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Choosing a 4N35: How Its LED and Phototransistor Work

The 4N35 transfers signals with light across a galvanic barrier. Learn its Vishay DIP-6 pinout, what the isolation figures mean, and which specifications to check.
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The 4N35 passes a signal from one circuit to another using light: an input-side infrared LED activates an output-side silicon NPN phototransistor. The circuits have no direct conductive connection, but “nothing crosses” is not literal—light carries the signal, and Vishay specifies input-to-output coupling capacitance below 0.5 pF.

How the 4N35 transfers a signal

A 4N35 is a six-pin optocoupler. Vishay describes its two active elements as a gallium arsenide infrared LED and a silicon NPN phototransistor. Current through the LED produces light; the transistor responds on the other side and provides an output current path. The signal crosses optically rather than through a wire joining the input and output circuits.

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This separation is called galvanic isolation. It can keep the two circuits from sharing a direct conductive path, while allowing a control or status signal to pass. It does not mean there is no coupling of any kind: Vishay lists input-output coupling capacitance below 0.5 pF. Vishay’s 4N35 datasheet and product information describe the part and its specifications.

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Vishay 4N35 pinout

The following pin assignments are for Vishay’s six-pin DIP version. Check the package drawing and datasheet for the exact manufacturer and part variant before wiring; do not assume every part sold under the 4N35 designation has identical documentation.

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Pin Connection Role
1 Anode Input LED positive terminal
2 Cathode Input LED negative terminal
3 NC Shown as not connected in Vishay’s pin diagram
4 Emitter Output phototransistor emitter
5 Collector Output phototransistor collector
6 Base Accessible base connection for the output transistor

Pin 3 is identified as NC in the Vishay diagram; treat it as unconnected, not as a spare terminal. The base pin gives the output transistor an accessible base connection, but its use depends on the circuit design.

What the voltage and current ratings do—and do not—say

Isolation figures need a manufacturer and a test context. Vishay lists a 5000 VRMS isolation test voltage for its 4N35 information. Broadcom’s separate 4N35 datasheet, dated 2023-04-14, specifies 3550 Vrms input-output isolation voltage. These are manufacturer-specific figures, not a single universal rating for every 4N35. A test-voltage figure—especially one applied for a specified test interval—is not by itself a safe continuous working-voltage rating for a finished circuit. Broadcom’s 4N35 datasheet gives its own specifications.

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Vishay’s Rev. 1.2 datasheet, dated 2010-01-07, lists these absolute maximum ratings:

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  • LED forward current: 50 mA.
  • Collector-emitter breakdown voltage: 70 V.
  • Collector current: 50 mA.

Absolute maximum ratings are limits, not recommended operating targets. They do not establish the current or voltage a particular circuit should use; that requires checking the datasheet’s operating conditions and designing for the actual application.

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Nor does an isolation test number alone establish that a mains-connected design is safe or compliant. The complete design must account for the exact component, its approvals and ratings, circuit conditions, and required clearance and creepage distances.

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What to check when choosing or using one

The 4N35 is listed for applications including AC mains detection, reed-relay driving, switching-mode power-supply feedback, telephone ring detection, logic-ground isolation, and logic coupling with high-frequency noise rejection. These are manufacturer-stated application examples, not blanket approval for any particular circuit.

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  • Current-transfer ratio: Check the specified ratio at the input current and output conditions your circuit will use. It is not a fixed one-to-one relationship between LED input current and transistor output current.
  • Switching response: Compare timing specifications only when their test conditions match. Broadcom lists a typical 3 μs rise time under stated conditions; do not assume that number describes every 4N35 manufacturer or operating setup.
  • Package and pinout: Confirm the manufacturer, package, lead arrangement, and datasheet drawing for the exact part.
  • Isolation and approvals: Verify the required continuous working voltage, safety approvals, and board-layout constraints for the application rather than relying on an isolation test-voltage figure alone.

If sourcing the component, search for the exact manufacturer and package—for example, a Vishay 4N35 DIP-6—and match the listing to that manufacturer’s datasheet. A distributor listing can confirm that an exact part is offered, but stock and price change; Newark’s listing is one such commercial reference, not a guarantee of current availability.

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