1024-tap resolution and non-volatile wiper storage
The MAX5482ETE+: This is a single-circuit digital potentiometer with 1024 wiper positions across a 50kΩ end-to-end resistance — the 1024 taps give roughly 48.8 Ω per step, so the wiper setting can be fine-tuned to within 0.1% of full scale, and the wiper position is stored in non-volatile memory so it holds its last setting at power-up without a microcontroller re-loading it.
Supply rails and interface — single or dual supply, SPI or up/down control
The part operates from a single 2.7V to 5.25V supply or from dual ±2.5V to ±5.25V rails, making it usable in both single-supply systems and bipolar signal chains. It offers two control interface options: a standard SPI bus (CS, SCLK, DIN) or a simpler up/down interface using the U/D, INC, and CS pins — the up/down mode reduces pin count in the firmware but requires the host to generate the INC pulses, while SPI gives direct register access for setting the wiper value and reading back the stored position.
Temperature coefficient and wiper resistance — what they mean for the BOM
The wiper resistance is 50 Ω typical — this adds a series offset in the wiper path that can be significant at the low end of the resistance range; at the first tap (48.8 Ω), the wiper resistance nearly equals the tap resistance, so the minimum effective resistance from wiper to low terminal is about 100 Ω, not zero.