PrevaLED system
XLamp ML-E LED
VGA sensor
FG896 package
Light fixtures
NSD-2101 drive chip
For most of 2010, the component market seemed to be slowly coasting in most areas, either expanding existing product lines and/or enhancing functionality as the prime feature of newer products. As tired as you all are of hearing it, the shabby condition of the economy did play a significant role in creating this state of affairs.
Also, end users seemed to be significantly slowing down consumption. Perhaps they’re trying to catch up with all of today’s technology, i.e., assimilate it in some logical if not functional manner, or pay the bills on last year’s flights of fancy.
The upside is that there was a sizable number of these expansions and functional advances, particularly in established components that have stood the test of time. Of course, there were a few unique entries and, most importantly, the industry did not put the brakes on completely.
LEDs Advance Slowly
Sooner or later, LEDs will be in every home and business. The biggest roadblock to this inevitable migration from traditional lighting to LEDs is cost, followed by energy requirements and agency standards, boosting brightness and efficiency, and cultivating consumer confidence.
In May, OSRAM SYLVANIA and Cree took independent swings at these issues and produced more than just base hits with the innovative PrevaLED LED directional lighting system and the latest 1/2W LEDs, respectively.
Osram’s PrevaLED system (Fig. 1) promises to make the evolution of LED technology more seamless and sustainable. In addition to fulfilling the needs and removing some of the limitations of the current solid-state lighting (SSL) market, the system is prepared to easily transition into future advances and upgrades in the SSL space.
PrevaLED employs a modular, common form factor for its light engines, enabling luminaire manufacturers to create sustainable lighting solutions in lieu of the constant evolution of LED technology and efficiency. Also, end users will have the critical ability to upgrade to future energy-efficient light sources without hassles.
System features include a color-rendering index of more than 90 at both 3000K and 4000K color temperatures and active control of the light output to reduce visual variations between light engines. A version consisting of 2-in. round modules will be available in a range of 800 to 3000 lumens and with multiple integrated reflector mounting options.
Addressing agency requirements, Cree raised the bar for 1/2W LEDs with its XLamp ML-E LED (Fig. 2). The lighting-class component provides users with a compact, cost-effective solution for distributed LED arrays that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star criteria.
The XLamp ML-E delivers up to 58 lm at 150 mA in cool white (5000K) and up to 48 lm in warm white (3000K). Additionally, it provides an ANSI-complaint (American National Standards Institute) angular chromaticity as well as a 120° viewing angle.
Image Sensor Is Fleet Of Frame
When it comes to imaging devices, things can get pretty complicated because the market seems obsessed with squeezing cameras into every conceivable nook and cranny for every application, both conceivable and not. However, that never seems to be a problem for the folks at Omnivision.
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Optimized for smooth video recording and accurate motion detection, the OV7735 VGA sensor (Fig. 3) captures video at 60 fps and measures less than 3 mm thick. Its maximum image transfer rates are 60 fps (VGA) and 120 fps (QVGA and QQVGA), and its image area is 1968 by 1488 µm.
Based on the company’s 3-µm Omni-Pixel3-HSTM high sensitivity pixel, the device achieves a sensitivity of 3300 mV/lux-s. Also, the OV7735 provides full-frame, sub-sampled, windowed, or scaled 8/10-bit images in RAW RGB and YUV formats over a parallel DVP or serial MIPI port. And, it boasts an active array size of 640 by 480, an active power consumption of 100 mW, and a standby consumption of 76 µW.
Furthermore, its operating temperature ranges from –30°C to 70°C. The device also features a lens size of 1/7.5 in., a lens chief ray angle of 26.5°, an input clock frequency from 6 MHz to 27 MHz, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 38 dB, a dynamic range of 68 dB, a fixed-pattern noise figure of 1% of Vp-p, sensitivity of 3300 mV/lux-s, and a dark current of 10 mV/s at 60°C. The sensor additionally offers two package options: CSP3 (3985 by 3635 µm) and COB (4000 by 3650 µm).
Connectors Hook Up And Light Up
Connectors, the often unsung components of the electronics business, are becoming more complex. Keeping up with unique configurations, standards, and protocols is daunting enough without having to address application-specific or universal demands. Yet two companies stepped up to the plate this past year and rounded all the bases.
Addressing the high costs of potential prototyping catastrophes, the Ironwood Electronics DC-AX2000/RTAX2000S-01 Actel device converter enables designers to utilize the commercial Axcelerator FG896 package (Fig. 4) during prototyping. Once all proves well, the socket accommodates a safe switch to an equivalent CQ352 package for production.
The component features a footprint and pin-out conversion multi-layer printed-circuit board (PCB) with a true gull-wing lead adapter for surface-mount (SMT) processing. Users can solder the AX2000/RTAX2000S-01 directly onto the SMT quad-flat-pack (QFP) pads using standard solder methods. Single-unit pricing for the DC-AX2000/RTAX2000S-01 is $1090.
Abetting the inevitable universal migration to LED lighting, Tyco Electronics’ Type CM solderless LED socket enables fast and simple integration of Cree’s XLamp MP-L multichip LEDs into light fixtures (Fig. 5). The socket offers a simple termination solution for the LED while allowing plenty of optical clearance for a 120° beam angle.
An added benefit of the socket is a snap-on connect feature for the LEDIL Tyra series of reflectors. These components offer directional optics in 18°, 30°, and 50° beam angles.
Motor Improves With Age
An established component within the motor and motion-control arena is New Scale Technologies’ Squiggle motor. Earning merits, it has been around for a while, and each reentry into the market comes with greater improvements.
Trumpeted as the industry’s smallest and exhibiting the lowest power consumption, the Squiggle RV linear drive system consists of an SQL-RV-1.8-6-12 piezo motor and NSD-2101 drive chip (Fig. 6). The combo delivers performance comparable to larger systems at 40% less power and under one-fourth the size.
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Also, the system is the industry’s first miniature piezo motor drive system with a driver chip that is smaller than the motor and driven directly from battery power as low as 2.3 V, according to New Scale Technologies. The Squiggle motor measures 2.8 by 2.8 by 6 mm, while the driver measures 1.8 by 1.8 mm.
For support, the DK-RV-1.8 series developer kits include all hardware and Pathway development software with scripting capabilities. Open-loop kits contain an SQL-RV-1.8 micro motor and NSD-2101 driver, and closed-loop kits add a Tracker NSE-5310 linear encoder. Developer kits are available starting from $495.
Power Supplies Keep Step Ahead Of Standards
For power supply OEMs, keeping abreast of new energy standards and mandates is probably as difficult, if not more so, than actually complying with them. However this does not seem to be an issue for the folks at TDK Lambda.
Complying with stringent requirements the likes of EISA, CEC, and Energy Star EPS Version 2.0, Efficiency Level V, Lambda’s DT100-C and DT150-C series (Fig. 7) external ac/dc power supplies offer models rated from 100W to 150W, respectively. Both series feature active PFC meeting EN61000-3-2 and operate from a universal input range from 90 to 264 Vac (47 to 63 Hz).
The compact units are available with output voltages of 12V, 16V, 19V, 24V, 36V, and 48V, all of which come in lightweight, insulated enclosures measuring 3.35” x 6.7” x 1.73”. Other features include an operating temperature range from 0°C to +40°C with no derating, over-voltage and short-circuit protections, an off/no-load standby power consumption of less than 0.5W, and a 3.4’ output cable with a molded four-pin connector.