LM3916 Dot/Bar Display Driver

January 2000

LM3916
Dot/Bar Display Driver
General Description The LM3916 is very versatile. The outputs can drive LCDs,
vacuum fluorescents and incandescent bulbs as well as
The LM3916 is a monolithic integrated circuit that senses LEDs of any color. Multiple devices can be cascaded for a
analog voltage levels and drives ten LEDs, LCDs or vacuum dot or bar mode display for increased range and/or resolu-
fluorescent displays, providing an electronic version of the tion. Useful in other applications are the linear LM3914 and
popular VU meter. One pin changes the display from a bar the logarithmic LM3915.
graph to a moving dot display. LED current drive is regulated
and programmable, eliminating the need for current limiting
resistors. The whole display system can operate from a Features
single supply as low as 3V or as high as 25V. n Fast responding electronic VU meter
The IC contains an adjustable voltage reference and an ac- n Drivers LEDs, LCDs, or vacuum fluorescents
curate ten-step voltage divider. The high-impedance input n Bar or dot display mode externally selectable by user
buffer accepts signals down to ground and up to within 1.5V n Expandable to displays of 70 dB
of the positive supply. Further, it needs no protection against n Internal voltage reference from 1.2V to 12V
inputs of ± 35V. The input buffer drives 10 individual com- n Operates with single supply of 3V to 25V
parators referenced to the precision divider. Accuracy is typi- n Inputs operate down to ground
cally better than 0.2 dB. n Output current programmable from 1 mA to 30 mA
Audio applications include average or peak level indicators, n Input withstands ± 35V without damage or false outputs
and power meters. Replacing conventional meters with an
n Outputs are current regulated, open collectors
LED bar graph results in a faster responding, more rugged
n Directly drives TTL or CMOS
display with high visibility that retains the ease of interpreta-
tion of an analog display. n The internal 10-step divider is floating and can be
referenced to a wide range of voltages
The LM3916 is extremely easy to apply. A 1.2V full-scale
meter requires only one resistor in addition to the ten LEDs. The LM3916 is rated for operation from 0˚C to +70˚C. The
One more resistor programs the full-scale anywhere from LM3916N-1 is available in an 18-lead molded DIP package.
1.2V to 12V independent of supply voltage. LED brightness
is easily controlled with a single pot.

© 2000 National Semiconductor Corporation DS007971 [Link]

LM3916
Typical Applications
0V to 10V VU Meter

DS007971-1

Notes: Capacitor C1 is required if leads to the LED supply are 6" or longer.
Circuit as shown is wired for dot mode. For bar mode, connect pin 9 to pin 3. VLED must be kept below 7V or dropping resistor should be used to limit IC power
dissipation.

[Link] 2
 LM3916
Absolute Maximum Ratings (Note 1) Voltage on Output Drivers 25V
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required, Input Signal Overvoltage (Note 4) ± 35V
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales Office/ Divider Voltage −100 mV to V+
Distributors for availability and specifications. Reference Load Current 10 mA
Power Dissipation (Note 6) Storage Temperature Range −55˚C to +150˚C
Molded DIP (N) 1365 mW Lead Temperature
(Soldering, 10 seconds) 260˚C
Supply Voltage 25V

Electrical Characteristics (Notes 2, 4)

