FCS Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. (MM)

Newest Ballast Design Addresses Expected European Automotive 'Daylight Headlight' Regulations Fairchild Semiconductor's (NYSE: FCS) Global Power Resource(TM) Design Center in Germany recently completed designs enabling automobile manufacturers to meet the proposed European daytime headlight (daytime running light) safety regulations with a new ballast design utilizing SEPIC topology. This new design is ideal for low voltage DC/DC applications, such as automobile headlights. Fairchild's ballast designs offer a wide range of options, including optimizing factors such as EMI and efficiency, and are highly variable in terms of input and output voltage as well as output power. "Fairchild's Global Power Resource design center in Europe also developed a design, using the SEPIC topology, to drive up to seven LEDs with 30V max output and 350mA constant current as well as up to 36 low power LEDs with 120V max output with 70mA constant current output," said Ole-Peter Brusdal, regional vice president, European Sales and Marketing. The use of car headlights during the daytime is expected to become mandatory in the European Union under plans being discussed by the European Commission to cut the number of road accidents. Today's automobiles increasingly use high brightness LEDs of up to 1W of power. However daytime headlights typically require five to seven LEDs to comply with the expected new standard. Ideally, these LEDs should be connected in a series to ensure identical current and therefore the brightness of each device. SEPIC topology can transform voltages up as well as down, easily meeting these requirements. While SEPIC topology is ideal for DC/DC applications, it is also an excellent choice in non-isolated low power AC/DC applications, such as power supplies for industrial controls and white goods. This topology offers cost effective solutions, achieving an efficiency of about 80%. "Fairchild is fortunate to have the caliber of talent in Dr. Michael Weirich and his team to develop innovative designs using SEPIC topology in a expansive range of low voltage applications, such as daytime running headlights, DC/DC converters and off-line AC/DC solutions," continued Brusdal. The Global Power Resource center in Fuerstenfeldbruck, is resourced with expertise and equipment targeted to provide comprehensive power design solutions for electronic applications in the principal European end markets - industrial, consumer and automotive. With significant power design experience, the design and application lab is staffed by highly qualified systems, applications and component engineers. Able to turn around designs in as little as two weeks, the center provides customers with fully engineered solutions, including evaluation boards; detailed reports including information for 'Bill-of-Materials' (BOMs) and turnkey designs, including CAD files that can be incorporated into customers' designs; and application notes. It is one of seven such centers operated worldwide by Fairchild, The Power Franchise(R), to develop complete system power solutions in the computing, communications, consumer, industrial, automotive and display segments. Fairchild plans to nearly double the number of design labs this year, with the addition of six new facilities located in South America, China and Korea. About Fairchild Semiconductor: Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) is the leading global supplier of high performance power products critical to today's leading electronic applications in the computing, communications, consumer, industrial and automotive segments. As The Power Franchise(R), Fairchild offers the industry's broadest portfolio of components that optimize system power through minimization, conversion, management and distribution functions. Fairchild's 9,000 employees design, manufacture and market power, analog & mixed signal, interface, logic, and optoelectronics products from its headquarters in South Portland, Maine, USA and numerous locations around the world. Please contact us on the web at www.fairchildsemi.com.