Need help understanding opto-isolation

I am working on a project about an ICG (impedance cardiography), and the manual I have on this device talks about an opto-isolated serial interface within the devices circuitry. I am wondering what they mean by serial interface? I have a grasp on the opto-isolation part, so could someone please shed some light on this.

A serial interface sends and receives data one bit at a time, one after the other. The alternative is to send and receive many bits at the same time over a parallel set of wires. One wire per bit. If each bit of a parallel interface had to have its own opto-isolator you begin to see the problem.

Serial interface is the means of transmiting the signal, usually to a computer. USB or RS232 amoung others. Since you are building a "medical device" you should (must) power it from batteries to avoid the risk of shock. If you are going to connect the system to a computer, unless the link is done by "opto-insulators", if something goes wrong with the computer you would get shocked by the computer.

biomed said:

I am working on a project about an ICG (impedance cardiography), and the manual I have on this device talks about an opto-isolated serial interface within the devices circuitry. I am wondering what they mean by serial interface? I have a grasp on the opto-isolation part, so could someone please shed some light on this.

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