Six-channel isolator for mixed-protocol buses
The Texas Instruments ISO6760FDWR is a six-channel, unidirectional digital isolator built on capacitive coupling technology. It handles data rates up to 50 Mbps and supports common serial protocols — CAN, RS232, RS485, and SPI — making it a single-device solution for isolating mixed-signal interfaces in a control system. All six channels are oriented in the same direction (6/0 input/output side), which suits applications where a microcontroller sends multiple control or data lines across an isolation barrier to a remote transceiver or actuator bank. The wide-body 16-SOIC package delivers 5000 Vrms of reinforced isolation, enough for medical patient-contact circuits, industrial motor drives, and grid-connected power converters where safety separation is a regulatory requirement.
The 50 Mbps data rate covers full-speed CAN FD, RS485 at 40 Mbps, and SPI clock rates typical of MCUs — no throughput bottleneck on a mixed-protocol backplane. Common-mode transient immunity of 50 kV/µs (minimum) keeps data intact in switching environments like variable-frequency drives and solar inverters where fast voltage edges couple into the isolation barrier. Propagation delay is 18 ns max (both directions), and pulse-width distortion stays under 7 ns — tight enough for SPI clocking at 50 Mbps without bit-error accumulation. Supply voltage accepts a 1.71 V to 1.89 V primary side and a separate 2.25 V to 5.5 V secondary side, allowing direct interface with low-voltage MCUs on one side and higher-voltage peripherals on the other.
The capacitive coupling technology inherently resists magnetic field interference better than transformer-based isolators, which matters when the part is placed near inductors or high-current bus bars.