CFL Bulbs For Dimming And Non-Dimming Lamps

NXP Semiconductors has introduced the UBA2027 range of compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) bulbs for energy-saving lamps, which provide smoother dimming capabilities to levels below 10 per cent. It has also released the UBA2211x range for non-dimming CFL bulbs. Both solutions offer manufacturers quicker start times and improved reliability compared with current IC-based CFL solutions.

'We designed our CFL drivers to enable consumers to go green without the frustrations of conventional CFL bulbs. 'With governments all over the world prohibiting the production of incandescent light bulbs, a new energy-efficient lighting solution was required, one that meets consumer expectations of cost, reliability, lifetime and overall user experience,' said John Croteau, senior vice-president and general manager, business lines high performance RF, power and lighting, NXP Semiconductors.

NXP offers manufacturers solutions for dimmable and non-dimmable CFL drivers and controllers. Consumer perception of quality dimming starts at a dimming level of 10 per cent light and traditional CFL lighting solutions can only be dimmed from 20 to 30 per cent, which is not ideal. While today's NXP ICs already achieve the 10 per cent dimming threshold, the new NXP-enabled lighting solutions achieve a level of deep dimming below 10 per cent, making CFL lamps behave similar to incandescent bulbs. These CFL lamps will provide users with deep dimming performance, finally making energy-efficient lighting an option for mood lighting and advanced lighting designs.

Greenchip technology also accelerates the ramp-up time compared with standard CFL lamps, allowing the bulb to ignite faster. Consumers often complain about the reaction time between switching the light on until lamp ignition - currently an approximate delay of 0.5 to one second. NXP's CFL drivers improve the reaction time to within 100 milliseconds, therefore immediately providing light and meeting consumer expectations for instant light with no waiting and no frustrations.

Key features of CFL lighting include: deep dimming with performance to levels below 10 per cent; fast start-up with quick start for faster light-output run-up; better energy efficiency with an average of five per cent higher efficiency; and longer-lifetime preheat feature that preserves the life of the lamp burner. While standard lamps based on discrete components reach an average 4-6kWh, NXP IC-based lamps demonstrate lifetime performance in the range of 12 to 15kWh. The dimmable UBA2027 and non-dimmable UBA2211x ranges for CFL build on NXP's broad lighting portfolio. NXP IC-based solutions are supported by dedicated teams and tools.

Design engineers benefit from seamless integration of CFL drivers into incandescent lamp form factors for easy migration to IC-based lighting solutions. NXP will exhibit at Lightfair International, which will take place 12-14 May 2010 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The organisation will demonstrate its portfolio of high-voltage solutions, emphasising superior control of deep dimming and highly efficient current controllers and drivers for CFL and LED lighting technologies.

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