I read today how Microchip has an "expanded line of non-volatile digital-to-analog" converters they are very proud of. That got me to thinking: What the heck is a non-volatile DAC?

A quick look at the image below explained everything. The idea is a DAC that remembers the last thing you set it to. I can think of several places where this could be important (maybe, a volume control setting in a piece of consumer gear, for example).

That got me thinking. What other devices could benefit from persistent memory? Digital outputs? PWM output modules? Stepper motor controllers? Nonvolatile memory is getting cheaper and better all the time. Where do you think it'll turn up next? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.