The MAX17061A evaluation system (EV system) consists of the MAX17061A evaluation kit (EV kit) and the Maxim CMAXQUSB+ command module. Windows® 2000-, Windows XP®-, and Windows Vista®-compatible software are also available for use with the EV system (MAX17061AEVCMAXQU+) and can be downloaded from the Maxim website (www.maximintegrated.com/evkitsoftware).

The MAX17061A EV kit (MAX17061AEVKIT+) is a fully assembled and tested surface-mount PCB that evaluates the high-efficiency MAX17061A white LED (WLED) driver. The MAX17061A EV kit utilizes a step-up DC-DC converter to generate the voltage required to drive up to eight strings of 10 surface-mount WLEDs. The EV kit is powered from dual supplies (V_IN = 5.5V to 24V and V_CC = 4.5V to 5.5V) and can be configured to provide a fixed 25mA or adjustable 15mA to 30mA full-scale LED current. As shipped, the MAX17061A EV kit is configured for evaluation with four strings of 10 WLEDs and includes an I²C/SMBus™-compatible interface that allows for software control of the brightness in 256 steps, backlight-controller operating mode, manufacturer and silicon revision detection, and fault detection.

The Maxim CMAXQUSB+ command module provides the I²C/SMBus interface and is connected to the computer through the universal serial bus (USB) port. The MAX17061A EV kit software provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for exercising the MAX17061A features.