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Micro-Controllers
The output of most digital circuits and micro-processors is only five
volts at most a few milli-amps. Most electrical and electronic devices
require voltages and currents that will destroy digital circuits, so we
must rely on what I'll broadly call driver circuits. To our left illustrates
a digital output driving a typical low-power light emitting diode.
Like the example above we would say the transistor "sinks" the load.
In the case of using a TIP120 R2 should be 1000-ohms.
In summery we have looked at a number of bipolar transistor and MOSFET driver circuits. They all have a flaw of
having to be electrically connected to low voltage digital circuits. With opto-isolators we can sever this connection
of the higher-voltage power supplies totally from the low-voltage digital circuits if desired. In fact we can even
change the polarity of the higher voltage supplies without regards to the digital circuits common negative grounds if
we desire.