Philips Lumileds and Future Lighting Solutions have introduced the first comprehensive suite of online Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools designed to speed the prototyping and development of solid-state lighting solutions for general lighting applications such as task lamps, recessed downlights, outdoor lighting and shop lighting.

Freely available through both companies’ web sites, the suite includes tools that provide analysis and data on LED selection, reliability, lifetime, thermal management, and detailed models for optical, electrical and mechanical design. These tools guide developers through the critical elements of SSL system design on a step-by-step basis.

The suite’s Usable Light Tool and LED Reliability Tool enable designers to quickly and simply choose the most appropriate LED for their application, comparing expected performance of comparable LEDs in a variety of environments. Engineers can run unlimited “what if” analyses for light output, efficacy, junction temperature, drive current, thermal characteristics and lifetime before committing development and financial resources for prototyping.

The electrical, optical and mechanical models for LUXEON Rebel and LUXEON K2 are available in the most common file formats. For electrical development, SPICE analysis is easily conducted with National Semiconductor’s Webench® or Linear Technology’s LTspice. The library models also work with Cadence OrCad®, Altium™ Designer and CadSoft™ Eagle for easy schematic entry and board layout. Models for mechanical layout are provided in standard 2D and 3D CAD file formats. Optical source models and high, medium and low resolution Ray Sets allow for detailed optical analysis and modeling.

The tools are available free to all designers at both www.philipslumileds.com/resources/design and www.futurelightingsolutions.com/services/tools.asp.