Choose A Digitally-Controlled Potentiometer Instead Of A DAC?
by Tamara Schmitz and Heather Babcock, Intersil Corporation
There are two options for designers wishing to translate digital information into its analog corollary - a digitally-controlled potentiometer (DCP) or a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Traditionally, it is assumed that a designer will choose a DAC when resolution or temperature stability is the major concern. Conversely, a designer typically selects a DCP when cost, memory, or flexibility with references is needed. Neither the DAC or DCP suppliers have been content with dominance in small pieces of the market, so DAC suppliers have developed smaller packages and lower prices while DCP manufacturers capitalized on improvements in process technology to provide comparable temperature performance. As both camps try for larger market share, let’s take a look at the state of the art.
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