14.2 W/in3 Power Density in T8-Tube LED-Driver Reference Design Offered by PI

Reference designs DER-337 (high-line) and DER-345 (low line) from Power Integrations, Inc. describe high-efficiency, non-isolated, LED drivers for T8 tubes that use approximately half the number of components of isolated designs (fewer than 30), and are typically 3-4 % more efficient. And, with Power Factors exceeding 0.95 and low THD, they are targeted for commercial and industrial lighting applications anywhere in the world.

Featuring small size, high efficiency and long-lifetime, these reference designs are especially well-suited for retrofit tube applications. In addition, the designs support the trend toward non-isolated drivers in the LED tube market. The use of non-isolated drivers boosts system efficiency and reduces the temperature of the driver board and components.

Based on the LNK460KG LED driver from Power Integrations' LinkSwitch-PL family of ICs, the circuits detailed in DER-337 and DER-345 feature single-stage non-isolated topologies, which result in a profile of only 8 mm - small enough to be mounted behind the LEDs in the T8 tube. These designs leverage simple magnetics and single-sided boards, yielding industry-leading power densities of 14.2 W/in³.