International Rectifier Introduces New IR2156 Ballast IC

International Rectifier (IR, El Segundo, CA) has introduced a new disposable ballast IC designed for high-volume, compact fluorescent lamp applications. The IR2156 embeds both ballast half-bridge drivers and timing circuits into one IC. The new compact fluorescent lamp IC includes all core ballast and safety functions, such as protection from failure-to-strike and filament failure. An external shutdown signal can be used for automatic reset, and shuts the ballast down in a controlled fashion.

IR claims that the built-in safety and operating functions minimize the need for additional circuitry and decreases overall cost. Pre-heat frequency, dead-heat and pre-heat time are programmable with R-C networks to accommodate different lamp types and operating voltages to increase manufacturability.

According to David Tam, vice president for power integrated circuit products at IR, "The IR2156 is based on the very successful IR2153, which simplified fluorescent ballast design. The IR2156 takes the design simplification concept one step further and decreases the external component count by 25 percent."

The IR2156 comes in a 14-pin DIP or narrow-body SOIC. Pricing begins at $1.60 each in 10,000-unit quantities.