Current spikes may occur when dynamically shortening a light emitting diode chain. These current spikes can be avoided by using a voltage control loop to regulate the output of the LED driver just prior to the transition period. Specifically, regulation of the LED driver is switched from a current control loop (e.g., a control loop regulating the output current of the led driver) to a voltage control loop (e.g., a control loop regulating the output voltage of the led driver) just before the LED chain is shortened. The voltage control loop then reduces the voltage of the LED driver to a target voltage prior to shortening the LED chain, thereby allowing the LED chain to be shortened without eliciting a current spike.