SP4422ADS/15
SP4422A Electroluminescent Lamp Driver
5
Copyright 2000 Sipex Corporation
When the energy from the coil is released, a high
voltage spike is created triggering the SCR
switches. The direction of current flow is
determined by which SCR is enabled. One full
cycle of the H-bridge will create 16 voltage steps
from ground to 80V (typical) on pins 4 and 5 which
are 180 degrees out of phase from each other (see
figure 3
on
page 9
. A differential representation of
the outputs is shown in
figure 4
on
page 9
.
Layout Considerations
The
SP4422A
circuit board layout must observe
careful analog precautions. For applications with
noisy voltage power supplies a 0.1
μ
F low ESR
decoupling capacitor must be connected from V
to ground. Any high voltage traces should be
isolated from any digital clock traces or enable
lines. A solid ground plane connection is strongly
recommended. All traces to the coil or to the high
voltage outputs should be kept as short as possible
to minimize capacitive coupling to digital clock
lines and to reduce EMI emissions.
Electroluminescent Technology
What is electroluminescence
An EL lamp is basically a strip of plastic that is
coated with a phosphorous material which emits
light (fluoresces) when a high voltage (>40V)
which was first applied across it, is removed or
reversed. Long periods of DC voltages applied to
the material tend to breakdown the material and
reduce its lifetime. With these considerations in
mind, the ideal signal to drive an EL lamp is a high
voltage sine wave. Traditional approaches to
achieving this type of waveform included discrete
circuits incorporating a transformer, transistors,
and several resistors and capacitors. This approach
is large and bulky, and cannot be implemented in
most hand held equipment.
Sipex
now offers low
power single chip driver circuits specifically
designed to drive small to medium sized
electroluminescent panels. All that is required is
one external inductor and capacitor.
Electroluminescent backlighting is ideal when used
with LCD displays, keypads, or other backlit
readouts. Its main use is to illuminate displays in
dim to dark conditions for momentary periods of
time. EL lamps typically consume less than LEDs
or bulbs making them ideal for battery powered
products. Also, EL lamps are able to evenly light
an area without creating "hot spots" in the display.
The amount of light emitted is a function of the
voltage applied to the lamp, the frequency at which
it is applied, the lamp material used and its size,
and lastly, the inductor used. There are many
variables which can be optimized for specific
applications.
Sipex
supplies characterization charts
to aid the designer in selecting the optimum circuit
configuration (see
page 6
).
SP4422A Test Circuit
0.1
μ
F Low ESR
Decoupling
Capacitor
NOTE:
Keep high voltage traces
short and away from V
DD
and clock lines
Cap2
Cap1
V
DD
EL1
HON
V
SS
Coil
EL2
HON=V
=ON
HON=0V=OFF
SP4422A
V
IN
=3V
5
NOTE:
Keep coil as close to the
SP4422A as possible
+
–
C
OSC
=100pF
100
17nF