AL8861EV1 EVALUATION BOARD USER GUIDE

DESCRIPTION
The AL8861EV1, Figure 1, is a double sided evaluation board for the AL8861 step-down, or ‘buck’,
LED driver with internal switch. The evaluation board is preset to drive 680mA into a single LED, or
multiple LEDs, the maximum number of which depends on their total forward voltage drop and the
supply voltage. (The maximum drive current of the AL8861 is 1000mA)

The operating voltage is nominally 40 volts, but it can be reduced to a minimum of 4.5 volts. The 68uH
inductor used in the circuit is based on this nominal supply. The evaluation board should be
connected as in Figure 1 below.

Note: The evaluation board does not have reverse supply protection.

The nominal current, 680mA, is set with the 0R15 sense resistor, R1.

Terminal VSET provides a connection point for DC or PWM dimming and shutdown.

Warning: At 40V nominal operation with 680mA output, the LED will be hot and very bright

V
1-10
LEDs

4.5-40VDC

Figure 1: AL8861EV1 evaluation board and connection diagram

AL8861EV1 Connection Point Definition

Name Description
VIN Positive supply voltage. 4.5 to 40V
GND Supply Ground (0V).
VSET Internal voltage ref. pin (2.5V). This pin can be used to achieve dimming and for
switching the output current off.
Leave floating for normal operation.
LED A LED A connects to the external LED anode
LED K LED K connects to the external LED cathode

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AL8861 DEVICE DESCRIPTION

The AL8861 is a continuous mode inductive driver in a TSOT25 package, for driving one or more
series-connected LEDs efficiently from a voltage source higher than the LED voltage. The device
includes the output switch and a current sense circuit, which requires an external sense resistor to set
the nominal current up to 1000mA.

AL8861 DEVICE FEATURES DEVICE APPLICATIONS

 Drives one or more series-connected LEDs  LED Retrofit for Low Voltage Halogen
 LEDs up to 1000mA.  Low Voltage Industrial Lighting
 Internal 40V switch.  LED Backlighting
 Wide input voltage: 4.5V to 40V.  Illuminated Signs
 Inherent open circuit LED protection.  External Driver with Multiple Channels
 Brightness control using DC or PWM.

AL8861 Device Packages, Pin and Definitions

TSOT25 package
AL8861 Device Pin Definition
Name Pin No Description
LX 1 Drain of NDMOS switch.
GND 2 Ground (0V).
VSET 3 Internal voltage ref. pin (2.5V) :
 Leave floating for normal operation.
 Connect to GND to turn off output current.
 Drive with DC voltage (0.3V to 2.5V) or with PWM (up to 5V
logic level) signal to adjust output current
ISENSE 4 Connect a sense resistor, R1, from the ISENSE pin to VIN to sense
the nominal output current. Nominal Iout = 0.1/ R1
VIN 5 Input voltage: 4.5V to 40V. Decouple to ground with a 2.2uF or higher
ceramic capacitor.

ORDERING INFORMATION

EVALBOARD ORDER NUMBER DEVICE ORDER NUMBER

AL8861EV1 AL8861WT-7

Please note: Evaluation boards are subject to

availability and qualified sales leads.

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AL8861EV1 EVALUATION BOARD REFERENCE DESIGN

The AL8861EV1 is configured to the reference design in Figure 2.

The operating voltage is a nominal 40V. The nominal current is set at 680mA with a 0R15 sense
resistor R1. The circuit operates in continuous mode at approximately 240kHz, with a 68uH inductor
and one LED.

Both DC and PWM dimming can be achieved by driving the VSET pin. For DC dimming, the VSET pin
may be driven between 0.3V and 2.5V adjusting the output current from 0% to 100% of ILED.
Recommended dimming range is from 5% to 100%.
Driving the VSET pin below 0.2V will shut down the output current.
A PWM signal (low level ≤ 0.2V and high level > 2.5) allows the output current to be adjusted above or
below the level set by the resistor connected to ISENSE input pin. The PWM frequency can be around
100Hz to 1kHz, providing a resolution of 10 bits.
For low frequency PWM, C2 should be removed from the evaluation board, to give a more accurate
duty cycle.
Shorting R2 will connect the test pin VSET to device pin VSET, if required.

