What the TLP293(E delivers in an isolated design
The Toshiba TLP293(E is a single-channel photocoupler with a DC-input LED driving a phototransistor output, packaged in a 6-SMD gull-wing surface-mount package (6-MFSOP, 4 leads). Its 3750Vrms isolation voltage suits it for galvanic isolation in industrial controls, power supplies, and PLC I/O modules where you need to break ground loops or protect low-voltage logic from high-side transients. The transistor output is rated for 80V and 50mA continuous, with a Vce saturation of 300mV max at the rated current — enough headroom to drive a CMOS or TTL gate input directly without a buffer.
CTR spread and switching speed — the real-world fit
The current transfer ratio spans 50% to 600% at a forward current of 5mA. That wide spread means you design the pull-up resistor and logic threshold for the minimum CTR, not the typical — at 50% CTR the output transistor pulls about 2.5mA collector current from a 5mA LED drive, which still saturates a standard CMOS input. Rise and fall times are 2µs typical, turn-on and turn-off times 3µs typical, so this part handles data rates up to roughly 100 kbps — fine for status signals, relay drives, or slow serial links, but not for high-speed isolated SPI or CAN.
The LED forward voltage is 1.25V typical; derate the forward current to stay within the 50mA absolute maximum at the high end of the temperature range.
No official second source or successor is listed, but the standard 6-SMD photocoupler footprint is shared by several vendors; if you need a dual-source option, the TLP185 or TLP290 series from Toshiba are in the same package family and similar CTR bins.