Catalyst Semiconductor Announces 300mA Camera Flash LED Driver

Sunnyvale, CA -- Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc., a supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for solid state illumination and display products, further expanded its family of LED drivers with the CAT3612; a fully programmable, 300mA Camera Flash LED Driver. The CAT3612 combines Catalyst's recently introduced, flexible 1-Wire EZDim programming along with a tightly matched pair of high power output channels to accommodate the flash brightness requirements of today's increasing mega-pixel camera phones -- in a 3x3mm TDFN package.

The CAT3612 reduces system complexity by providing full programmability of all flash functions, including setting enable/disable and brightness level of the flash function from a single microcontroller pin via Catalyst's 1-wire EZDim programming interface.

Designers have maximum control of current and brightness with 32 programmable output power levels for setting flash (strobe) and movie (torch) modes. Traditional flash LED devices typically offer limited, pre-defined and pre-set brightness values for flash/movie modes, whereas the CAT3612 offers fine resolution programming (5mA steps per channel) to meet specific system requirements. Additionally, dual, tightly matched output channels make the device ideal for camera flashes using multi-LED modules or single, high-brightness LEDs.

The CAT3612 maximizes battery life with an automatic 1x/1.5x charge pump which delivers up to 90 percent power efficiency. When disabled, the device enters "Zero" current shutdown mode, eliminating battery drain when not in use. Protection against short-circuit and thermal overload fault conditions is also included.

A low profile, 0.8mm, RoHS compliant 3x3mm TDFN package, low external parts count and fixed high frequency (1MHz) operation all contribute to the reduction of system board area.

SOURCE: Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc.