Cirrus Logic introduces its second line of digital LED controllers

     Cirrus Logic has announced the launch of its second family of digital LED controllers, and products featuring digital TruDim™ dimming compatible technology will continue to drive global adoption of LED bulbs. In addition to achieving near-100% compatibility with dimmers worldwide, the new CS163X product family also offers dual-channel LED hybrid two-color features. This will help LED bulb manufacturers create natural high-quality warm light more efficiently, while lowering the cost threshold for dual-channel LED bulbs.

     The CS163X product family offers superior color quality, achieving up to 30% efficiency over single-channel white LED products. The innovative digital architecture enables the CS163X product family to control two LED strings by using components typically used to control a single LED string, achieving lower system costs compared to today's two-channel solutions. In addition, the CS163X incorporates powerline calibration technology, which allows manufacturers to calibrate bulb characteristics such as light output and color temperature by sending commands through the AC power terminal at the final stage of manufacturing. The patent-pending technology enables manufacturers to take advantage of multiple performance characteristics of leds, thereby reducing LED costs and achieving light output and color temperature consistency across bulbs.

     Horst Varga, Semiconductor Applications Engineer at OSram Opto, said: "Cirrus Logic's dual-channel, TRIAC dimming digital LED controller CS163X series is a breakthrough in the digital controller market and an ideal system solution for our Brilliant Mix technology. In LED application markets that require high color rendering index (CRI) and high power efficiency, the high integration and performance of CS163X helps our Brilliant Mix technology capture many new opportunities. The combination of these technologies will accelerate the growth of LED bulbs with the same natural light properties as today's incandescent and halogen lamps."

     In March 2012, Cirrus Logic launched its first LED controller product family, CS161X, and officially entered the LED market. The product family focuses on dimming compatibility issues. The foundational element of Cirrus Logic's LED portfolio is its digital TruDim technology, the culmination of a three-year investment in TRIAC interface algorithms, LED driver topologies and system architectures. TruDim digital intelligence allows the controller to identify the type of dimmer in use and adjust the compatibility algorithm, providing smooth dimming in the same way that consumers have come to expect from incandescent bulbs for decades.

     Cirrus Logic LED Lighting Product Strategic marketing manager Will Draper said: "The Cirrus Logic digital LED controller development blueprint is to help LED lighting manufacturers solve important challenges such as dimmer compatibility and color quality, thereby driving consumer adoption. The CS163X product family is based on the CS161X, our first generation digital LED driver with near-perfect dimming compatibility, while adding dual-channel hybrid dual-color technology for superior light quality and energy savings of up to 30% over single-channel white LED bulbs. This new generation of products establishes performance benchmarks in dimming and color quality, and our future products will continue to focus on reducing system costs while maintaining performance leadership."