So, that's how it is.
A buddy of mine is looking for a place in Bangladesh for a factory, and he is sizing the factory floor for a business he wants to run for years on end, "until it stops working."
We found it's very hard to make an SMT only constant current LED drivers.
We looked at current designs. None even moderately efficient, high-end constant current designs can be made with under 20 parts, and a lot of them are through hole.
The factory floor space to house manual population lines amount close to 1000m² for the volume he wants. And likely more if any extra for ergonomics, and productivity is added. That's a lot.
A single high-end SMT placer would've replaced it all.
So, I really, really want to make it all SMT despite all challenges (which are great many.)
A lot of seemingly trivial parts are hard to source for acceptable price: SMT, or custom planar transformers, safety capacitors, high value capacitors as such, AC mains rated switches, NTCs.
There is also a problem of reliability. Thermal cycling durability must be really high, and all must be also ROHS solder solderable.
I wonder, if really nobody ever tried this route before?
A buddy of mine is looking for a place in Bangladesh for a factory, and he is sizing the factory floor for a business he wants to run for years on end, "until it stops working."
We found it's very hard to make an SMT only constant current LED drivers.
We looked at current designs. None even moderately efficient, high-end constant current designs can be made with under 20 parts, and a lot of them are through hole.
The factory floor space to house manual population lines amount close to 1000m² for the volume he wants. And likely more if any extra for ergonomics, and productivity is added. That's a lot.
A single high-end SMT placer would've replaced it all.
So, I really, really want to make it all SMT despite all challenges (which are great many.)
A lot of seemingly trivial parts are hard to source for acceptable price: SMT, or custom planar transformers, safety capacitors, high value capacitors as such, AC mains rated switches, NTCs.
There is also a problem of reliability. Thermal cycling durability must be really high, and all must be also ROHS solder solderable.
I wonder, if really nobody ever tried this route before?