For other reference designs or further applications information, please refer to the AL8861 datasheet.

VIN

VIN
VSET
VSET R1
R2
ISENSE

1 D1

AL8861
C4
C2 C3 C1

L1
GND
LX

Figure 2: Schematic diagram

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AL8861 Operation

In normal operation, when a voltage is applied at +Vin, the AL8861 internal NDMOS switch is turned
on. Current starts to flow through sense resistor R1, inductor L1, and the LED. The current ramps up
linearly, the ramp rate being determined by the input voltage +Vin and the inductor L1. This rising
current produces a voltage ramp across R1. The internal circuit of the AL8861 senses the voltage
across R1 and applies a proportional voltage to the input of the internal comparator. When this
voltage reaches an internally set upper threshold, the NDMOS switch is turned off. The inductor
current continues to flow through R1, L1, the LED and the Schottky diode D1, and back to the supply
rail, but it decays, with the rate of decay determined by the forward voltage drop of the LEDs and the
Schottky diode. This decaying current produces a falling voltage at R1, which is sensed by the
AL8861. A voltage proportional to the sense voltage across R1 is applied at the input of the internal
comparator. When this voltage falls to the internally set lower threshold, the NDMOS switch is turned
on again. This switch-on-and-off cycle continues to provide the average LED current set by the sense
resistor R1. Please refer to the datasheets for the threshold limits, AL8861 internal circuits, electrical
characteristics and parameters.

AL8861EV1 Component list

Ref Value Package Part Number Manufactu Notes

rer
U1 AL8861 TSOT25 AL8861WT-7 Diodes DC-DC converter
D1 40V, 3A B240A Diodes Schottky diode
R1 0R15 1206 Generic 1%
R2, 0 0805 Generic 5%
C1 4.7uF 50V 1210 Generic X7R
C1210X475K5RAC KEMET
C2 Not Fitted Optional soft
start capacitor
C3 100nF, 100V 0805 Generic X7R
NMC0805X7R104K100 PF NIC Comps
GRM21BR71H104KA01L MURATA
C4 100nF 100V 1206 Generic X7R
NMC1206X7R104K100 NIC Comps
L1 68uH MSS1038-683ML Coilcraft
NPIS24H680MTRF NIC Comps

Note: The component part numbers are correct at the time of publication. Diodes Inc reserves the
right to substitute other parts where necessary, without further notification.

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AL8861EV1 Basic operation at full voltage

1. Connect Vin and GND

Warning: The board does not feature reverse battery/supply protection.
2. Set the PSU to 40V
3. Turn on the PSU and the LED will illuminate and the current should be approximately 680mA.
Warning: Do not stare at the LED directly.

Switching the output current off

Shorting the VSET pin to GND will cause the LED current to go to zero.

Soft start

Adding a C2 capacitor will create a soft-start power-up sequence (1.5ms/nF). This delay will reduce
the PWM dimming performance.

Changing the LED current

1. Remove R1.
2. Calculate and replace sense resistor, R1, the value of which is based on the required LED
current without dimming. R1 can be calculated using following equation :

R1 = 0.1V/IOUT

where IOUT = the LED current.

R1 = the sense resistor value in ohms.
0.1V is the nominal sense voltage with ‘VSET’ open circuit or set to 2.5V.

The device calculator at the address below can be used to speed up the redesign phase:

http://www.diodes.com/destools/calculators.html

PERFORMANCE

The system efficiency depends on the sense resistor, supply voltage, switching frequency and the
number of LEDs.

With a 30V supply and two LEDs, the switching frequency is typically 330kHz, and the efficiency level
is 88%.

For further advice, please contact your local Diodes Field Applications Engineer, or one of our
sales offices listed on the back page of this document.

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