Hi, I was wondering how long the TLC5940 might last if it's running at it's maximum current rating but not dissipating very much heat. As an example, 6 sections of RGB LED strips draw 120mA per channel. The resistors in the strips have voltage drops across them, so there's no need to use the current-limiting feature in this case. In the datasheet, I did notice that the TLC5940 will always drop at least 1V at 120mA. Fully-on 16 channels would be 1,920mW, ignoring the current drop due to the voltage drop, but if the LED's average 50% duty cycle then 960mW would be well within the power ratings. The specific programming could affect lifetime, but maybe TI has done some steady-state lifetime tests?
Edit:
If anybody on here has tried running it at 120mA/channel in a product or permanent installation, I'm sure a lot of people would be curious to hear how long it lasts.
Forgot to mention earlier what a great product the TLC5940 is. Very smooth fading, and convenient to use without the hassle of building transistor switches, and it doesn't slow down an Arduino the way that another product does.
Perry