A New LED Driver Was Unveiled by Microsemi

Microsemi unveiled a new LED driver designed specifically for North American street light installations. The LXMG221D-0700040-D2F LED driver eliminates step-down transformers typically used in street light fixtures in these markets, providing a single-step conversion from 347VAC or 480VAC down to less than 57VDC as typically required by LED fixtures. This allows manufacturers to design lighter fixtures, which can lower product development and transportation costs. According to estimates from industry analyst firm Strategies Unlimited, the LED street and area lighting market in 2010 was US$327 million. The market is expected to increase at a compound annual unit growth rate of approximately 26% from 2010-2015. North America, Europe and China lead in the deployment of LED lighting technology. "The deployment of high-performance solid state lighting fixtures is accelerating and customers are beginning to benefit from the improved efficiency and longer lifetimes these products deliver," stated Roger Holliday, vice president of Marketing for Microsemi's Analog Mixed Signal Group. "Street lights often represent one of the highest operating expenses for municipalities because of electricity, maintenance and replacement costs," said Irene Signorino, director of Marketing for Microsemi's Analog Mixed Signal Group. "LEDs help solve this issue by minimizing energy consumption and reducing replacement frequency. If dimming and thermal protection are supported in conjunction with the elimination of the step-down transformer losses as in our new driver, operating costs can be decreased even further." In Canada and in the United States, power is often distributed to an outdoor lighting fixture at 347V or 480V. The fixture must then convert the power to much lower voltages (often less than 60V in the US) to properly drive the LED. Until now, this conversion was accomplished using step-down transformers. Microsemi's LXMG221D-0700040-D2F eliminates the need for these transformers, accomplishing the voltage conversion in one step. In addition, since multiple power supplies can be used in a modular fashion, many models of street lights (40W, 80W and more) are supported. Undetected and unreported non-functioning fixtures are a key issue for municipalities responsible for the illumination of public areas. Microsemi said its new LED driver includes fault detection and management capabilities, which can allow operators to address this issue and respond more quickly to light fixture failures. Source: www.digitimes.com