Austriamicrosystems has announced the AS1119, the most advanced and smallest LED dot-matrix driver, the company said it is targeted for dot-matrix displays in mobile phones, personal electronics and toys.

The AS1119 drives 144 LEDs but requires only 9 mm² PCB space, reduces external component count, reduces connector pin count and requires fewer PCB layers. Benefits for end users include an 80 per cent longer battery lifetime, more colourful effects and smoother-running animations.

Each LED has an 8-bit dimming control and no external resistor is required. Additionally, an 8-bit analogue current control allows the fine tuning of each matrix to compensate for the different brightness of various colors or to adjust the white balance on RGB LEDs.

The AS1119 incorporates 6 frames of memory for small animations or for use as a buffer to reduce host processor load, thereby saving energy and precious processing time.

The AS1119 also extends battery life by including an on-chip 320 mA charge pump which is required when LEDs require a higher voltage than the battery can supply, allowing continuous operation even under low battery voltage conditions.

Other features include control via a 1 MHz I²C compatible interface, open and shorted LED error detection, and low-power shutdown current.

Two modes of operation are offered making the AS1119 a very flexible part to design with -- single/bicolor mode to drive the maximum number of LEDs in two 8x9 matrix, or the RGB mode offering three times 5x6 matrix, allowing white balance by adjusting the analog current in each matrix.

Only 18 lines are required to drive all 144 LEDs. This is accomplished with austriamicrosystems’ multiplexing technique called cross-plexing. This allows reducing the line count on the PCB as well as fewer pins on the connectors, saving space & costs.

The AS1119 is available in a 36-pin WL-CSP 3x3 mm package and operates over a temperature range of -40 to +85 °C over a wide 2.7 to 5.5 V power supply range.

Available in volume now, the price for the AS1119 is $5.00 in 1000 piece quantities.