What is a digital potentiometer?
The potentiometer is used to adjust the overall level of electricity passing through the device. Standard analog potentiometers, which are usually used in items such as the volume control buttons and light dimmers, allow individuals to modulate the sensitivity of the circuit and control the flow of energy in it. Digital potentiometer or digipot is completely controlled by digital signals; During use, these signals are converted to analog output, allowing the user to control the electrical signal. Digital potentiometers are usually used to modulate analog signals in microcontrollers, such as central processing units on the computer. By controlling the amount of power passing through the microcontroller, the potentiometer works to maintain the energy flowing sensitive electronic devices under a tight control. In both cases, these devices take the binary code generated by the digital potentiometer and translate it into an analog voltage signal for the device. This results in the rightThe amount of energy moving to the device, which allows modulations to be performed through nothing other than adjusting the digital signal moving with the device.
Compared to traditional potentiometers, digital potentiometers have some shortcomings. The first is modulation; Digital signals cannot be adjusted as slightly as analog signals, resulting in editing that cannot be done so accurately. The most common are 256 stepper digital potentiometers, but are also available from 32 to 1,000 steps. Another disadvantage is the reduction of their digital voltage range, which usually ranges from 0 to 5 direct current volts (VDC), less than the standard range of most analog potentiometers. Occasionally, a during power cycle, a digital potentiometer can be a default random value that can potentially cause problems on the perimeter.
Some versions of the digital potentiometer contain a deckBU. This allows them to remember their specific settings even after interrupting the flow of energy moving via the device, for example, by the user off the computer or other electrical equipment. For these types of digital potentiometers, once they are turned back, it immediately restores the functioning of the exact performance they were before shutdown.