ATMEGA8515L-8PU - 8-Bit AVR MCU 8MHz 8KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: ATMEGA8515L-8PU ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5.5 | $5.50 |
| 10 | $5.05 | $50.50 |
| 100 | $4.64 | $464.00 |
| 500 | $4.35 | $2,175.00 |
| 1,000 | $4.1 | $4,100.00 |
ATMEGA8515L-8PU Overview
A microcontroller unit (MCU) is a single-chip embedded computer that integrates a processor core, program memory, data memory, and peripherals on one die. The ATmega8515L belongs to the AVR family of 8-bit RISC microcontrollers, which sit within the broader embedded processor hierarchy alongside 8051, PIC, and ARM Cortex-M families.
Key features include the AVR advanced RISC architecture with 130 powerful instructions, most executing in a single clock cycle; 32 general-purpose working registers; 35 programmable I/O lines; an external bus interface (EBI/EMI) supporting up to 64KB of external SRAM; and SPI and UART/USART serial interfaces. These make the part well suited for designs that need memory expansion through a parallel address/data bus.
The architecture combines Harvard-structure pipelining with a single-cycle ALU, so the effective throughput per megahertz is roughly ten times higher than a conventional CISC MCU. Three timers/counters (two 8-bit and one 16-bit with PWM), an on-chip analog comparator, and programmable serial USART round out the peripheral set. In-System Programming (ISP) via the SPI port allows firmware updates on assembled boards.
Typical applications include industrial control panels, legacy 8051-style bus expansions, motor control, instrumentation front ends, and through-hole prototyping or education platforms where the 40-pin DIP package simplifies socketing and rework.
Design consideration: the "L" version is limited to 0-8MHz; if you need the full 16MHz speed grade of the ATmega8515 family, the 4.5V-5.5V-only ATMEGA8515-16PU is required instead.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, pin-level design notes, and procurement data not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for ATMEGA8515L-8PU — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with ATMEGA8515L-8PU (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Core Architecture, SRAM, Timers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATMEGA8515L-8PI
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$3.45 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATMEGA8515-16PU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$3.71 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATMEGA8515-16PI
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$4.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATMEGA162V-8PU
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATMEGA162-16PU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$3.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATMEGA8515L-8PU Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8-bit AVR RISC |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 8 KB (4K x 16) |
| SRAM | 512 B |
| EEPROM | 512 B |
| External Memory Support | up to 64 KB external SRAM via EBI |
| Maximum Clock Speed | 8 MHz |
| Max Throughput | 8 MIPS at 8 MHz |
| Supply Voltage Range | 2.7 V to 5.5 V |
| I/O Lines | 35 programmable |
| Timers | two 8-bit, one 16-bit |
| Communication Interfaces | SPI, UART/USART |
| External Bus Interface | EBI/EMI |
| Analog Comparator | Yes, on-chip |
| Instructions | 130 instructions, most single-cycle |
| Sleep Modes | Idle, Power-down, Standby |
| Package | 40-PDIP, through-hole |
| Programming | In-System Programmable (ISP) via SPI |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +70C |
ATMEGA8515L-8PU 40-pdip, through-hole Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for ATMEGA8515L-8PU (40-pdip, through-hole package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for ATMEGA8515L-8PU.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
ATMEGA8515L-8PU is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Control Panels, Legacy 8051-style External Memory Expansion, Serial Communication Nodes, Education and Prototyping Platforms, Motor and Actuator Control, Instrumentation Front Ends.
Industrial Control Panels
The ATMEGA8515L-8PU suits industrial panel controllers because its 35 I/O lines drive relays, indicators, and keypads without port expanders, and its 2.7-5.5V supply tolerates noisy 5V industrial rails. In a typical control panel the MCU scans inputs through port B and D, drives relay columns through ports A and C, and logs events over the UART to a supervisory system. The EBI lets you attach external SRAM or memory-mapped peripherals such as latches and LCD controllers when on-chip 512B SRAM is insufficient. Three timers support time-base generation and PWM for actuator control, while the SPI interface connects isolated real-time-clock or EEPROM peripherals.
Recommended
Legacy 8051-style External Memory Expansion
Designs migrating from classic 8051 or needing a parallel address/data bus are the defining use case for the ATmega8515 family. The external bus interface provides AD0-AD7 multiplexed data/address lines on port A, A8-A15 on port C, plus ALE, WR, and RD strobes, supporting up to 64KB of external SRAM per the Microchip datasheet. This lets the ATMEGA8515L-8PU run applications far exceeding its 512B internal SRAM, such as dataloggers buffering sensor streams, or systems executing from external memory with latch-based demultiplexing. Using a 74HC573 latch on AD0-AD7 with ALE reproduces the classic 8051 memory architecture while gaining AVR single-cycle RISC throughput at 8MHz.
