NCRxxx LED Drivers

Nexperia's constant-current LED drivers offer a very cost-efficient and easy-to-implement solution for driving low- and medium-power LEDs. Using packages with a higher P_tot directly translates into a higher margin in the supply voltage and parallel drivers can be used to increase the current capability.

LEDs are widely used across all market segments. Although high power LEDs need complex driver schemes, the vast majority of applications use LEDs with currents below 500 mA and can be driven by linear constant-current LED drivers. These are easy-to-use, reliable, cost-efficient, and do not affect EMC.

To drive high-performance LEDs, there are various high-end solutions using boost-buck topologies with complex controllers that require a deep understanding of the topology to create reliable and EMC-compliant designs. For low- and medium-power LEDs, however, there is the very simple and robust driver solution using constant-current LED drivers which operate as a simple linear regulator.

From a power loss perspective, constant-current LED drivers are not ideal, but their excellent EMC performance, reliability, simple implementation, and significantly lower system costs make them a preferred solution for driving LEDs up to about 500 mA. Nexperia´s space-saving solutions are ideal for constant current source and automotive applications.