National Semiconductor
Application Note 1644
Vinit Jayaraj
Powering and Dimming
High-Brightness LEDs with
the LM3405 Constant-
Current Buck Regulator
January 17, 2008
The LM3405 is a 1A, constant-current buck regulator de-
signed to provide a simple, highly-efficient solution for pow-
ering LEDs with the highest power density. The low-feedback
reference voltage of 205 mV (typical) allows the use of LEDs
with large forward voltages. The LM3405 LED driver comes
with an integrated 1A high-side power switch, internal current
limit, over-voltage protection and thermal shutdown. The
LM3405 driver utilizes current mode control with internal com-
pensation offering ease-of-use and predictable, high-perfor-
mance regulation over a wide range of operating conditions.
This article describes a few of the many application solutions
for the LM3405 LED driver. The LM3405 device is offered in
a 6-pin Thin-SOT (TSOT) package and operates at an internal
switching frequency of 1.6 MHz, allowing the use of small-
value inductors, thereby saving board space.
Typical Application Circuit
Figure 1 shows the typical application circuit using the
LM3405 regulator driving a single LED. The boost voltage can
be derived from VIN or VOUT. The BOOST to SW voltage
(VBOOST-VSW) should never exceed the operating limit of
5.5V, and must be greater than 2.5V for optimum efficiency.
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FIGURE 1. Typical Application Circuit
In the above circuit, the maximum VIN is 5V and therefore the
boost voltage is derived from VIN. The LM3405 data sheet
provides a detailed description of various circuits for boost-
voltage generation. The LM3405 driver tightly regulates the
FB-pin voltage to 205 mV (typical) and this allows the LED
current (IF) to be set by the following equation:
off the internal power switch on a cycle-by-cycle basis. In case
of an over voltage (sensed at the FB pin), the internal power
switch is turned off. The LM3405 regulator also has a built-in
thermal shutdown (with hysteresis) which also turns off the
internal power switch if the die temperature exceeds a typical
value of 165°C.
PWM Dimming Using the EN/DIM Pin
The LEDs can be dimmed by applying a PWM-logic signal to
the EN/DIM pin of the LM3405 driver as shown in Figure 2.
R1 (min) is 200 mΩ such that IF (max) is limited to 1A. In case
of an over current, the internal current limit will trigger and turn
© 2008 National Semiconductor Corporation
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