Project 020 – Adding Features
Smart Embedded software for LED driver
A manufacturer of LED drivers had clients who wanted an efficient, powerful and dimmable 100W LED driver with a constant current output. The manufacturer himself had a lot of knowledge about analog electronics but creating such a driver with only analog electronics would have been complicated and time consuming.
The manufacturer asked what was possible when we would add a microcontroller to this new driver. It turned out that adding one microcontroller made the LED driver much simpler, cheaper and more versatile. I would also speed up the development.
I helped the manufacturer with integrating a microcontroller, the small Microchip PIC16F1823, into his analog electronics and I wrote the embedded software including control algorithms. I also created program/test equipment with PC-software for production calibration and testing.
The embedded software had the following features:
- a watchdog
- driver board temperature measurement
- external temperature measurement
- pwm current output with pid control
- current measurement
- voltage measurements
- a gradual output current limiter
- a current setting input (0-10V)
- fault detection
The embedded software was written in assembly language for best performance.