The LM3914 is an analog controlled LED driver IC, meaning it can control (turn on or off) 10 LED lights based on an analog input voltage. This IC eliminates the need for microcontroller and programming and also reduces the hardware required to control 10 LEDs.
The analog input voltage can vary from 3V to 18V and the LED current can be limited by simply using a single resistor on pin 7 (Ref Out). The IC also has two operating modes DOT mode and BAR mode, also more than one IC can be cascaded to control upto 100 LEDs. Since the LEDs can be controlled without any flickering and flawlessly with equal brightness these IC’s are commonly used in visual alarms and other metering/monitoring applications. So, if you are looking for an IC to driver your bar LED lights or other sequence of 10 LED then this IC might be of interest to you.
LM3914 Pin Configuration
Pin Number
Pin Name
Description
1 and 10 to 18
LED1, LED2, LED3…..LED10
The 10 LEDs which has to be controlled is connected to these pins
2
V- / Ground
Ground pin of the IC
3
V+ / Vcc
Supply Voltage (3-18)V
4
RLO
Low level voltage for potential divider
5
Signal
Analog signal Input pin based on which the LED is controlled.
6
RHI
High Level voltage for potential divider
7
REF OUT
Output Reference Voltage for LED current limiting
8
REF ADJ
Adjust pin for voltage reference
9
Mode
Select between Dot/Bar Mode
Specifications
Analog Controlled LED Driver IC
Number of controllable LEDs: 10
Operating Voltage: 3V to 18V
Input Analog voltage range: 1.2V to 12V
LED sink current: 2mA to 30mA (programmable)
Both Dot/Bar mode available
Can be cascaded to control upto 100 LEDs
Available in 18-pin DIP, PLCC package
Applications
Crude Battery level indicators
Low cost monitor devices
Digital gauges
Electronic displays
Fade bars








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