Al8806, Application information – Diodes AL8806 User Manual
Page 9
AL8806
Document number: DS35144 Rev. 5 - 2
9 of 15
July 2013
© Diodes Incorporated
AL8806
Application Information
(cont.)
Soft Start
The AL8806 does not have in-built soft-start action – this provides very fast turn off of the output the stage improving PWM dimming accuracy;
nonetheless, adding an external capacitor from the CTRL pin to ground will provide a soft-start delay. This is achieved by increasing the time taken
for the CTRL voltage to rise to the turn-on threshold and by slowing down the rate of rise of the control voltage at the input of the comparator.
Adding a capacitor increases the time taken for the output to reach 90% of its final value, this delay is 0.1ms/nF, but will impact on the PWM
dimming accuracy depending on the delay introduced.
Figure 4 Soft Start with 22nF Capacitor on CTRL Pin (V
IN
= 36V, I
LED
= 667mA, 1 LED)
Reducing Output Ripple
Peak to peak ripple current in the LED(s) can be reduced, if required, by shunting a capacitor C2 across the LED(s) as shown already in the circuit
schematic.
A value of 1
μF will reduce the supply ripple current by a factor three (approx.). Proportionally lower ripple can be achieved with higher capacitor
values. Note that the capacitor will not affect operating frequency or efficiency, but it will increase start-up delay, by reducing the rate of rise of
LED voltage. By adding this capacitor the current waveform through the LED(s) changes from a triangular ramp to a more sinusoidal version
without altering the mean current value.