The Silicon Labs Si826x family of digital drivers is an industry first provider of a digital CMOS drop-in replacement solution for opto-coupled drivers (or opto-drivers). The Si826x drivers offer an ideal configuration, package and footprint fit for a number of opto-driver products that are used in industrial drives and motor control, solar power inverters, switched mode power supplies (SMPS), uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and high-voltage medical equipment. The Si826x devices provide superior common-mode transient immunity (CMTI), more robust performance and greater reliability than opto-drivers, making them ideal solutions for applications such as high power motor control that require long-term performance and longer product warranties (up to 20 years of fail-safe operation).

The Si826x family has key performance advantages over competing opto-drivers while providing industry-leading isolation level. The minimum CMTI specification for the Si826xB device is approximately 75% higher than competing opto-drivers. The Si826xA device uses about one-half the input turn-on current required by a similar opto-driver. All Si826x drivers have improved pulse-width distortion and propagation delay compared to competing opto-driver products.

The Si826x family’s industry-leading isolation technology allows system designers to easily exceed the long-term performance of opto-driver based systems. Resistant to temperature, age and forward current effects, the devices meets requirements for IEC 60950-1, 61010-1, 60601-1 (reinforced insulation). Up to 1200 V working voltage with 60+ year lifetime. CMOS-based capacitor isolation technology provides more than 10x MTTF rates.

The Si826x family offers a large selection of package and output choices, giving engineers greater design flexibility. Four opto-driver replacement package options are available: SOIC-8, SO-6, GW DIP-8 and LGA-8. Output options include a 0.6 A and a 4 A drive strengths. Low-power option is combined with the 0.6 A output while the 4 A drive option has a higher noise tolerance.