Parameter Conditions (Note 2) Min Typ Max Units
COMPARATORS
Offset Voltage, Buffer and First Comparator 0V ≤ VRLO = VRHI ≤ 12V,
3 10 mV
ILED = 1 mA
Offset Voltage, Buffer and Any Other Comparator 0V ≤ VRLO = VRHI ≤ 12V,
3 15 mV
ILED = 1 mA
Gain (∆ILED/ ∆VIN) I(REF) = 2 mA, ILED = 10 mA 3 8 mA/mV
Input Bias Current (at Pin 5) 0V ≤ VIN ≤ (V −1.5V)
+
25 100 nA
Input Signal Overvoltage No Change in Display −35 35 V
VOLTAGE DIVIDER
Divider Resistance Total, Pin 6 to 4 8 12 17 kΩ
Relative Accuracy (Input Change (Note 3)
Between Any Two Threshold Points) −1 dB ≤ VIN ≤ 3 dB 0.75 1.0 1.25 dB
−7 dB ≤ VIN ≤ −1 dB 1.5 2.0 2.5 dB
−10 dB ≤ VIN ≤ −7 dB 2.5 3.0 2.5 dB
Absolute Accuracy (Note 3)
VIN = 2, 1, 0, −1 dB −0.25 +0.25 dB
VIN = −3, −5 dB −0.5 +0.5 dB
VIN = −7, −10, −20 dB −1 +1 dB
VOLTAGE REFERENCE
Output Voltage 0.1 mA ≤ IL(REF) ≤ 4 mA,
1.2 1.28 1.34 V
V+ = VLED = 5Vg
Line Regulation 3V ≤ V+ ≤ 18V 0.01 0.03 %/V
Load Regulation 0.1 mA ≤ IL(REF) ≤ 4 mA,
0.4 2 %
V+ = VLED = 5V
Output Voltage Change with Temperature 0˚C ≤ TA ≤ +70˚C, IL(REF) = 1 mA,
1 %
V+ = VLED = 5V
Adjust Pin Current 75 120 µA
OUTPUT DRIVERS
LED Current V+ = VLED = 5V, IL(REF) = 1 mA 7 10 13 mA
LED Current Difference (Between Largest and VLED = 5V, ILED = 2 mA 0.12 0.4 mA
Smallest LED Currents) VLED = 5V, ILED = 20 mA 1.2 3 mA
LED Current Regulation 2V ≤ VLED ≤ 17V
ILED 2 mA 0.1 0.25 mA
ILED = 20 mA 1 3 mA
Dropout Voltage ILED(ON) = 20 mA @ VLED = 5V,
1.5 V
∆ILED = 2 mA
Saturation Voltage ILED = 2.0 mA, IL(REF) = 0.4 mA 0.15 0.4 V
Output Leakage, Each Collector Bar Mode (Note 5) 0.1 100 µA
Output Leakage Dot Mode (Note 5)
Pins 10–18 0.1 100 µA
Pin 1 60 150 450 µA

3 [Link]
LM3916
Electrical Characteristics (Notes 2, 4) (Continued)

Parameter Conditions (Note 2) Min Typ Max Units

SUPPLY CURRENT
Standby Supply Current V+ = + 5V, IL(REF) = 0.2 mA 2.4 4.2 mA
(All Outputs Off) V+ = + 20V, IL(REF) = 1.0 mA 6.1 9.2 mA
Note 1: Absolute Maximum Ratings indicate limits beyond which damage to the device may occur. Operating ratings indicate conditions for which the device is func-
tional, but do not guarantee specific performance limits. Electrical Characteristics state DC and AC electrical specifications under particular test conditions which guar-
antee specific performance limits. This assumes that the device is within the Operating Ratings. Specifications are not guaranteed for parameters where no limit is
given, however, the typical value is a good indication of device performance.
Note 2: Unless otherwise stated, all specifications apply with the following conditions:
3 VDC ≤ V+ ≤ 20 VDC −0.015V ≤ VRLO ≤ 12 VDC TA = 25˚C, IL(REF) = 0.2 mA, pin 9 connected to pin 3 (bar mode).
3 VDC ≤ VLED ≤ V+ VREF, VRHI, VRLO ≤ (V+ − 1.5V) For higher power dissipations, pulse testing is used.
−0.015V ≤ VRHI ≤ 12 VDC 0V ≤ VIN ≤ V+ − 1.5V
Note 3: Accuracy is measured referred to +3 dB = +10.000 VDC at pin 5, with +10.000 VDC at pin 6, and 0.000 VDC at pin 4. At lower full-scale voltages, buffer and
comparator offset voltage may add significant error. See table for threshold voltages.
Note 4: Pin 5 input current must be limited to ± 3 mA. The addition of a 39k resistor in series with pin 5 allows ± 100V signals without damage.
Note 5: Bar mode results when pin 9 is within 20 mV of V+. Dot mode results when pin 9 is pulled at least 200 mV below V+. LED #10 (pin 10 output current) is dis-
abled if pin 9 is pulled 0.9V or more below VLED.
Note 6: The maximum junction temperature of the LM3916 is 100˚C. Devices must be derated for operation at elevated temperatures. Junction to ambient thermal
resistance is 55˚C/W for the molded DIP (N package).

LM3916 Threshold Voltage (Note 3)

Volts Volts
dB dB
Min Typ Max Min Typ Max
3 9.985 10.000 10.015 −3 ± 1⁄2 4.732 5.012 5.309
2 ± 1⁄4 8.660 8.913 9.173 −5 ± 1⁄2 3.548 3.981 4.467
1± ⁄ 14 7.718 7.943 8.175 −7 ± 1 2.818 3.162 3.548
0 ± 1⁄4 6.879 7.079 7.286 −10 ± 1 1.995 2.239 2.512
−1 ± 1⁄2 5.957 6.310 6.683 −20 ± 1 0.631 0.708 0.794

Typical Performance Characteristics

Supply Current vs Operating Input Bias Reference Voltage vs
Temperature Current vs Temperature Temperature

