New devices offer volatile wiper register for applications using MCU with on-chip memory for wiper recall, or systems not requiring memory
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Oct. 13, 2009 – ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ONNN) a leading global supplier of high performance, energy efficient silicon solutions, today announced the availability of two new Digitally Programmable Potentiometer (DPP
) ICs suitable for high accuracy and stability for variable resistance adjustment applications in a wide range of industrial and consumer products. The CAT5270 and CAT5271 are dual-channel digital potentiometers with 256 resistor taps for fine resolution adjustment and an I2C-compatible interface for maximum interoperability. The new ON Semiconductor DPPs feature a volatile wiper register making them ideal for applications using a microcontroller (MCU) with on-chip memory for wiper recall, or for systems that do not require memory. They also provide a low-noise, reliable and space-saving alternative to mechanical potentiometers with the added benefit of immunity to dust / dirt contamination and vibration.
The CAT5270 allows microprocessor control of up to 16 devices from a single bus, while the CAT5271 offers a single, fixed address. Both devices are available with end-to-end resistance options of 50 kilohms, (kΩ) and 100 kΩ and can be used as a potentiometer or as a 2-terminal, variable rheostat. The volatile wiper register for both devices is set to mid-scale on power-up.
The CAT5270 and CAT5271 are insensitive to mechanical vibrations, shock, oxidation, dust, dirt and other contamination and are a fraction of the size of mechanical potentiometers. They have a low temperature coefficient of 100 parts per million per degrees Celsius (ppm/ºC) making them much more stable and reliable than mechanical potentiometers across a wide variety of environmental conditions.
Packaging and Pricing
The CAT5270 and CAT5271 digitally programmable potentiometers are supplied in 14-lead TSSOP and 10-lead MSOP packages, respectively. Pricing for quantities of 10,000 are $0.81 USD per unit for the CAT5270 and $0.90 USD per unit for the CAT5271.