Quad 8-bit digital potentiometer has internal EEPROM, consumes 5 μA

Paul Rako, technical editor -- EDN, May 12, 2010

Microchip Technology's new 8-bit, digital MCP4361 quad potentiometer and MCP4362 quad rheostat save their settings in internal EEPROMs. The devices communicate over an SPI (serial-peripheral-interface) bus at 10-MHz rates, function over a 2.7 to 5.5V supply range, and operate at voltages as low as 1.8V. Typical supply current is 2.5 μA, and maximum supply current is 5 μA when the serial bus is inactive and 1 mA maximum during a nonvolatile-write operation.


The resistor network of the 5-kΩ part has a 2-MHz bandwidth. By writing to an internal register, you can disconnect the resistor network from the terminals, and you use an input pin to reset the part to its default condition. Weak pullup resistors reside on the serial bus' digital inputs, which tolerate voltages as high as 12.5V and have a Schmitt-trigger-transfer function. The units also operate in split-rail environments.

The devices have applications in consumer and industrial applications, such as power-supply trim and calibration, setpoint and process control, closed-loop servo control, PC peripherals, portable instrumentation, instrumentation-offset adjustment, and signal conditioning. The units' operating-temperature range of -40 to +125°C also makes them suitable for automotive applications. An 80-page data sheet fully characterizes the operation of the units and provides application guidance.

The MCP4361 comes in a 20-pin TTSOP or a 4×4-mm QFN package, and the MCP4362 comes in a 14-pin TTSOP package. They sell for $1.34 (10,000) each.

Microchip Technology