DS007971-35 DS007971-36
DS007971-37

[Link] 4
 LM3916
Typical Performance Characteristics (Continued)

Reference Adjust Pin LED Current-Regulation LED Driver Saturation

Current vs Temperature Dropout Voltage

DS007971-38 DS007971-39
DS007971-40

Input Current Beyond LED Current vs LED Driver Current

Signal Range (Pin 5) Referenced Loading Regulation

DS007971-41

DS007971-42 DS007971-43

Total Divider Resistance Common-Mode Limits Output Characteristics

vs Temperature

DS007971-45 DS007971-46
DS007971-44

5 [Link]
LM3916
Block Diagram (Showing Simplest Application)

DS007971-4

[Link] 6
 LM3916
Functional Description
LM3916 Output Circuit
The simplified LM3916 block diagram is included to give the
general idea of the circuit’s operation. A high input imped-
ance buffer operates with signals from ground to 12V, and is
protected against reverse and overvoltage signals. The sig-
nal is then applied to a series of 10 comparators; each of
which is biased to a different comparison level by the resistor
string.
In the example illustrated, the resistor string is connected to
the internal 1.25V reference voltage. As the input voltage
varies from 0 to 1.25, the comparator outputs are driven low
one by one, switching on the LED indicators. The resistor di- DS007971-6
vider can be connected between any 2 voltages, providing
that they are at least 1.5V below V+ and no lower than V−. Outputs may be run in saturation with no adverse effects,
making it possible to directly drive logic. The effective satura-
INTERNAL VOLTAGE REFERENCE tion resistance of the output transistors, equal to RE plus the
transistors’ collector resistance, is about 50Ω. It’s also pos-
The reference is designed to be adjustable and develops a
sible to drive LEDs from rectified AC with no filtering. To
nominal 1.25V between the REF OUT (pin 7) and REF ADJ
avoid oscillations, the LED supply should be bypassed with a
(pin 8) terminals. The reference voltage is impressed across
2.2 µF tantalum or 10 µF aluminum electrolytic capacitor.
program resistor R1 and, since the voltage is constant, a
constant current I1 then flows through the output set resistor
MODE PIN USE
R2 giving an output voltage of:
Pin 9, the Mode Select input, permits chaining of multiple de-
vices, and controls bar or dot mode operation. The following
tabulation shows the basic ways of using this input. Other
more complex uses will be illustrated in the applications.
Bar Graph Display: Wire Mode Select (pin 9) directly to pin
3 (V+ pin).
Dot Display, Single LM3916 Driver: Leave the Mode Select
pin open circuit.
Dot Display, 20 or More LEDs: Connect pin 9 of the first
drivers in the series (i.e., the one with the lowest input volt-
age comparison points) to pin 1 of the next higher LM3916
driver. Continue connecting pin 9 of lower input drivers to pin
1 of higher input drivers for 30 or more LED displays. The
last LM3916 driver in the chain will have pin 9 left open. All
previous drivers should have a 20k resistor in parallel with
LED #9 (pin 11 to VLED).
DS007971-5
Mode Pin Functional Description
Since the 120 µA current (max) from the adjust terminal rep-
This pin actually performs two functions. Refer to the simpli-
resents an error term, the reference was designed to mini-
fied block diagram below.
mize changes of this current with V+ and load changes. For
correct operation, reference load current should be between
80 µA and 5 mA. Load capacitance should be less than Block Diagram of Mode Pin Function
0.05 µF.

CURRENT PROGRAMMING
A feature not completely illustrated by the block diagram is
the LED brightness control. The current drawn out of the ref-
erence voltage pin (pin 7) determines LED current. Approxi-
mately 10 times this current will be drawn through each
lighted LED, and this current will be relatively constant de-
spite supply voltage and temperature changes. Current
drawn by the internal 10-resistor divider, as well as by the ex-
ternal current and voltage-setting divider should be included
in calculating LED drive current. The ability to modulate LED
brightness with time, or in proportion to input voltage and
other signals can lead to a number of novel displays or ways
of indicating input overvoltages, alarms, etc.
The LM3916 outputs are current-limited NPN transistors as
shown below. An internal feedback loop regulates the tran-
sistor drive. Output current is held at about 10 times the ref-
DS007971-7
erence load current, independent of output voltage and pro-
cessing variables, as long as the transistor is not saturated. *High for bar

