Can't get a digital potentiometer to work

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

I'm trying out a different digital potentiometer. A month ago some people on this forum helped me out with another digital potentiometer that worked fine, but had some linearity issues. Now this one does not work at all.

The potentiometer is an Analog Devices AD 8402A10, which is 0 to 10k Ohms in 255 steps. The data sheet is: www.analog.com/static/imported-files/data_sheets/AD8400_8402_8403.pdf

I use the following code to step the potentiometer through steps of 10 up to 250, then down from 255. The output measured by running a wire from the wiper to an Arduino analog input pin. That same wiper pin has a 2.5 k Ohms resistor connected to ground.

// include the SPI library:
#include <SPI.h>
#define potInputPin 0

// set pin 10 as the slave select for the digital pot:
const int slaveSelectPin = 10;
int potValue;

void setup() {
    // start serial port at 9600 bits per second
  Serial.begin(9600);

  // clear the serial port buffer
  Serial.flush();
// set the slaveSelectPin as an output:
  pinMode (slaveSelectPin, OUTPUT);
  // initialize SPI:
  SPI.begin(); 
}

void loop() {
    // change the resistance from min to max:
    for (int level = 0; level < 255; level = level + 10) {
      digitalPotWrite(0, level);
      Serial.print("Pot Level:  ");
      Serial.print(level);
      Serial.print("\t");      
      delay(1000);
      potValue = analogRead(potInputPin);
      Serial.print("Pot Value:  ");
      Serial.print(potValue);
      Serial.print("\n");      
    }
    // wait a second at the top:
    Serial.print("\n");      
    delay(1000);
    // change the resistance from max to min:
    for (int level = 0; level < 255; level = level + 10) {
      digitalPotWrite(0, 255 - level);
      Serial.print("Pot Level:  ");
      Serial.print(255 - level);
      Serial.print("\t");      
      delay(1000);
      potValue = analogRead(potInputPin);
      Serial.print("Pot Value:  ");
      Serial.print(potValue);
      Serial.print("\n");      
    }
     delay(1000);
 }

int digitalPotWrite(int command, int value) {
  // take the SS pin low to select the chip:
  digitalWrite(slaveSelectPin,LOW);
  //  send in the value via SPI:
  SPI.transfer(command);
  SPI.transfer(value);
  // take the SS pin high to de-select the chip:
  digitalWrite(slaveSelectPin,HIGH); 
}

The Arduino analog input pin shows no sign of a step change. It bounces around between a few values, but there seems no rhyme or reason to them.

Any thoughts?

2

You mentioned that you have the wiper connected to an Arduino analog input, plus a 2.5K ohm resistor to GND.

Also in addition to what Richard said this will affect the linearity of the results you obtain.

3

Thanks for the reply.

  1. I had the low side of the potentiometer floating. I have now connected it to GND.
  2. I had the high side of the potentiometer already connected to +5 Volts.
  3. I removed the 2.5k Ohm resistor.

The data still looks rather like noise.

Pot Level:  0	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  10	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  20	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  30	Pot Value:  455
Pot Level:  40	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  50	Pot Value:  5
Pot Level:  60	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  70	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  80	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  90	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  100	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  110	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  120	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  130	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  140	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  150	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  160	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  170	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  180	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  190	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  200	Pot Value:  337
Pot Level:  210	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  220	Pot Value:  217
Pot Level:  230	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  240	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  250	Pot Value:  1023

Pot Level:  255	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  245	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  235	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  225	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  215	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  205	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  195	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  185	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  175	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  165	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  155	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  145	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  135	Pot Value:  1022
Pot Level:  125	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  115	Pot Value:  378
Pot Level:  105	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  95	Pot Value:  5
Pot Level:  85	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  75	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  65	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  55	Pot Value:  312
Pot Level:  45	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  35	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  25	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  15	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  5	Pot Value:  299
Pot Level:  0	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  10	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  20	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  30	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  40	Pot Value:  1022
Pot Level:  50	Pot Value:  314
Pot Level:  60	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  70	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  80	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  90	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  100	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  110	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  120	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  130	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  140	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  150	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  160	Pot Value:  1022
Pot Level:  170	Pot Value:  373
Pot Level:  180	Pot Value:  4
Pot Level:  190	Pot Value:  3
Pot Level:  200	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  210	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  220	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  230	Pot Value:  1023
Pot Level:  240	Pot Value:  1022
Pot Level:  250	Pot Value:  1023

Perhaps I have ruined the potentiometer with my tinkering.

4

I do seem to be getting repeatable responses. The potentiometer does not seem to have been ruined.

I'm thinking that my SPI codes may be incorrect. I'm supposed to send 10-bit commands. Perhaps by sending them as two 8-bit words I am screwing up the order of the bits.

I'm not able to experiment further right now, but will later. Maybe better luck then.

5

Found the problem. The chip has a not-SHTDWN pin that needs to be connected high. Works fine now. Next time I'll read the datasheet a little more thoroughly.