Diodes Incorporated has introduced a new boost controller, the AL3069Q, designed specifically for the growing demands of automotive LED-backlighting systems. It’s built to power large, high-brightness displays used in instrument clusters, infotainment units, head-up displays, and other interior lighting elements — all while simplifying the electronics behind them.
What the AL3069Q brings to the table
The controller supports a wide input range from 4.5 V to 60 V, covering common vehicle power rails and making it flexible enough for everything from standard 12 V systems to emerging 48 V architectures. It includes four high-voltage current-sink channels, each capable of handling up to 80 V and driving 250 mA continuously (or 400 mA in pulse mode). That allows it to support longer LED strings and bigger displays without the need for additional driver ICs.
Channel-to-channel matching is extremely tight, helping keep screen brightness uniform across the display. It also supports PWM-to-analog dimming down to very low duty cycles, which improves color stability and smoothness in low-light conditions. Designers can tune the switching frequency anywhere from 100 kHz to 1 MHz, giving them flexibility in optimizing for efficiency, EMI performance, or component size.
Built-in safety and diagnostics
Automotive electronics demand ruggedness, and the AL3069Q leans into that. It includes cycle-by-cycle current limiting, soft-start, undervoltage lockout, overvoltage protection, thermal shutdown, and a full suite of LED fault protections — including open, short, diode, inductor, sense-resistor, and output shorts. A dedicated fault-indicator pin provides clear system-level feedback whenever an issue occurs.
With automotive-grade manufacturing and qualification, the controller is designed for real-world production environments, not just prototype labs.
Why this matters for automotive display design
For engineers building next-generation dashboards and in-vehicle displays, the AL3069Q helps in a few key ways:
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It supports larger and brighter LED backlights without bulky external components.
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It simplifies the overall board by combining multiple functions into one device.
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Its diagnostic capabilities make systems more reliable and easier to monitor.
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Its wide input range supports a variety of vehicle architectures and future-leaning power systems.
As automotive displays continue to grow in resolution, size, and brightness, having a power-efficient, protected, and flexible LED-driver architecture becomes increasingly important. The AL3069Q aims squarely at that challenge, giving design engineers a more streamlined path to building the illuminated interiors of modern vehicles.