7 [Link]
LM3916
Mode Pin Functional Description as the input voltage reaches the threshold of LED #11, pin 9
of driver #1 is pulled an LED drop (1.5V or more) below
(Continued)
VLED. This condition is sensed by comparator C2, refer-
DOT OR BAR MODE SELECTION enced 600 mV below VLED. This forces the output of C2 low,
The voltage at pin 9 is sensed by comparator C1, nominally which shuts off output transistor Q2, extinguishing LED #10.
referenced to (V+ −100 mV). The chip is in bar mode when VLED is sensed via the 20k resistor connected to pin 11. The
pin 9 is above this level; otherwise it’s in dot mode. The com- very small current (less than 100 µA) that is diverted from
parator is designed so that pin 9 can be left open circuit for LED #9 does not noticeably affect its intensity.
dot mode. An auxiliary current source at pin 1 keeps at least 100 µA
Taking into account comparator gain and variation in the flowing through LED #11 even if the input voltage rises high
100 mV reference level, pin 9 should be no more than 20 mV enough to extinguish the LED. This ensures that pin 9 of
below V+ for bar mode and more than 200 mV below V+ (or driver #1 is held low enough to force LED #10 off when any
open circuit) for dot mode. In most applications, pin 9 is ei- higher LED is illuminated. While 100 µA does not normally
ther open (dot mode) or tied to V+ (bar mode). In bar mode, produce significant LED illumination, it may be noticeable
pin 9 should be connected directly to pin 3. Large currents when using high-efficiency LEDs in a dark environment. If
drawn from the power supply (LED current, for example) this is bothersome, the simple cure is to shunt LED #11 (and
should not share this path so that large IR drops are avoided. LED #1) with a 10k resistor. The 1V 1R drop is more than the
900 mV worst case required to hold off LED #10 yet small
DOT MODE CARRY enough that LED #11 does not conduct significantly.
In order for display to make sense when multiple drivers are In some circuits a number of outputs on the higher device
cascaded in dot mode, special circuitry has been included to are not used. Examples include the high resolution VU meter
shut off LED #10 of the first device when LED #1 of the sec- and the expanded range VU meter circuits (see Typical Ap-
ond device comes on. The connection for cascading in dot plications). To provide the proper carry sense voltage in dot
mode has already been described and is depicted in Figure mode, the LEDs of the higher driver IC are tied to VLED
1. through two series-connected diodes as shown in Figure 2.
As long as the input signal voltage is below the threshold of Shunting the diodes with a 1k resistor provides a path for
the second driver, LED #11 is off. Pin 9 of driver #1 thus sees driver leakage current.
effectively an open circuit so the chip is in dot mode. As soon

