Digital Isolators vs. Optocouplers

Comparing legacy optocoupler technology to newer CMOS-based digital isolation technology.

Digital Isolator and Power Solutions
http://www.silabs.com/products/power/Pages/default.aspx

Si84xx Digital Isolator Evaluation Kit
http://www.silabs.com/products/power/isolators/Pages/Si84xxISOKit.aspx

Why Choose Si84xx Digital Isolators?
http://www.silabs.com/products/power/isolators/Pages/WhyISOproIsolators.aspx

CMOS RF digital isolators, isolated gate drivers, current sensors, power controllers The digital isolator family are CMOS devices that employ an RF coupler to transmit digital information across an isolation barrier. Very high-speed operation at low power levels is achieved. Enables high integration: up to 6 isolation channels in a single package. CMOS technology enables smaller, faster, more reliable system isolation than optocouplers.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• power products
• isolators
• current sensors

[tokyo1943]

Allow me ask different way, this is my confusion about "bits per second" vs. "bandwidth in Hertz"

Let say if the part is rated at 150 Mbps, can I use it to transfer clock signal runnin at 150MHz ?

Thanks in advance

[ViralSilabs]

@tokyo1943 150MHz clock equals 300Mbps, which is beyond the bandwidth of isolators.

[ViralSilabs]

The clock is on the low voltage side and does not need to be isolated. The FET gate control signals are isolated from high voltage side using the Si8234 on the POL board. The Si8234 has built in isolation as well as gate drive capability.

Please qualify your question on "how good"? Do you mean what is the pulse width distortion?

[antijames001]

Awesome man...



[tokyo1943]

So how good is the data after re-clocked (or recovered) at the other side ?

The clock require twice as fast as the data. How do I isolate the clock?

[PansonAudio]

The voice pick up was so bad. Can't hear the voice clearly.