Offering programmability and a degree of control for all lamps, the IRS2526DS ‘Mini8' CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) ballast control IC from International Rectifier is available in an 8pin SO-8 package. This is the company's third generation ballast IC and is targeted at applications that do not require PFC or which do not use an external PFC controller. It features a 600V half-bridge control circuit working at 50% duty-cycle and variable frequency for driving the resonant mode lamp output circuit. The high accuracy oscillator is controlled by a single analogue-to-frequency input pin which sets the different operating frequencies of the ballast. Fault protection circuitry is also included to protect against mains interrupt or brown-out, lamp non-strike, lamp filament failure and end-of-life. There is an internal frequency dither to reduce conducted EMI and ther is also end-of-life detection.
