AD8403ARZ50

Overview

The AD8403ARZ50 is a quad-channel, 256-position digital potentiometer from Analog Devices. It features four independent variable resistors with a nominal resistance of 50 kΩ and a linear taper. The device operates on a single supply voltage ranging from 2.7 V to 5.5 V and utilizes an SPI-compatible 3-wire serial interface for data input. Each channel includes a volatile latch to store the wiper position. Key electrical characteristics include a temperature coefficient of 500 ppm/°C, a shutdown current of less than 5 μA, and a maximum continuous terminal current of ±540 μA.

Feature Summary

• Quad-channel configuration with four independent 256-position variable resistors
• Nominal resistance of 50 kΩ with ±1% channel-to-channel matching tolerance
• SPI-compatible 3-wire serial interface supporting daisy-chaining via SDO pin
• Power shutdown mode reduces supply current to less than 5 μA

Applications

• Mechanical potentiometer replacement in space-constrained designs
• Programmable filters, delays, and time constants
• Line impedance matching
• Power supply adjustment

Procurement Notes

Verify the package type upon ordering, as the 'Z' suffix indicates RoHS compliance while the base model may vary in housing. Confirm the specific resistance value (50 kΩ) matches the design requirements, as the AD8403 family offers 1 kΩ, 10 kΩ, and 100 kΩ variants. Ensure the serial interface logic levels are compatible with the host microcontroller operating at 2.7 V to 5.5 V.

Selection Notes

Select this component when a quad-channel solution is required to replace mechanical pots. The 50 kΩ value provides a bandwidth of 125 kHz at -3 dB. Consider the TSSOP-24 or SOIC-24 package availability based on PCB layout constraints. Note that the memory is volatile; a reset to midscale occurs if power is lost without backup.