TI’s car LED drivers aimed at dashboard apps

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has announced its next-generation AEC-Q100 qualified automotive LED drivers that the company said features the industry’s highest voltage rating, thermal shutdown protection and optimized electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance. The TLC6C598-Q1 and TLC6C5912-Q1 are monolithic, medium-voltage, low-current 8bit/12bit shift registers aimed at systems that require relatively moderate load power. The devices are geared for automotive dashboard applications such as tell-tale warning lamps, instrumentation cluster, and LED illumination and control.

The TLC6C598-Q1 and TLC6C5912-Q1 have the highest rating of up to 40V on all outputs. This allows the TLC6C598-Q1 to power up to eight strings of LEDs and the TLC6C5912-Q1 to power up to twelve strings of LEDs directly connected to the automotive battery. Also, the devices offer self-protection against power dissipation, which results in better long-term reliability when low- and high-temperature demands are placed on the device. In addition, the LED driver have controlled and optimized rise and fall time for the outputs, reducing the electromagnetic emissions.

A simulation model is available for the TLC6C598-Q1 at www.ti.com/tlc6c598-q1-model-pr and for the TLC6C5912-Q1 at www.ti.com/tlc6c5912-q1-model-pr. A reference design, schematic checklist and application note are also available.

The TLC6C598-Q1 comes in two packages: the SOIC-D and TSSOP-PW 16-pin packages are available for ordering at a suggested retail price of $0.50 in 2,500-unit quantities. The TLC6C5912-Q1 comes in two packages: the SOIC and TSSOP 20-pin packages are available for ordering at a suggested retail price of $0.70 in 2,500-unit quantities.