EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - International Rectifier, IRŪ (NYSE: IRF) today introduces the IR2166 ballast control IC with integral power factor correction (PFC) for linear fluorescent lighting ballasts. The new one-chip solution replaces a separate ballast control IC, gate driver IC, PFC IC and additional discrete circuitry to cut the ballast cost by up to 30%. Ballast designers using the IR2166 control IC can cut part count, simplify circuits and save design-time.

High power factor improves electrical equipment efficiency, and more and more countries around the world are adopting PFC and line harmonic standard regulations.

The new ballast chip features a patent-pending critical-conduction-mode boost PFC control method that maximizes PFC performance by dynamically adapting to the mode of the ballast control. This method produces a total harmonic distortion (THD) less than 10% and has a power factor greater than 0.99 at 120V line voltage, exceeding most European and other countries' regulations as well as the performance of stand-alone PFC ICs. This compares to THD up to 128% and power factor as low as 0.55 without a PFC stage.

The IR2166 incorporates a state machine to control the operating sequence of the ballast including under-voltage lockout, preheat, ignition, run and fault modes. The chip integrates programmable preheat time and frequency to heat the filaments to their correct emission temperature. This can give lamps as much as 30 times more lamp life, and reduces the required ignition voltage. Programmable dead time, preheat and run frequencies accommodate many different lamp types with simple component changes. In addition, the universal 80V to 260V AC mains input capability simplifies circuits for the global market, minimizing the need for region-specific designs.

The IC further extends lamp and ballast life by providing protection during voltage or current spikes while providing flicker-free high quality lighting. Such protection features include under-voltage lock-out, soft start, failure to strike, filament failure, over-current, a patent-pending end-of-life protection, lamp re-insert auto-restart as well as DC bus under-voltage reset.

Tom Ribarich, Director, Lighting Design Center at International Rectifier, said, "Like IR's other popular ballast control ICs, the IR2166 offers the ballast designer an off-the-shelf, 'catalog component' with a proven track-record. This one-chip solution eliminates the need and the design time for a multi-chip solution. The IR2166 offers further incentive for ballast manufacturers to transition from magnetic to electronic ballast to save electricity."

Design Assistance

The IRPLLNR4 Reference Design Kit is available for a 35W/T5 lamp and universal input (90-260VAC), priced at US $200 each. Ballast design software is available at no charge from the International Rectifier Web site.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing for the IR2166 is US $1.92 each in 10,000-unit quantities. Samples for IR2166 are available immediately. The IR2166 is available in a single 16-pin PDIP or SOIC package.

High Resolution JPEGs are available in the Press Room.