EvaluationCircuitsforXDCP.PDFVIP

1? Evaluation Circuits for XDCP?AN88.0Application Note Author: Applications Staff April 26, 2005Introduction The use of Intersil’s nonvolatile digital potentiometers (XDCPs) in mixed signal applications can offer a number of unique system advantages over the use of mechanical potentiometers. During prototyping, a design engineer may want to evaluate these devices in order to see how well they will perform in the intended application. In many cases, a simple circuit to control an XDCPs operation (and which can be “jumpered” into a target system) is sufficient. To that end, this application note features some simple circuit schematics that an engineer can build in order to quickly evaluate any of Intersil’s XDCPs. PushPOTs The X9511 is a 32-tap, human interface, nonvolatile digital potentiometer with a direct pushbutton interface (i.e. PushPOT). This device provides added flexibility when designing consumer or industrial products which require user control of system parameters (e.g. LCD backlighting and contrast control on laptop computers). The PushPOT interface consists of separate PU and PD pins to control the movement of the wiper (respectively, up or down). Holding either pin LOW for a sufficiently long period of time allows the PushPOT to enter a slow wiper scan mode, which allows multiple wiper transistions without the need to pulse the pin HIGH between transitions. Continuing to hold the pin LOW will eventually initiate a fast wiper scan mode. Both of these pins are debounced and internally pulled-up, allowing for a direct pushbutton interface. The ASE pin (also debounced), when tied LOW during operation, implements a power-down AUTOSTORE? mode which stores the current wiper position to EEPROM. Alternatively, if this pin is normally HIGH during operation, but pulsed LOW when desired, a manual nonvolatile store cycle can be initiated. The X9514 is a log taper version of the X9511. The circuit in Figure 1 can be used to evaluate