Circuits and methods for providing power and data communication in isolated system architectures

An isolated system, comprising:

• a monolithic substrate;
• first and second gate drive circuits supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive respective first and second power transistors;
• a control block supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive said first and second gate drive circuits in response to control signals developed based on said diagnostic signals;
• and
• a microcontroller coupled to said control block and configured to receive said diagnostic signals and provide said control signals.

A method of operating a power switch, comprising:

• driving said power switch with a drive circuit;
• providing diagnostic signals indicating at least one attribute associated with said power switch;
• and
• driving said drive circuit in response to control signals developed based on said diagnostic signals to sample power from a power bus coupled to said drive circuit.