The IRS2153D electronic ballast from International Rectifier is a 600V self-oscillating device which also includes an internal bootstrap diode to simply overall circuitry. Oscillator frequency (up to 100 kHz, set by an RC combination), is precise to 3% so OEMs can optimize selection of associated components and achieve uniform lamp brightness. The lead-free IC includes 2V undervoltage lockout hysteresis, which results in a more robust ballast circuit by preventing unwanted shutdown due to momentary transients.

The undervoltage lockout also ensures that the high-side floating voltage correctly switches the high-side gate driver output, thus protecting the external MOSFET. Compared to its predecessor, the IR2153, this newer device includes the bootstrap FET along with the improved performance specifications. In 10,000 piece orders, the IRS2153D is $0.80, and is available in 8-pin DIP and SOIC. Data sheet is available at www.irf.com