The AD5243 and AD5248 provide a compact 3 mm × 4.9 mm packaged solution for dual, 256-position adjustment applications. The AD5243 performs the same electronic adjustment function as a 3-terminal mechanical potentiometer, and the AD5248 performs the same adjustment function as a 2-terminal variable resistor. Available in four end-to-end resistance values (2.5 kΩ, 10 kΩ, 50 kΩ, and 100 kΩ), these low temperature coefficient devices are ideal for high accuracy and stability-variable resistance adjustments. The wiper settings are controllable through the I2C-compatible digital interface. The AD5248 has extra package address decode pins, AD0 and AD1, allowing multiple parts to share the same I2C, 2-wire bus on a PCB. The resistance between the wiper and either endpoint of the fixed resistor varies linearly with respect to the digital code transferred into the RDAC latch. (The terms digital potentiometer, VR, and RDAC are used interchangeably.)
Operating from a 2.7 V to 5.5 V power supply and consuming less than 6 µA allows the AD5243/AD5248 to be used in portable battery-operated applications.
For applications that program the AD5243/AD5248 at the factory, Analog Devices, Inc., offers device programming software running on Windows® NT/2000/XP operating systems. This software effectively replaces the need for external I2C controllers, which in turn enhances the time to market of systems. An AD5243/AD5248 evaluation kit and software are available. The kit includes a cable and instruction manual.
