Advanced Analogic Technologies Incorporated (AnalogicTech) announced the AAT3193, the first in a family of 2- and 3-channel, charge pump-based WLED drivers. Targeted at a new generation of highly affordable handsets, these new devices offer excellent performance in an extremely space-efficient 2x2-mm package.

The AAT3193 targeted at a new generation of highly affordable handsets(credit : AnalogicTech).

"A huge potential market of untapped cell phone users in regions like India, China, Russia, South America and Africa want cell phone service, but can only afford very basic, entry-level, reduced-feature-set phones," observed Adolfo Garcia, product line director for AnalogicTech. "With the AAT3193, designers building cell phones for these new markets can provide basic illumination for low-cost TFT-LCD panels in an extremely small footprint while requiring just two external components, a 1 µF capacitor for the charge pump and a single external resistor to set the full-scale LED current."

No Compromise in Performance
Despite its no frills approach, the AAT3193 does not sacrifice performance. It drives up to 3 LEDs at up to 30 mA each to support the illumination of lower cost, monochrome and highly opaque TFT-LCD panels. The next member in the product family, the AAT3192, will drive 2 LEDs. Both devices offer part-to-part current accuracy better than 10 percent and channel-to-channel current matching better than 3 percent. These new charge pump-based devices automatically switch between 1x and 2x mode to maximize efficiency and to minimize the number of external components required.

Using the AAT3193, each LED can be programmed either using traditional linear PWM techniques or via AnalogicTech’s proprietary, patented single-wire S2Cwire interface. Designers using the S2Cwire interface can program each WLED up to 30 mA each in either 16-, 8- or 4-steps.

The AAT3193 also features integrated thermal protection and automatic soft start. The AAT3193 is qualified across the -40 C to +85 C temperature range and comes in a Pb-free, 10-lead, 2x2-mm SC70JW package. It sells for $0.49 in 1,000-unit quantities.