DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR - Dual-Core 16-bit DSC, 256KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8.42 | $8.42 |
| 10 | $7.58 | $75.80 |
| 100 | $6.74 | $674.00 |
| 500 | $6.05 | $3,025.00 |
| 1,000 | $5.39 | $5,390.00 |
DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR Overview
A digital signal controller is a microcontroller architecture that combines a deterministic 16-bit MCU pipeline with single-cycle hardware MAC (multiply-accumulate) and DSP engines, allowing real-time control loops and signal-processing kernels to coexist on one chip. Within the broader taxonomy it sits between general-purpose microcontrollers (MCU) and full digital signal processors (DSP), and dsPIC33CH parts extend that into the dual-core domain where one core can run a motor-control loop while the other handles housekeeping or communication stacks.
Key features include CAN FD, high-resolution PWM (typical for motor and digital power control), four DMA channels, multiple SPI/I2C/UART interfaces, and AEC-Q100 automotive qualification. The on-chip peripherals and dual-core partitioning enable developers to dedicate the slave core to time-critical PWM/CPU-bound tasks such as field-oriented control while the master runs communication, diagnostics, and the application stack.
Architecturally, the two dsPIC cores operate independently yet interconnect via tightly-coupled mailbox registers and shared RAM, giving the design engineer predictable bandwidth without software arbitration. The 200 MHz max clock and single-cycle MAC make the device well-suited to high-switching-frequency digital power and advanced motor-control algorithms where instruction budget would otherwise starve an MCU.
Typical applications include BLDC/PMSM motor drives, digital switch-mode power supplies, solar inverters, automotive sensor fusion, and industrial automation controllers. Industrial-grade -40C to +125C operating temperature and AEC-Q100 qualification extend use cases into chassis and under-hood environments.
Designers should review the slave-core RAM partitioning (16 KB) early in firmware architecture planning, because mailbox and shared-memory layout between cores influences inter-core latency. Stack depth and interrupt priority also need separate configuration per core.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, parametric drop-in alternatives, and engineering design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet, so design teams can compare and qualify the DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR against competing dual-core DSCs without leaving the page.
Drop-in alternatives for DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR — 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 DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Program Memory (Flash), Core Architecture, Operating Temperature, ADC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
DSPIC33CH256MP506-I/MR
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$7.05 / Unit
View Datasheet →DSPIC33CH256MP506T-E/MR
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
DSPIC33CH128MP506-I/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.62 / Unit
View Datasheet →DSPIC33CH128MP506-I/PT
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$5.62 / Unit
View Datasheet →DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | dsPIC33CH dual-core 16-bit DSC |
| Combined Core Speed | 200 MIPS (master 100 MIPS + slave 90 MIPS) |
| Master Core Frequency | 200 MHz |
| Slave Core Frequency | 180 MHz |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 256 KB (328 KB incl. PRAM per DigiKey listing) |
| Master SRAM | 32 KB |
| Slave SRAM | 16 KB |
| Package | 64-QFN (9x9 mm) with EP |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (E-temp) |
| AEC-Q100 Qualification | Qualified (automotive grade) |
| Supply Voltage | 3.3 V typical (3.0 V to 3.6 V) |
| Communication | CAN FD, SPI, I2C, UART |
| PWM | High-resolution PWM channels |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RP46/PWM4H — Remappable I/O / PWM output 4 high |
| Pin 2 | RP47/PWM4L — Remappable I/O / PWM output 4 low |
| Pin 3 | VDD — Digital supply voltage (3.3 V) |
| Pin 4 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 5 | OSC1/RA4 — Crystal oscillator input / GPIO |
| Pin 6 | OSC2/RA5 — Crystal oscillator output / GPIO |
| Pin 7 | RP48/PWM5H — Remappable I/O / PWM output 5 high |
| Pin 8 | RP49/PWM5L — Remappable I/O / PWM output 5 low |
| Pin 9 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 10 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 11 | RP50/PWM6H — Remappable I/O / PWM output 6 high |
| Pin 12 | RP51/PWM6L — Remappable I/O / PWM output 6 low |
| Pin 13 | RP52/PWM7H — Remappable I/O / PWM output 7 high |
| Pin 14 | RP53/PWM7L — Remappable I/O / PWM output 7 low |
| Pin 15 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 16 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 17 | AN17/RA1 — Analog input 17 / GPIO |
| Pin 18 | AN18/RA2 — Analog input 18 / GPIO |
| Pin 19 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 20 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 21 | AN19/RA3 — Analog input 19 / GPIO |
| Pin 22 | RP54/PWM8H — Remappable I/O / PWM output 8 high |
| Pin 23 | RP55/PWM8L — Remappable I/O / PWM output 8 low |
| Pin 24 | RP56/PWM9H — Remappable I/O / PWM output 9 high |
| Pin 25 | RP57/PWM9L — Remappable I/O / PWM output 9 low |
