Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have become so prominent in so
short a time that new standards and specifications are emerging
faster than most engineers can gain familiarity with them. Prime
among those are standards involving overcurrent and overvoltage
protection from such organizations as the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Underwriters Laboratories
(UL), and the US Department of Energy's Municipal Solid State
Street Lighting Consortium (MSSSLC), among others. Experts say
that most designers have a rudimentary understanding of the
technical protection requirements for LED-based systems, but
often need to be schooled on the details. "Engineers know surge
immunity," Usha Patel, director of the Latin American sales and
segment marketing for Littelfuse Inc., told Design News. "They
know they have to protect against lightning. They know they have
to protect against inductive spikes. But there are areas where
they still need to be educa