Dual 10k log-taper digital pot with pushbutton control
The MAX5457EEE+ is a dual-channel digital potentiometer from Analog Devices, each channel offering 32 wiper taps across a 10k ohm end-to-end resistance with a logarithmic taper — the standard curve for audio volume and gain control where the ear perceives loudness logarithmically. It operates from a dual supply of ±2.7V to 5.5V, allowing the signal path to swing bipolar — useful when the pot sits in an AC-coupled or split-rail audio chain rather than a single-ended DC divider.
Pushbutton interface and mute — no serial bus needed
Unlike SPI- or I²C-controlled digital pots, the MAX5457EEE+ uses a pushbutton interface: two pins (up/down) step the wiper position, and a third pin provides a hardware mute that forces the wiper to the low end regardless of the tap setting — a clean way to suppress power-on transients or implement a hard silence without software polling. The wiper resistance is 1000 ohms typical — relatively high for a digital pot, so the minimum attenuation floor between the wiper and the low terminal is about 10% of the total resistance, which matters when designing the bottom of the volume range. Memory is volatile, meaning the wiper position resets to mid-scale on power-up — the mute pin is the reliable way to guarantee a known output state at power-on until the controller sets the desired tap.
Package, supply, and tempo — what the ratings mean for the board
The temperature coefficient is 50 ppm/°C typical — for a 10k pot, that is 0.5 ohms per degree Celsius drift in the end-to-end resistance. In a precision gain-setting application this drift adds up over the -40 to +85°C range (about 6.25 ohms total), but for audio volume control where the human ear tolerates ±1 dB, it is well within the margin. End-to-end resistance tolerance is ±30% — a 10k pot could measure anywhere from 7k to 13k. This is typical for digital pots and acceptable for ratio-metric applications (the tap-to-tap ratio is much tighter), but if the absolute resistance value matters for a filter time constant, budget a trim or select a tighter-tolerance part.
Active production, RoHS3, and sourcing posture
RoHS3 compliant — the part meets the EU Directive 2015/863 restriction of ten hazardous substances, so it passes the regulatory gate for global equipment shipments without an exemption certificate. No minimum order quantity beyond the tube quantity.