Mike DonnellyThis simple "Joule Thief" self-oscillating LED circuit will produce light even when the battery voltage drops to 0.4 V. Of course...
Mike DonnellyThis automotive electrical power distribution system example includes multiple vehicle sub-systems and components. It supports...
Mike DonnellyLive Application Example of the NCV84160 High Side Protected FET used as a Lamp Driver.
This design illustrates two important...
Mike DonnellyThis LED Dimmer Circuit uses a 555 Timer to control the PWM duty cycle of the current drive. Rather than apply proportional but...
LED Driver with Auto-Dimming for Thermal Protection
Featured Article | Mike Donnelly | 21 November 2019
In my previous article I demonstrated an important self-protection feature of the NCV84160 from ON Semiconductor; its ability to enter thermal limit cycling if the internal device temperature gets too high. My friend and fellow model-developer, Alain Stas of Vishay, recently suggested that NTC thermistors could be used to provide similar protection at the circuit board or system level. One application where this could be implemented in a very natural way is for LED lighting systems.
Vishay SMD NTC Thermistors with Enhanced Stability