DS007971-8

FIGURE 1. Cascading LM3914/15/16 Series in Dot Mode

DS007971-9

FIGURE 2. Cascading Drivers in Dot Mode with Pin 1 of Driver #2 Unused

[Link] 8
 LM3916
Mode Pin Functional Description True average or peak detection requires rectification. If an
LM3916 is set up with 10V full scale across its voltage di-
(Continued)
vider, the turn-on point for the first LED is only 450 mV. A
OTHER DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS simple silicon diode rectifier won’t work well at the low end
The LM3915 is relatively low-powered itself, and since any due to the 600 mV diode threshold. The half-wave peak de-
number of LEDs can be powered from about 3V, it is a very tector in Figure 3 uses a PNP emitter-follower in front of the
efficient display driver. Typical standby supply current (all diode. Now, the transistor’s base-emitter voltage cancels out
LEDs OFF) is 1.6 mA. However, any reference loading adds the diode offset, within about 100 mV. This approach is usu-
4 times that current drain to the V+ (pin 3) supply input. For ally satisfactory when a single LM3916 is used for a 23 dB
example, an LM3915 with a 1 mA reference pin load (1.3k) display.
would supply almost 10 mA to every LED while drawing only Display circuits such as the extended range VU meter using
10 mA from its V+ pin supply. At full-scale, the IC is typically two or more drivers for a dynamic range of 40 dB or greater
drawing less than 10% of the current supplied to the display. require more accurate detection. In the precision half-wave
The display driver does not have built-in hysteresis so that rectifier of Figure 4 the effective diode offset is reduced by a
the display does not jump instantly from one LED to the next. factor equal to the open-loop gain of the op amp. Filter ca-
Under rapidly changing signal conditions, this cuts down pacitor C2 charges through R3 and discharges through R2
high frequency noise and often an annoying flicker. An “over- and R3, so that appropriate selection of these values results
lap” is built in so that at no time are all segments completely in either a peak or an average detector. The circuit has a
off the dot mode. Generally one LED fades in while the other gain equal to R2/R1.
fades out over a 1 mV range. The change may be much It’s best to capacitively couple the input. Audio sources fre-
more rapid between LED #10 of one device and LED #1 of a quently have a small DC offset that can cause significant er-
second device cascaded. ror at the low end of the log display. Op amps that slew
quickly, such as the LF351, LF353 or LF356, are needed to
faithfully respond to sudden transients. It may be necessary
Application Hints to trim out the op amp DC offset voltage to accurately cover
The most difficult problem occurs when large LED currents a 60 dB range. Best results are obtained if the circuit is ad-
are being drawn, especially in bar graph mode. These cur- justed for the correct output when a low-level AC signal (10
rents flowing out of the ground pin cause voltage drops in ex- to 20 mV) is applied, rather than adjusting for zero output
ternal wiring, and thus errors and oscillations. Bringing the with zero input.
return wires from signal sources, reference ground and bot-
tom of the resistor string to a single point very near pin 2 is
the best solution.
Long wires from VLED to LED anode common can cause os-
cillations. The usual cure is bypassing the LED anodes with
a 2.2 µF tantalum or 10 µF aluminum electrolytic capacitor. If
the LED anode line wiring is inaccessible, often a 0.1 µF ca-
pacitor from pin 1 to pin 2 will be sufficient.
If there is a large amount of LED overlap in the bar mode, os-
cillation or excessive noise is usually the problem. In cases
where proper wiring and bypassing fail to stop oscillations,
V+ voltage at pin 3 is usually below suggested limits. When DS007971-10
several LEDs are lit in dot mode, the problem is usually an
*DC Couple
AC component of the input signal which should be filtered
out. Expanded scale meter applications may have one or FIGURE 3. Half-Wave Peak Detector
both ends of the internal voltage divider terminated at rela-
tively high value resistors. These high-impedance ends
should be bypassed to pin 2 with 0.1 µF.
Power dissipation, especially in bar mode should be given
consideration. For example, with a 5V supply and all LEDs
programmed to 20 mA the driver will dissipate over 600 mW.
In this case a 7.5Ω resistor in series with the LED supply will
cut device heating in half. The negative end of the resistor
should be bypassed with a 2.2 µF solid tantalum or 10 µF
aluminum electrolytic capacitor to pin 2.

TIPS ON RECTIFIER CIRCUITS

The simplest way to display an AC signal using the LM3916
is to apply it right to pin 5 unrectified. Since the LED illumi-
nated represents the instantaneous value of the AC wave-
form, one can readily discern both peak and average values
of audio signals in this manner. The LM3916 will respond to
positive half-cycles only but will not be damaged by signals
up to ± 35V (or up to ± 100V if a 39k resistor is in series with
the input). A smear or bar type display results even though
the LM3916 is connected for dot mode. The LEDs should be
run at 20 mA to 30 mA for high enough average intensity.

9 [Link]
LM3916
Application Hints (Continued)

DS007971-11

D1, D2: 1N914 or 1N4148

Average Peak
DS007971-12
R2 1k 100k
D1, D2: 1N914 or 1N4148
R3 100k 1k
FIGURE 5. Precision Full-Wave Average Detector
R1 = R2 for AV = 1
R1 = R2/10 for AV = 10
C1 = 10/R1
FIGURE 4. Precision Half-Wave Rectifier
For precision full-wave averaging use the circuit in Figure 5.
Using 1% resistors for R1 through R4, gain for positive and
negative signal differs by only 0.5 dB worst case. Substitut-
ing 5% resistors increases this to 2 dB worst case. (A 2 dB
gain difference means that the display may have a ± 1 dB er-
ror when the input is a nonsymmetrical transient). The aver-
aging time constant is R5 • C2. A simple modification results
in the precision full-wave detector of Figure 6. Since the filter
capacitor is not buffered, this circuit can drive only high im-
pedance loads such as the input of an LM3916.

DS007971-13

D1, D2, D3, D4: 1N914 OR 1N4148

Attack and decay time to DIN PPM spec. Response down 1 dB for 10 ms
tone burst. Decays 20 dB in 1.5s.
FIGURE 6. Precision Full-Wave Peak Detector
AUDIO METER STANDARDS

VU Meter
The audio level meter most frequently encountered is the VU
meter. Its characteristics are defined as the ANSI specifica-
tion C165. The LM3916’s outputs correspond to the meter
indications specified with the omission of the −2 VU indica-
tion. The VU scale divisions differ slightly from a linear scale
in order to obtain whole numbers in dB.
Some of the most important specifications for an AC meter
are its dynamic characteristics. These define how the meter
responds to transients and how fast the reading decays. The
VU meter is a relatively slow full-wave averaging type, speci-
fied to reach 99% deflection in 300 ms and overshoot by 1 to
1.5%. In engineering terms this means a slightly under-
damped second order response with a resonant frequency
of 2.1 Hz and a Q of 0.62. Figure 7 depicts a simple rectifier/
filter circuit that meets these criteria.