Recommended
Serial Communication Nodes
The ATMEGA8515L-8PU integrates a full-duplex UART/USART and an SPI peripheral, making it a compact RS-232/RS-485 communication node. A typical node reads local sensors or switches, formats frames in firmware, and transmits over UART at standard baud rates derived from its 8MHz clock, while SPI serves higher-speed local peripherals such as external ADCs, EEPROMs, or display drivers. The on-chip baud-rate generator supports common rates at 5V or 3.3V operation, and the two external interrupt pins (INT0/INT1) plus a third interrupt input allow wake-on-event behavior from Power-down sleep for battery-backed nodes. Combined with the 512B EEPROM, configuration data survives power loss without external storage.
Recommended
Education and Prototyping Platforms
The 40-pin PDIP through-hole package makes the ATMEGA8515L-8PU a favorite for university labs, breadboard prototyping, and hobby platforms. Through-hole leads tolerate repeated insertion into sockets and solderless breadboards, and the in-system programming interface lets students flash firmware without removing the chip. The AVR instruction set with 130 mostly single-cycle instructions and 32 general-purpose registers provides an accessible yet professional RISC teaching model. Courses can progress from GPIO and timer labs to the more advanced external bus interface lab, exercising the same chip. Timer PWM outputs drive servo and motor exercises, while the analog comparator introduces basic analog concepts before dedicated ADC courses.
Recommended
Motor and Actuator Control
With two 8-bit timers and one 16-bit timer providing PWM outputs (OC0, OC1A, OC1B, OC2 channels), the ATMEGA8515L-8PU can drive DC motor H-bridges, stepper driver interfaces, and servo actuators. The 16-bit Timer/Counter with input capture measures encoder or hall-sensor pulse timing for closed-loop speed control, while the external interrupt pins handle zero-cross or limit-switch events. In a 5V control board, the MCU outputs PWM at several kilohertz to a driver stage, and UART reports status to a host controller. The 8MHz clock yields 8 MIPS, sufficient for pid-rate loops of a few hundred hertz on small plants, and Power-down sleep suits intermittently powered actuators.
Recommended
Instrumentation Front Ends
Although the ATmega8515 has no on-chip ADC, its analog comparator, SPI port, and stable timing resources make it a practical digital back-end for instrumentation front ends built around external SPI ADCs. The design pattern: a precision converter such as an SPI delta-sigma ADC streams samples to the MCU over SPI at 8MHz clock rates, the 16-bit timer provides deterministic sample scheduling, and the UART forwards processed results to a PC. The 512B EEPROM stores calibration coefficients, and the 2.7V low-voltage operation lets a single 3.3V rail power logic-level front-end circuitry. Idle sleep between conversions reduces self-heating drift in temperature-sensitive measurement circuits.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATMEGA8515L-8PU — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATMEGA8515L-8PI | ATMEGA8515-16PU | ATMEGA162V-8PU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 40-PDIP | 40-PDIP - same | 40-PDIP - same | 40-PDIP - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Flash Memory | 8 KB | 8 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB |
| SRAM | 512 B | 512 B | 512 B | 1 KB |
| EEPROM | 512 B | 512 B | 512 B | 512 B |
| Max Clock Speed | 8 MHz | 8 MHz | 16 MHz | 8 MHz |
| Supply Voltage | 2.7 V to 5.5 V | 2.7 V to 5.5 V | 4.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.7 V to 5.5 V (V variant) |
Key Differentiators
- Widest supply range in the DIP family at this speed (vs ATMEGA8515-16PU)
- Double program memory in same footprint (vs ATMEGA162V-8PU)
- External bus interface up to 64KB (vs ATMEGA8-16PI)
Design Notes
Decouple VCC (pin 5 in DIP packages) with a 100nF ceramic capacitor placed within a few millimeters of the pin, plus a 10uF bulk capacitor per board section. The AVR draws supply-current spikes on every clock edge, and through-hole DIP layouts with long traces are especially prone to brownouts during Flash writes. Per the Microchip datasheet, keep the 2.7-5.5V rail within tolerance during EEPROM write operations - a sagging supply during a write is a leading cause of corrupted EEPROM data.
The 'L' suffix limits this device to 0-8MHz; do not fit a crystal above 8MHz expecting 16MHz-family behavior. Additionally, this family has no on-chip ADC - designs that assume ADC availability from other ATmega parts will need an external converter or a different MCU. When using the external bus interface, remember port A becomes AD0-AD7 and port C A8-A15, removing 16 general-purpose I/O pins from the pool; budget your I/O accordingly before committing the schematic.
For external memory expansion, keep the AD0-AD7 bus and ALE traces short and equal-length where practical, and use a 74HC573-class transparent latch clocked by ALE to demultiplex the address. Add 22-33 ohm series resistors on WR/RD strobes to control ringing on through-hole wiring. Per the ATmega8515 datasheet timing tables, verify latch setup/hold and external SRAM access time against your chosen 8MHz clock rather than assuming worst-case values.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not stated in the provided web data; consult the Microchip product page or distributor compliance certificates.
