The DS3994 is a four-channel controller for cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) that backlight liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in TV and PC monitor applications. The device uses burst dimming to control the brightness of the lamps. A unique feature allows the start of the burst dimming sequence for each of the four channels to be staggered independently. A set of four nonvolatile registers allows the user to program the stagger for each channel. A calculator is available to help users determine the proper value for programming these registers. This application note describes the advantages of staggering the burst dimming, and how to access and use the calculator.