The original AtomaHawk board used a Maxim DS1666+ 10K quasi audio taper digital potentiometer chip that Maxim stopped making and then the after market source dried up and they got way too expensive.
So, I went looking for a new through hole chip that could be used but alas I was completely unable to find one. What I did find was a far better device but it is only available in surface mount. I finally had to go through the process of figuring out how hard (or not) it is to create surface mount boards in small quantities.
The AtomaHawk version 1.4 is now in final testing. Here's a photo of the first board made.
Major improvement here is that the original DS1666 was only capable of handling 7 bits and also used a non linear range. The new device is 8 bits - the Analog Devices AS5290. Datasheet is attached for anyone that's interested.
I expect to be shipping the new version out in a few weeks.
/Mike
