Artekit AK-LED-DRIVER
This guide covers the Artekit AK-LED-DRIVER, a 1A buck LED driver breakout board.
Overview
The Artekit Labs AK-LED-DRIVER board is a constant-current buck DC/DC converter based on the Diodes Incorporated AL8861 IC, capable of driving a wide range of LED types, from normal, high power or laser LEDs. The board has four output current selections: 300mA, 500mA, 700mA and 1A, selectable by solder jumpers. It also has a pin for dimming using PWM or analog voltage. The board can accept input voltages between 4.5V up to 40V.
Artekit Labs AK-LED-DRIVER board.
Features
- Wide Input Voltage Range: 4.5V to 40V
- Operating ambient temperature: -40ºC to +85ºC
- Typical 5% output current accuracy
- Dimmer control through PWM or analog voltage
- Selectable output current (300mA, 500mA, 700mA or 1A)
- Soft-start
- High efficiency: up to 97%
- LED short protection
- Inherent open-circuit LED protection
- Overtemperature protection (OTP)
- 2 mounting holes
- ENIG contacts
- Small size
Applications
- LED retrofit for low voltage halogen
- Low voltage industrial lighting
- LED backlighting
- Illuminated signs
- External driver with multiple channels
- Drones and robots
- Laser lighting
Connections
The AK-LED-DRIVER board requires a voltage from 4.5V to 40V in the VIN pin, a ground connection and optionally a PWM signal or an analog value (between 0.3V and 2.5V) on the CTRL pin.
AK-LED-DRIVER pinout.
Output control and dimming
The CTRL pin is a multi-function On/Off and brightness control pin:
- Leave unconnected and the internal current source (typical 1.4μA) will pull up this pin to 4.5V (enabling the output)
- Drive to voltage below 0.2V to turn off output LED current.
- Drive with DC voltage (between 0.3V and 2.5V) to adjust output current from 0 to 100%. Linear adjustment ranges from 5% to 100% of selected output current.
- Drive with PWM signal from open-collector or open-drain transistor, to adjust the output current.
Selecting the output current
The maximum output current of the AK-LED-DRIVER board is selected by soldering/joining the solder jumpers pads on the back of the board. By default, all the solder jumpers are open and the board drives the LED(s) with 300mA output current.
The output selection is “incremental”, so by soldering the 500mA pads, it outputs 500mA; by soldering the 500mA pads and also the 700mA pads, it outputs 700mA; by joining all the three pads it outputs 1A.
Please refer to the following picture:
AK-LED-DRIVER current selection with solder jumpers
Example connection
The following illustration shows the AK-LED-DRIVER board connected to an externally powered Arduino UNO
AK-LED-DRIVER connected to an Arduino Uno.
If the connected LEDs need a higher voltage or current, an external power supply for the AK-LED-DRIVER board is necessary.
AK-LED-DRIVER connected to an Arduino Uno with an external power supply.
Board dimensions
