ISSI's innovative FxLED driver drives 144 RGB LEDs for informational lighting displays

USA: Integrated Silicon Solution Inc., a leader in advanced memory and analog IC solutions, has announced the IS31FL3731 a high performance dot matrix LED driver for intelligent displays used in mobile phones, white good appliances, toys and personal electronics.

The IS31FL3731 is a compact LED driver with pre-programmed animation and color-effect lighting functions accessed via an I2C compatible interface.  These pre-programmed functions free-up the microcontroller to do other system functions resulting in increased performance and battery life. These devices can also be used in non-battery applications such as displays in home appliances, thermostats, indoor informational displays and in industrial applications such as displays in smart meters. They are also used in various automotive applications including dashboard and decorative display applications.

The IS31FL3731 supports two arrays of 72 LEDs for a total of 144 LEDs which can be individually dimmed in 256 steps (8-bit) with 1/9 cycle rate. The required signals to drive all 144 LEDs have been reduced to 18 by using a multiplexing feature that requires fewer traces resulting in an optimized PCB space.

The IS31FL3731 integrates 8 frames of memory which can be displayed with programmable time delays between frames to play small LED matrix animations.  The flexible architecture allows multiple IS31FL3731's to be cascaded for driving much larger arrays of RGB LEDs. For an added dimension of animation, an analog input such as an audio signal can be used to modulate the LED display intensity.

"ISSI has been known traditionally as a high quality, advanced memory supplier", said Ven Shan, ISSI VP of Analog products."Many don't know that we have embarked on a fast track strategy to become a go-to supplier of audio amplifiers, HB LED and RGB LED drivers for the automotive, white good appliances and consumer electronics markets.  The IS31FL3731 is the industry leading matrix LED driver with the most functions packed into a small QFN-28 package."

In addition to the small QFN-28 (4mm × 4mm), the IS31FL3731 matrix LED driver is also available in a gull winged SSOP-28 package for easier handling in applications that are not space sensitive. The device's operating voltage of 2.7V to 5.5V over the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C makes it ideal for portable battery applications.