[Link] 10
 LM3916
Application Hints (Continued)

DS007971-14

Design Equations

GAIN R5 R6 C2 C3
1 100k 43k 2.0 0.56 µF
10 1M 100k 1.0 0.056 µF

FIGURE 7. Full-Wave Average Detector to VU Meter Specifications*

Peak Program Meter Cascading The LM3916
The VU meter, originally intended for signals sent via tele- The LM3916 by itself covers the 23 dB range of the conven-
phone lines, has shortcomings when used in high fidelity tional VU meter. To display signals of 40 dB or 70 dB dy-
systems. Due to its slow response time, a VU meter will not namic range, the LM3916 may be cascaded with the 3 dB/
accurately display transients that can saturate a magnetic step LM3915s. Alternatively, two LM3916s may be cascaded
tape or drive an amplifier into clipping. The fast-attack peak for increased resolution over a 28 dB range. Refer to the Ex-
program meter (PPM) which does not have this problem is tended Range VU Meter and High Resolution VU Meter in
becoming increasingly popular. the Typical Applications section for the complete circuits for
While several European organizations have specifications both dot and bar mode displays.
for peak program meters, the German DIN specification To obtain a display that makes sense when an LM3915 and
45406 is becoming a de facto standard. Rather than respond an LM3916 are cascaded, the −20 dB output from the
instantaneously to peak, however, PPM specifications re- LM3916 is dropped. The full-scale display for the LM3915 is
quire a finite “integration time” so that only peaks wide set at 3 dB below the LM3916’s −10 dB output and the rest
enough to be audible are displayed. DIN 45406 calls for a re- of the thresholds continue the 3 dB/step spacing. A simple,
sponse of 1 dB down from steady-state for a 10 ms tone low cost approach is to set the reference voltage of the two
burst and 4 dB down for a 3 ms tone burst. These require- chips 16 dB apart as in Figure 5. The LM3915, with pin 8
ments are consistent with the other frequently encountered grounded, runs at 1.25V full-scale. R1 and R2 set the
spec of 2 dB down for a 5 ms burst and are met by an attack LM3916’s reference 16 dB higher or 7.89V. Variation in the
time constant of 1.7 ms. two on-chip references and resistor tolerance may cause a
The specified return time of 1.5s to −20 dB requires a ± 1 dB error in the −10 dB to −13 dB transition. If this is ob-
650 ms decay time constant. The full-wave peak detector of jectionable, R2 can be trimmed.
Figure 6 satisfies both the attack and decay time criteria. The drawback of the aforementioned approach is that the
threshold of LED #1 on the LM3915 is only 56 mV. Since
comparator offset voltage may be as high as 10 mV, large er-
rors can occur at the first few thresholds. A better approach,
as shown in Figure 9, is to keep the reference the same for

11 [Link]
LM3916
Application Hints (Continued) amplifying, input signals of sufficient amplitude can be fed di-
rectly to the LM3916 and attenuated by 16 dB to drive the
both drivers (10V in the example) and amplify the input sig- LM3915.
nal by 16 dB ahead of the LM3915. Alternatively, instead of

DS007971-15

VREF2 ≅ 7.89V

FIGURE 8. Low Cost Circuit for 40 dB Display

DS007971-16

FIGURE 9. Improved Circuit for 40 dB Display

To extend this approach to get a 70 dB display, another TIPS ON REFERENCE VOLTAGE AND LED CURRENT
30 dB of amplification must be placed in the signal path PROGRAMMING
ahead of the lowest LM3915. Extreme care is required as the
lowest LM3915 displays input signals down to 2 mV! Several Single Driver
offset nulls may be required. High currents should not share The equations in Figure 10 illustrate how to choose resistor
the same path as the low level signal. Also power line wiring values to set reference voltage for the simple case where no
should be kept away from signal lines. LED intensity adjustment is required. A LED current of 10 mA
to 20 mA generally produces adequate illumination. Having
10V full-scale across the internal voltage divider gives best
accuracy by keeping signal level high relative to the offset
voltage of the internal comparators. However, this causes 1

[Link] 12
 LM3916
Application Hints (Continued)

mA to flow from pin 7 into the divider which means that the
LED current will be at least 10 mA. R1 will typically be be-
tween 1 kΩ and 5 kΩ. To trim the reference voltage, vary R2.
The current in Figure 11 shows how to add a LED intensity
control which can vary LED current from 5 mA to 28 mA.
Choosing VREF = 5V lowers the current drawn by the ladder,
increasing the intensity adjustment range. The reference ad-
justment has some effect on LED intensity but the reverse is
not true.

