Broadcom is a global leader in semiconductors, with roots tracing back to Hewlett-Packard’s optoelectronics division in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the subsequent decades, under the HP, Agilent, Avago brands, and today as Broadcom, the company has become synonymous with quality and innovation in communication technologies and optoisolation. Its optocouplers are an industry and consumer electronics standard, known for their reliability and precise manufacturing.
Among these devices, the HCPL-817 series holds a special place — one of the most recognizable and widely used optocoupler families on the market. These devices belong to the group of optocouplers with a transistor output, where the light signal emitted by the LED on the input side is received by a phototransistor on the output side, providing galvanic signal isolation, minimizing the risk of overvoltages between the control circuit and the power circuit.
HCPL-817 series optocouplers are characterized by high isolation parameters (5000VRMS) and versatility of applications. The devices are equipped with a phototransistor with a maximum collector-emitter voltage of 70V and a current carrying capacity of up to 50mA. On the input side, the LED is typically powered by a current from 10mA to 20mA (the design allows for temporary current conduction of up to 50mA). The thermal tolerance range of the device extends from -30°C to 100°C, making it suitable for both home appliance applications and devices/controllers intended for industry, automation, robotics, etc.
The sensitivity of these types of devices is defined by the CTR (Current Transfer Ratio) parameter, which for the HCPL-817 series – depending on the specific model – ranges from 50% to 600%. The standard DIP-4 package with a 2.54mm pitch facilitates through-hole mounting (THT) in classic circuits. SMD versions are also available, enabling surface mounting in modern applications – here, the Gull-wing 4 format is used.
The most typical applications for HCPL-817 devices include computer interface drivers, signal converters, feedback circuits (meters, sensors).
Characteristics
| Optoisolator type | Optocoupler |
| Mounting* | THT or SMT |
| Number of channels | 1 |
| Output type | Transistor |
| Isolation voltage | 5kV |
| CTR@If* | 50…600%@5mA |
| Collector-emitter voltage | 70V |
| Package* | DIP4 or Gull-wing 4 |
| Turn-on time | 4µs |
| Turn-off time | 3µs |
| Collector current | 50mA |
| Operating temperature | -30…100°C |
| Manufacturer series | HCPL-817 |
| Max forward current | 50mA |
| Forward current | 20mA |
* depending on model
