The MAX530 from Maxim Integrated (now part of Analog Devices) is a complete 12-bit voltage-output DAC: the resistor ladder, the output op-amp and a precision reference all live on one chip, so a clean analog voltage appears at VOUT with almost nothing added outside. It is built for low power - 250 µA typical from a single +5 V rail (or ±5 V for bipolar output) - which is why it reaches into battery equipment a hungrier converter cannot. MAX530BCNG+ is the RoHS ("+") option in the 24-pin narrow plastic DIP.

Loading data is flexible. The interface is double-buffered (an input latch followed by a DAC latch), and the 12 bits arrive over a parallel bus organized as three 4-bit nibbles - address lines A0/A1 steer each nibble (low, middle, high) into the input latch, so an 8-bit micro can load the converter in bytes or a 12-bit bus in one pass. A separate LDAC̅ strobe then transfers the input latch to the DAC and updates the output, letting several channels change at once. CS̅ and WR̅ gate the writes; CLR̅ resets the DAC to zero.

The reference and amplifier are designed to be re-used. The on-chip 2.048 V reference appears at REFOUT and is tied to REFIN with a jumper to drive the ladder - or an external reference (DC or AC) can be applied at REFIN instead, which is what makes the part a 4-quadrant multiplying DAC with no external components. The RFB and ROFS pins set the output amplifier's gain and offset (gain of 1 or 2, or bipolar), and REFGND can be tied to V_DD to shut the internal reference down and save power. Relative accuracy is ±1 LSB on the B grade, monotonic over the full temperature range, with power-on reset bringing the part up in a known state.

Note: Values are taken from the Maxim MAX530 datasheet. Confirm every parameter against the latest official documentation before committing a design.

MAX530BCNG+ ships in the 24-pin narrow plastic DIP (0.300-inch body, 0.1-inch pin pitch; package outline 21-0043) - the through-hole package that drops straight into a socket for prototyping, field service and the test-and-measurement gear the part often lives in (the same die is also offered in 24-lead SO and SSOP for surface mount). With only 250 µA flowing there is no thermal concern; layout is about analog cleanliness: bypass V_DD and the REFOUT pin close to the package, keep VOUT, RFB and ROFS together at the output amplifier, separate AGND/REFGND from DGND and join them at one point, and route the D0-D7 bus and the CS̅/WR̅/LDAC̅ controls away from the analog pins. The image below shows the 24-lead DIP package.

The 24-pin DIP groups the parallel data and control on one side and the analog reference/output on the other (per the MAX530 datasheet):

• Pins 1-7, 24 - D0...D7 (nibble-shared): Parallel data inputs; D0/D8 (pin 24), D1/D9 (1), D2/D10 (2), D3/D11 (3) are nibble-multiplexed, D4-D7 (4-7) complete the bus, addressed by A0/A1.
• Pin 8 - A0, Pin 9 - A1: Address lines selecting the low / middle / high 4-bit nibble into the input latch.
• Pin 10 - WR̅: Write input. Pin 11 - CS̅: Chip select - together load the addressed input latch.
• Pin 15 - CLR̅: Clear - resets the DAC latch to zero. Pin 16 - LDAC̅: Load DAC - transfers input latch to DAC latch and updates VOUT.
• Pin 13 - REFIN: Reference input to the ladder. Pin 18 - REFOUT: 2.048 V reference output (tie to REFIN to use internally).
• Pin 17 - REFGND: Reference ground (to AGND with internal ref, or to V_DD to disable it).
• Pin 20 - VOUT: Buffered DAC output. Pin 21 - RFB: Op-amp feedback - always connect to VOUT. Pin 22 - ROFS: Offset resistor - sets gain (VOUT for G=1, AGND for G=2, REFIN for bipolar).
• Pin 23 - V_DD: +5 V supply. Pin 19 - VSS: Negative supply (AGND for single-supply, -5 V for bipolar).
• Pin 12 - DGND, Pin 14 - AGND: Digital and analog grounds.

The closest options are Maxim's other 12-bit voltage-output DACs - the quad parallel version and several single-channel parts. Match resolution, interface and output configuration to your system before substituting.

Selection Tips: Stay with the MAX530 when a single-channel 12-bit parallel DAC with on-chip reference and amplifier is wanted in a through-hole DIP; step to the MAX527 for four channels on the same parallel bus. Choose the serial MAX5312/MAX5253 to save pins, the MAX5176 for a compact single channel, or the MAX5170 when 14-bit resolution matters more than the parallel interface.

Maxim Integrated, now part of Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), built the MAX530 as a "complete" 12-bit DAC for the low-power, minimum-component corner of data conversion - reference, amplifier and double-buffered interface integrated so a microprocessor system gets a clean analog voltage with a jumper and a bypass capacitor.

ADI maintains the datasheet, the input-latch addressing tables and the single-supply versus bipolar application circuits for the part - the guidance that turns the nibble-loaded bus and the REFIN jumper into a working, monotonic 12-bit output on the bench.