DS007971-18

5 mA ≤ ILED ≤ 28 mA @ VREF = 5V

FIGURE 11. Varying LED Intensity

Multiple Drivers
Figure 12 shows how to obtain a common reference trim and
intensity control for two drivers. The two ICs may be con-
nected in cascade or may be handling separate channels for
DS007971-17 stereo. This technique can be extended for larger numbers
of drivers by varying the values of R1, R2 and R3. Because
the LM3915 has a greater ladder resistance, R5 was picked
less than R7 in such a way as to provide equal reference
load currents. The ICs’ internal references track within
100 mV so that worst case error from chip to chip is only 0.2
dB for VREF = 5V.
The scheme in Figure 13 is useful when the reference and
LED intensity must be adjusted independently over a wide
range. The RHI voltage can be adjusted from 1.2V to 10V
FIGURE 10. Design Equations for Fixed LED Intensity
with no effect on LED current. Since the internal divider here
does not load down the reference, minimum LED current is
much lower. At the minimum recommended reference load
of 80 µA, LED current is about 0.8 mA. The resistor values
shown give a LED current range from 1.5 mA to 25 mA.
At the low end of the intensity adjustment, the voltage drop
across the 510Ω current-sharing resistors is so small that
chip to chip variation in reference voltage may yield a visible
variation in LED intensity. The optional approach shown of
connecting the bottom end of the intensity control pot to a
negative supply overcomes this problem by allowing a larger
voltage drop across the (larger) current-sharing resistors.

13 [Link]
LM3916
Application Hints (Continued)

DS007971-19

5 mA ≤ ILED ≤ 28 mA
VREF = 5V
FIGURE 12. Independent Adjustment of Reference Voltage and LED Intensity for Multiple Drivers

DS007971-20

1.25V ≤ VREF ≤ 10V

1.5 mA ≤ ILED ≤ 25 mA
Optional circuit for improved intensity matching at low currents. See text.
FIGURE 13. Wide-Range Adjustment of Reference Voltage and LED intensity for Multiple Drivers

Other Applications shown in Figure 14. The signal can be a triangle, sawtooth or
sine wave from 60 Hz to 1 kHz. The display can be run in ei-
For increased resolution, it’s possible to obtain a display with ther dot or bar mode.
a smooth transition between LEDs. This is accomplished by
superimposing an AC waveform on top of the input level as

[Link] 14
 LM3916
Other Applications (Continued)

DS007971-21

FIGURE 14. 0V to 10V VU Meter with Smooth Transitions

15 [Link]
 LM3916

[Link]
Extended Range VU Meter (Dot Mode)
Typical Applications

16
DS007971-22

This application shows that the LED supply requires minimal filtering.
*See Application Hints for optional Peak or Average Detector.
†Adjust R3 for 3 dB difference between LED #11 and LED #12
 Extended Range VU Meter (Dot Mode)
Typical Applications
(Continued)

17
DS007971-23

D1, D2: 1N914 or 1N4148

*OPTIONAL SHUNTS 100 µA auxiliary sink current away from LED #1.
†See Application Hints for optional peak or average detector.

[Link]
LM3916
LM3916
Typical Applications (Continued)

Driving Vacuum Fluorescent Display

DS007971-24

R7 thru R15: 10k ± 10%

D1, D2: 1N914 or 1N4148
*Half-wave peak detector.
See Application Hints.

[Link] 18
 LM3916
Typical Applications (Continued)

Indicator and Alarm, Full-Scale Changes Display From Dot to Bar

DS007971-25

*The input to the Dot-Bar switch may be taken from cathodes of other LEDs. Display will change to bar as soon as the LED so selected begins to light.
**Optional. Shunts 100 µA auxiliary sink current away from LED #1.

19 [Link]
 LM3916

[Link]
High Resolution VU Meter (Bar Mode)
Typical Applications
(Continued)

20
DS007971-26

*See Application Hints for optional peak or average detector.

 High Resolution VU Meter (Dot Mode)
Typical Applications
(Continued)

21
DS007971-27

*Optional shunts 100 µA auxiliary sink current away from LED #1.
†See Application Hints for optional peak or average detector.

[Link]
LM3916
LM3916
Typical Applications (Continued)

Displaying Additional Levels

DS007971-28

[Link] 22
 LM3916
Typical Applications (Continued)

Operating with a High Voltage Supply (Dot Mode Only)

DS007971-29

The LED currents are approximately 10 mA, and LM3916 outputs operate in saturation for minimum dissipation.
*This point is partially regulated and decreases in voltage with temperature. Voltage requirements of the LM3916 also decrease with temperature.

