Setting the operation modes

From FW04 the EL2596-xxxx provides eight modes for controlling an LED. The operation mode must be selected in the CoE parameter 0x8004:01 “Led operation mode”.

  1. Current Control
    • The current at the LED output is continuously controlled. This mode thus enables lighting without flickering. However, in contrast to the pulsed modes, this operation mode is sluggish and is therefore not suitable for short pulses. The output current has to be reduced in order to reduce the brightness.
  2. Current Control Timestamp Pulse
    • This operation mode enables an LED to be driven via the Distributed Clocks. Pulse peak current, pulse duration and pulse start time are defined by the process data. The pulse time is specified via the Distributed Clocks. Pulses between 25 µs and 10 s can be generated.
  3. Current Control Trigger Pulse
    • Pulse peak current and pulse duration are defined by the process data. The pulse can be triggered by applying a rising or falling edge to the trigger input “TrigIn”. It is possible to delay the output signal by a specified time. Pulses between 25 µs and 10 s can be generated. From FW04, an output synchronous to the trigger input is also configurable, so that the LED output is active as long as a signal is applied to the trigger input.
  4. Current Control PLC Pulse
    • Pulse peak current and pulse duration are defined by the process data. The pulse is triggered by a bit in the PLC. Pulses between 25 µs and 10 s can be generated.
  5. Current Control PWM
    • This operation mode offers constant current operation with PWM support. The brightness of the LED can be controlled via the PWM frequency and the PWM duration as well as the amplitude of the output current. If the set output current corresponds to the nominal current of the LED, the brightness can be specified very precisely with true color via the duty cycle. Alternatively, it is also possible to reduce the brightness by reducing the set output current.
  6. Voltage Control
    • The voltage at the output terminal is kept constant.
  7. Voltage Control PWM
    • This operation mode offers constant voltage operation with PWM support. The brightness of the LED can be controlled via the PWM frequency and the PWM duration as well as the voltage amplitude.
  8. Current Sink PWM (from FW04)
    • In this mode, LEDs can be operated with an external power supply. This can be used, for example, when controlling multi-color Common Anode LEDs. The power can be provided by another EL2596 or an external power supply unit.

The specific settings for each operation mode are described below.