Many new designs today absolutely require galvanic isolation between two or more pieces of equipment, or between two critical sections of a single product or system. If you haven’t done this before, you may want to come up to speed before proceeding. That means learning the basics of galvanic isolation, why it’s used, and becoming familiar with the ways to achieve it.
This article defines galvanic isolation, explains its benefits, and then summarizes the most common ways to implement it. And it reveals a fresh new approach to providing galvanic isolation with special ICs.