Digital potentiometers are a family of integrated circuit devices which provide an adjustable resistance similar to a traditional mechanical potentiometer or rheostat, but which are controlled by means of electronic signals rather than a mechanical input. Though relatively limited in the amount of electrical power that can be dissipated in their resistance, their ability to be electronically controlled facilitates miniaturization, automation, and remote control of signal-level analog circuits where mechanical potentiometers may have otherwise been used.
