. The DIM1 function disables only the power
MOSFET, leaving all other circuit blocks functioning to minimize the converter response time.
The DIM2 terminal provides a second method for PWM dimming by connecting to the gate of an optional MOSFET, Q1.
Note that Q1 is not provided on the standard BOM, and must
be added for the DIM2 function to operate. Q1 provides a
parallel path for the LED current. This small MOSFET can be
turned on and off much more quickly than the LM3404/04HV
can shutdown the internal MOSFET, providing faster response time for higher frequency and/or greater resolution in
the PWM dimming signal. The trade-off in this method is that
the full current flows through Q1 while the LED is off, resulting
in lower efficiency.
The logic of DIM2 is inverted, hence the LM3404/04HV will
deliver regulated output current when the voltage at DIM2 is
low, and the current output is disabled when the voltage at
DIM2 is high. Connecting a constant logic high to the DIM2
will turn off the LED but will not shut down the LM3404/04HV.
Output Open Circuit
With either DIM terminal floating or connected to logic high,
the LM3404/04HV will begin to operate as soon as it has an
input of at least 6V. In the case that the input is powered but
no LED array is connected the output voltage will rise to equal
the input voltage. The output of the circuit is rated to 50V
(LM3404) or 100V (LM3404HV) and will not suffer damage,
however care should be taken not to connect an LED array if
the output voltage is higher than the target forward voltage of
the LED array in steady state. Alternatively, a zener diode and
zener current limiting resistor can be placed in the positions
Z1 and RZ. In the case of an accidental open circuit at the
output Z1 will enter reverse bias and attempt to pull the CS
pin voltage up to the output voltage. An internal comparator
monitors the CS pin voltage and will disable the internal MOSFET in this case. The result is a low power hiccup mode,
designed to prevent excessive voltage at the output and thermal stress on the inductor, internal MOSFET, and input voltage source.
Low Power Shutdown
The LM3404/04HV can be placed into a low power shutdown
(typically 90 µA) by grounding the OFF* terminal. During normal operation this terminal should be left open-circuit.
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20215904
FIGURE 3. Standard Schematic
TABLE 1. BOM 1 (LM3404)
ID
Part Number
Type
Size
Parameters
Qty
Vendor
U1
LM3404
LED Driver
SO-8
42V, 1.0A
1
NSC
L1
SLF10145T- 330M1R6
Inductor
10.1 x 10.1 x
4.5mm
33µH, 1.6A, 82mΩ
1
TDK
D1
CMSH2-60M
Schottky Diode
SMA
60V, 2A
1
Central Semi
Cf
VJ0805Y104KXXAT
Capacitor
0805
100nF 10%
1
Vishay
Cb
VJ0805Y103KXXAT
Capacitor
0805
10nF 10%
1
Vishay
Cin
C3225X7R1H335M
Capacitor
1210
3.3µF, 50V
1
TDK
Rsns
ERJ8BQFR22V
Resistor
1206
0.22Ω 1%
1
Panasonic
Ron
CRCW08056812F
Resistor
0805
68.1kΩ 1%
1
Vishay
0Ω
Rz
CRCW08050R00F
Resistor
0805
1
Vishay
DIM1, DIM2,
OFF*
160-1512
Terminal
0.062”
3
Cambion
GND1, GND2,
GND3, VIN, Vo/
LED+, CS/LED-
160-1026
Terminal
0.094”
6
Cambion
J1
535676-5
Connector
Custom
1
Tyco/AMP
3
6 Pins
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TABLE 2. BOM 2 (LM3404HV)
ID
Part Number
Type
U1
LM3404HV
LED Driver
L1
SLF12555T- 680M1R3
Inductor
D1
CMSH2-100
Schottky Diode
Cf
VJ0805Y104KXXAT
Capacitor
Size
Parameters
Qty
Vendor
MSOP-8
75V, 0.5A
1
NSC
12.5 x 12.5 x
5.5mm
68µH, 1.3A, 83mΩ
1
TDK
SMB
100V, 2A
1
Central Semi
0805
100nF 10%
1
Vishay
Cb
VJ0805Y103KXXAT
Capacitor
0805
10nF 10%
1
Vishay
Cin
C4532X7R2A225M
Capacitor
1812
2.2µF, 100V
1
TDK
Co1
C3216X7R2A105M
Capacitor
1206
1.0µF, 100V
1
TDK
Rsns
ERJ8BQFR22V
Resistor
1206
0.22Ω 1%
1
Panasonic
Ron
CRCW08051743F
Resistor
0805
174kΩ 1%
1
Vishay
Rz
CRCW08050R00F
Resistor
0805
0Ω
1
Vishay
DIM1, DIM2, OFF*
160-1512
Terminal
0.062”
3
Cambion
GND1, GND2,
GND3, VIN, Vo/
LED+, CS/LED-
160-1026
Terminal
0.094”
6
Cambion
J1
535676-5
Connector
Custom
1
Tyco/AMP
6 Pins
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FIGURE 4. Complete Evaluation Board Schematic
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Typical Performance Characteristics
Efficiency for Table 1
TA = 25°C, IF = 1.0A
Efficiency for Table 2
TA = 25°C, IF = 1.0A
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IF vs VIN for Table 1
TA = 25°C
IF vs VIN for Table 2
TA = 25°C
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DIM Pin Enable for Table 1
DIM Pin Disable for Table 1
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Switching Waveforms for Table 1
Output Ripple Current for Table 1
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20215915
DIM Pin Enable for Table 2
DIM Pin Disable for Table 2
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Switching Waveforms for Table 2
Output Ripple Current for Table 2
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Layout
20215906
Top Layer and Top Overlay
7
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20215907
Bottom Layer and Bottom Overlay
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Notes
9
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LM3404/LM3404HV Evaluation Board
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