Atmel® Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML), a leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch solutions, has rolled out three new two-channel solid state lighting (SSL) LED drivers ideal for applications including general lighting, residential and commercial lighting, architectural lighting, and mood lighting. The drivers provide accurate color control for two-color LED light engines and deliver the most efficient power management, with the lowest component count, for high CRI LED lamps.
 
The new MSL2021/23/24 LED devices have several distinct advantages when compared to existing LED drivers:
 
The devices drive one dominant LED string with a linear controller and one color LED string with a low-side buck controller to achieve the target correlated color temperature (CCT) coordinate, and replicate the color spectrum to attain a high CRI value.
 
The devices have a look-up table in the EEPROM so designers can  program accurate profiles to follow the desired CCT compensation curve, lowering the overall bill of materials (BOM) cost.
 
The linear controller for white LEDs in the device family adaptively controls the headroom of any AC/DC or DC/DC, isolated or non-isolated topology, while external MOSFETs give designers the flexibility of choosing LED currents and LED string lengths.
 
There are several dimming options and I2C interface for additional flexibility and control.
 
“White point control of an LED lamp is a key challenge for designing high-performance general, architectural or mood lighting,” said Tushar Dhayagude, Director of LED Products, Atmel Corporation. “The MSL2021/23/24 LED devices address this key issue by enabling the control of two strings, typically comprising of white and red or amber LEDs, to provide precise white color control, while providing extraordinary power efficiency, flexibility and wide power levels for the lamps.”