Low Current Bar Mode Display

DS007971-30

Supply current drain is only 20 mA with ten LEDs illuminated @ 16 mA.

23 [Link]
LM3916
Typical Applications (Continued)

Driving Liquid Crystal Display

DS007971-31

Bar Display with Alarm Flasher

DS007971-32

Full-scale causes the full bar display to flash. If the junction of R1 and C1 is connected to a different LED cathode, the display will flash when that LED lights,
and at any higher input signal.

[Link] 24
 LM3916
Connection Diagram
Dual-In-Line Package

DS007971-33

Top View
Order Number LM3916N-1
See NS Package Number NA18A
Order Number LM3916N *
See NS Package Number N18A
*Discontinued, Life Time Buy date 12/20/99

Definition of Terms measured at the current source outputs. As the forward volt-
age of an LED does not change significantly with a small
Absolute Accuracy: The difference between the observed change in forward current, this is equivalent to changing the
threshold voltage and the ideal threshold voltage for each voltage at the LED anodes by the same amount.
comparator. Specified and tested with 10V across the inter-
Line Regulation: The average change in reference output
nal voltage divider so that resistor ratio matching error pre-
voltage (VREF) over the specified range of supply voltage
dominates over comparator offset voltage.
(V+).
Adjust Pin Current: Current flowing out of the reference
Load Regulation: The change in reference output voltage
amplifier pin when the reference amplifier is in the linear re-
over the specified range of load current (IL(REF)).
gion.
Offset Voltage: The differential input voltage which must be
Comparator Gain: The ratio of the change in output current
applied to each comparator to bias the output in the linear re-
(ILED) to the change in input voltage (VIN) required to pro-
gion. Most significant error when the voltage across the in-
duce it for a comparator in the linear region.
ternal voltage divider is small. Specified and tested with pin
Dropout Voltage: The voltage measured at the current 6 voltage (VRHI) equal to pin 4 voltage (VRLO).
source outputs required to make the output current fall by
Relative Accuracy: The difference between any two adja-
10%.
cent threshold points. Specified and tested with 10V across
Input Bias Current: Current flowing out of the signal input the internal voltage divider so that resistor ratio matching er-
when the input buffer is in the linear region. ror predominates over comparator offset voltage.
LED Current Regulation: The change in output current
over the specified range of LED supply voltage (VLED) as

25 [Link]
LM3916
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters) unless otherwise noted

Note: Unless otherwise specified.

1. Standard Lead Finish:
200 microinches /5.08 micrometer minimum
lead/tin 37/63 or 15/85 on alloy 42 or equivalent or copper
2. Reference JEDEC registration MS-001, Variation AC, dated May 1993.
Molded Dual-In-Line Package (N)
Order Number LM3916N-1
NS Package Number NA18A

[Link] 26
 LM3916 Dot/Bar Display Driver
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters) unless otherwise noted (Continued)

Molded Dual-In-Line Package (N)

Order Number LM3916N *
NS Package Number N18A
*Discontinued, Life Time Buy date 12/20/99

LIFE SUPPORT POLICY

NATIONAL’S PRODUCTS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN LIFE SUPPORT
DEVICES OR SYSTEMS WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL
COUNSEL OF NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION. As used herein:
1. Life support devices or systems are devices or 2. A critical component is any component of a life
systems which, (a) are intended for surgical implant support device or system whose failure to perform
into the body, or (b) support or sustain life, and can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of
whose failure to perform when properly used in the life support device or system, or to affect its
accordance with instructions for use provided in the safety or effectiveness.
labeling, can be reasonably expected to result in a
significant injury to the user.
National Semiconductor National Semiconductor National Semiconductor National Semiconductor
Corporation Europe Asia Pacific Customer Japan Ltd.
Americas Fax: +49 (0) 1 80-530 85 86 Response Group Tel: 81-3-5639-7560
Tel: 1-800-272-9959 Email: [Link]@[Link] Tel: 65-2544466 Fax: 81-3-5639-7507
Fax: 1-800-737-7018 Deutsch Tel: +49 (0) 1 80-530 85 85 Fax: 65-2504466
Email: support@[Link] English Tel: +49 (0) 1 80-532 78 32 Email: [Link]@[Link]
Français Tel: +49 (0) 1 80-532 93 58
[Link] Italiano Tel: +49 (0) 1 80-534 16 80

National does not assume any responsibility for use of any circuitry described, no circuit patent licenses are implied and National reserves the right at any time without notice to change said circuitry and specifications.