FleaPoT™ digital potentiometer — 10kΩ, 32 taps, SOT-23-6
The MAX5468EUT+T is a single-channel, 32-tap digital rheostat from Maxim Integrated's FleaPoT™ family. It presents a linear taper characteristic with a nominal end-to-end resistance of 10kΩ and a wiper resistance of 160Ω typical. The device is configured as a rheostat (two-terminal variable resistor) and uses an Up/Down (U/D, CS) serial interface to step the wiper position. Power supply range spans 2.7V to 5.5V, suiting both 3.3V and 5V logic rails. The SOT-23-6 package (SOT-6) keeps board area small for space-constrained designs.
32 taps and linear taper — resolution and response
With 32 wiper tap positions, the step size is approximately 312Ω per tap for the 10kΩ version. This is an entry-level resolution suitable for coarse gain adjustment, bias trimming, or setting a reference level where fine granularity is not required. The linear taper means the resistance between the wiper and the fixed terminal changes linearly with the digital code — predictable and easy to model in a transfer function. The wiper resistance of 160Ω typical adds a small series offset at the low end of the range; account for it when the minimum resistance matters in the application (e.g., setting a minimum gain in an op-amp circuit).
Volatile memory — power-up behavior matters
The wiper setting is volatile, meaning the device resets to mid-scale (tap 16) on power-up. If the design requires a specific wiper position at power-on without microcontroller intervention, consider an external non-volatile latch or a digital pot with non-volatile memory. For systems where the microcontroller initialises the pot on every boot, the volatile nature is transparent.
Temperature stability and industrial range
The typical temperature coefficient of 35ppm/°C keeps the resistance stable across temperature, important for precision analog circuits like programmable filters or voltage references. The operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C covers industrial environments: factory automation, outdoor telecom enclosures, and automotive cabin applications. The ±25% resistance tolerance is typical for digital pots; if tighter absolute accuracy is needed, calibrate the system or select a higher-grade part.
Lifecycle and sourcing posture
The MAX5468EUT+T carries an Active lifecycle status and is ROHS3 compliant. For volume commitments or dual-source planning, the FleaPoT™ family includes other resistance values (e.g., 50kΩ) in the same SOT-23-6 footprint, though pin compatibility should be verified per variant.