The DAC8550 is a small, low-power, voltage output, 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC). It is monotonic, provides good linearity, and minimizes undesired code-to-code transient voltages. The DAC8550 uses a versatile, 3-wire serial interface that operates at clock rates of up to 30 MHz and is compatible with standard SPI™, QSPI™, Microwire™, and digital signal processor (DSP) interfaces.

The DAC8550 requires an external reference voltage to set its output range. The DAC8550 incorporates a power-on reset circuit that ensures that the DAC output powers up at midscale and remains there until a valid write takes place to the device. The DAC8550 contains a power-down feature, accessed over the serial interface, that reduces the current consumption of the device to 200 nA at 5 V.

The low-power consumption of this device in normal operation makes it ideal for portable, battery-operated equipment. Power consumption is 0.38 mW at 2.7 V, reducing to less than 1 µW in power-down mode.

The DAC8550 is available in an MSOP-8 package.

For additional flexibilty, see the DAC8551, a binary-coded counterpart to the DAC8550.