Abstract: The DS1669/DS1869 is a 64-position digital potentiometer with "up/down" control, which allows adjustment in a manner similar to mechanical potentiometers. The device has three modes of operation which allow control either from a single pushbutton, double pushbutton, or control from a microprocessor or microcontroller, depending on how the chip is hardwired into the circuit. On power-up, the potentiometer "senses" the configuration it is in and switches to the appropriate mode of operation. Configuration is critical, as it is possible to attempt to configure the device for one mode of operation, but actually force it into the wrong mode. This application note details the fine details of configuration to avoid this sort of application problem.