Editing Potentiometer (section)

== Digital potentiometer ==
{{main article|Digital potentiometer}}
A digital potentiometer (often called digipot) is an electronic component that mimics the functions of analog potentiometers.  Through digital input signals, the resistance between two terminals can be adjusted, just as in an analog potentiometer. There are two main functional types: volatile, which lose their set position if power is removed, and are usually designed to initialise at the minimum position, and non-volatile, which retain their set position using a storage mechanism similar to [[flash memory]] or [[EEPROM]].

Usage of a digipot is far more complex than that of a simple mechanical potentiometer, and there are many limitations to observe; nevertheless they are widely used, often for factory adjustment and calibration of equipment, especially where the limitations of mechanical potentiometers are problematic. A digipot is generally immune to the effects of moderate long-term mechanical vibration or environmental contamination, to the same extent as other semiconductor devices, and can be secured electronically against unauthorised tampering by protecting the access to its programming inputs by various means.

In equipment which has a [[microprocessor]], [[FPGA]] or other functional logic which can store settings and reload them to the "potentiometer" every time the equipment is powered up, a multiplying [[Digital-to-analog converter|DAC]] can be used in place of a digipot, and this can offer higher setting resolution, less drift with temperature, and more operational flexibility.