New digital-to-analogue converters retain settings without power

Microchip has announced the expansion of its digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) product line with the new MCP48FXBXX families of devices. The six-member MCP48FEBXX DAC family offers integrated EEPROM to save DAC settings at power-down, while the MCP48FVBXX family provides lower-cost alternatives for applications that do not require integrated memory. The low-power, single and dual-channel DACs feature 8-, 10- and 12-bit resolution, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), and are available in 10-pin MSOP packages. Examples of their wide range of applications in the consumer, industrial, automotive and other markets, includes set-point/offset trimming, sensor calibration, instrumentation and motor control. The high integration and novel feature sets of the MCP48FXBXX families offer flexibility in addition to power and cost savings, while simplifying their design effort. The integrated EEPROM option enables DAC settings to be restored at power-up and reduces microcontroller overhead, while the various shutdown modes significantly reduce the device current consumption for power-critical applications. Additionally, these devices feature low Differential Nonlinearity (DNL) error to sustain monotonic output and low Integral Nonlinearity (INL) error for better linearity. They are also specified to operate in extended-temperature conditions. The MCP48FXBXX DAC families are available now for sampling and volume production in 10-pin MSOP packages.