Zetex has won a contract with a Chinese customer with a reference design for 12V MR16-compatible LED lamps.

"We examined about 30 different MR16s and the majority had 12 or more components. The manufacturer said this was too many and tough for him to make," Zetex' v-p of marketing Chris Jolly told EW. "And the majority were really horrible designs that had silicon grease to get the heat away."

The company, Civilight Shenzhen Semiconductor Lighting Company, was already using Zetex' ZXLD1350 LED buck converter in a different design. "We took the five Schottky diodes and put them in a single package which made only six components including the 1350 - it was so small Civilight even managed to get the PCB into the neck of the bulb."

Efficiency was high enough to require no heatsinking, claimed Jolly, and space was freed-up in the rest of the bulb for its three LEDs and associated optics and heatsink.

"In LED lamps, the electronic control needs to be reliable. What Zetex has given me here is a very simple and robust solution that allows me to focus my attention on optimising the thermal and optical performance," said Irving Pun, director of market development at Civilight.

See also: Electronics Weekly's roundup of content related to LEDs, with a special focus on both white LEDs and coloured LEDs:

LED technology - White LEDs

LED technology - Coloured LEDs

LED technology - LEDs general