
The opto in Figure 11-1 uses this circuit.

For every application check which components are suitable or not. Because of this many optos use a circuit known as a Darlington pair. But they are suitable for data rates in the MBit/s range.īeware of such generalized statements. It is a control circuit for the FL5150 dimmer, where the GNDA on the device is floating with the mains input. An opt coupler or sometimes refer to as opt isolator allows two circuits to exchange signals yet remain electrically isolated. Optoisolators are not necessarily the fastest components. These protective elements can also be used to reduce dv/dt. There are also optoisolators with very low coupling capacitance to minimize the effect.ĭv/dt sensitivity is not a reason not to use optoisolators.Īny kind of isolated coupler (optical, magnetic, capacitive) needs to be protected from high voltage and high current EMC effects (e.g.

According to I = C × dv/dt a high dv/dt will create a proportionally high displacement current from input to output.īut: other types of couplers also exhibit such a capacitance and are therefore sensitive to the effect. An optocoupler (opto-isolator) is useful in isolating two separate circuits while still allowing the input-side circuit to control the output-side circuit.

There is always a capacitance between input (LED) and output (transistor, driver. An optocoupler or optoisolator chip is a chip that allows for electrical isolation between the input of the circuit and the output of the circuit. Where did you get that statement from? Sounds like a marketing statement by one of the competitors to optoisolator technology.
