Burr-Brown Corporation announced the DAC7644, a quad, 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) featuring low power, low cost, and small size. These industry-leading features are ideal for automatic test equipment, valve drivers, data acquisition systems, and motor control applications.

The DAC7644's open loop output structure allows high current buffers to be put within the loop for high accuracy power driver applications such as flow and pressure control.

"In addition to being the only quad, 16-bit digital-to-analog converter, the DAC7644 offers a leadership position in price, power, and packaging," said Don Travers, strategic marketing manager at Burr-Brown.

This part fulfills a need that the process control industry has been politely screaming for over the last 3 years. Apart from the open-loop architecture -- which shows that someone at Burr-Brown has really been listening -- the higher accuracy and matching stability changes between channels with all four devices on the same die is an immeasurable benefit. Speed is almost irrelevant for the kind of applications that this part will be used for. The low 10 mW power consumption is nice and the settling time is fine. The ability to update all four DACs simultaneously will be used in designs. The price of the part -- at about $4.60 per channel -- may be a little more than the market will bear, and I would have personally expected the street price to be closer to $14.00.