Microchip Technology MCP4018T-104E/LT Linear IC SC-70-6 MCP4018T-104E/LT 데이터 시트

© 2009 Microchip Technology Inc.

DS22147A-page 49

Digital potentiometers have a multitude of practical
uses in modern electronic circuits. The most popular
uses include precision calibration of set point
thresholds, sensor trimming, LCD bias trimming, audio
attenuation, adjustable power supplies, motor control
overcurrent trip setting, adjustable gain amplifiers and
offset trimming. The MCP4017/18/19 devices can be
used to replace the common mechanical trim pot in
applications where the operating and terminal voltages
are within CMOS process limitations (V

DD 

= 2.7V to

5.5V).

Applications that need accurate detection of an input
threshold event often need several sources of error
eliminated. Use of comparators and operational
amplifiers (op amps) with low offset and gain error can
help achieve the desired accuracy, but in many
applications, the input source variation is beyond the
designer’s control. If the entire system can be
calibrated after assembly in a controlled environment
(like factory test), these sources of error are minimized
if not entirely eliminated.

 illustrates a common digital potentiometer

configuration. This configuration is often referred to as
a “windowed voltage divider”. Note that R

1

 is not

necessary to create the voltage divider, but its
presence is useful when the desired threshold has
limited range. It is “windowed” because R

1

 can narrow

the adjustable range of V

TRIP

 to a value much less than

V

DD 

– V

SS

. If the output range is reduced, the

magnitude of each output step is reduced. This
effectively increases the trimming resolution for a fixed
digital potentiometer resolution. This technique may
allow a lower-cost digital potentiometer to be utilized
(64 steps instead of 256 steps).
The MCP4018’s low DNL performance is critical to
meeting calibration accuracy in production without
having to use a higher precision digital potentiometer.

8.1.1

TRIMMING A THRESHOLD FOR AN 
OPTICAL SENSOR

If the application has to calibrate the threshold of a
diode, transistor or resistor, a variation range of 0.1V is
common. Often, the desired a resolution of 2 mV or
better is adequate to accurately detect the presence of
a precise signal. A “windowed” voltage divider, utilizing
the MCP4018, would be a potential solution. 

 illustrates this example application.

1

2

+

------------------

⎝

⎠

⎛

⎞

=

D = Digital Potentiometer Wiper Setting (0-127)

 = R

 

 = R

 

• D

D =                    

• (R

 + R

 )  

   • 127

 

 

V

DD

V

OUT

A

R

1

W

B

SDA
SCL

V

TRIP

0.1 µF

Comparator

V

CC+

V

CC–

V

DD

R

sense

R

1

B

A

V

DD

W

SDA

SCL