| Pin 26 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 27 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 28 | RP58/RB0 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 29 | RP59/RB1 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 30 | RP60/RB2 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 31 | RP61/RB3 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 32 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 33 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 34 | RP62/RB4 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 35 | RP63/RB5 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 36 | RP64/RB6 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 37 | RP65/RB7 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 38 | RP66/RC0 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 39 | RP67/RC1 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 40 | RP68/RC2 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 41 | RP69/RC3 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 42 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 43 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 44 | RP70/RC4 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 45 | RP71/RC5 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 46 | RP72/RC6 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 47 | RP73/RC7 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 48 | RP74/RD0 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 49 | RP75/RD1 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 50 | RP76/RD2 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 51 | RP77/RD3 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 52 | VDD — Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 53 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 54 | RP78/RD4 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 55 | RP79/RD5 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 56 | RP80/RD6 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 57 | RP81/RD7 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 58 | RP82/RE0 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 59 | RP83/RE1 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 60 | RP84/RE2 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 61 | RP85/RE3 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 62 | RP86/RE4 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 63 | RP87/RE5 — Remappable I/O / GPIO |
| Pin 64 | MCLR — Master clear / reset (active low) |
Typical Applications
DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR is suitable for 7 applications: BLDC / PMSM Motor Field-Oriented Control, Digital Switch-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS), Automotive Sensor Fusion, Solar Inverter MPPT Control, Industrial Servo Drives, EV Battery Management System (BMS), Digital LED Lighting Drivers.
BLDC / PMSM Motor Field-Oriented Control
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR is purpose-built for FOC of brushless DC and permanent-magnet synchronous motors. Its dual-core architecture dedicates the 90 MIPS slave core to a 20 kHz torque-control loop while the 100 MIPS master core runs CAN FD communication, fault handling, and the application stack. High-resolution PWM provides sub-100 ns edge placement for low-ripple sinusoidal commutation, and the 16 KB slave-core SRAM is sufficient for Park/Clarke transforms and current controllers. AEC-Q100 qualification and 125C junction temperature allow chassis and under-hood deployment in EV traction pumps and EPS motors where deterministic dual-core partitioning matters.
Recommended
Digital Switch-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS)
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR's single-cycle MAC and high-resolution PWM make it ideal for digital control of multi-phase buck, boost, and LLC converters. The slave core can run voltage-mode or current-mode control loops at 500 kHz+ switching frequency, while the master handles PMBus, telemetry, and sequencing of multiple rails. The 200 MHz master core and 256 KB Flash accommodate adaptive digital-compensation algorithms and housekeeping firmware. AEC-Q100 qualification suits automotive 48 V mild-hybrid DC-DC stages.
Recommended
Automotive Sensor Fusion
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR's CAN FD interface and dual-core partitioning suit automotive sensor-fusion ECUs that aggregate IMU, wheel-speed, and steering-angle data. The slave core can run a 10 kHz Kalman filter while the master manages CAN FD message routing and diagnostics. AEC-Q100 grade, 125C junction temperature, and 256 KB Flash allow OEM-grade firmware stacks with UDS bootloader and ISO 26262-compliant partitioning between cores.
Recommended
Solar Inverter MPPT Control
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR runs perturb-and-observe or incremental-conductance MPPT algorithms at high switching frequency, with the slave core dedicated to the inverter control loop and the master handling Modbus, grid-synchronization, and anti-islanding detection. The 256 KB Flash fits grid-tie firmware including UL 1741 conformance code, and CAN FD allows communication with battery storage and the PV combiner box. Industrial -40C to +125C temperature range supports outdoor inverter installations.
Recommended
Industrial Servo Drives
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR is a strong fit for industrial servo drives where EtherCAT or CANopen communication runs alongside a 16 kHz position-loop. The slave core runs the current loop, the master runs the position/velocity loop, and shared mailbox registers enable deterministic inter-core latency. AEC-Q100 and 125C temperature rating also support factory-floor deployment with high ambient temperatures near motors and power stages.
Recommended
EV Battery Management System (BMS)
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR's dual-core architecture and CAN FD support master-slave battery-pack topologies where each slave module reports cell voltage, temperature, and balancing state over CAN FD. The slave core handles cell-balancing PWM and ADC sampling, while the master runs state-of-charge algorithms and insulated CAN communication. AEC-Q100 qualification and 125C junction temperature suit under-vehicle-pack deployment.
Recommended
Digital LED Lighting Drivers
The DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR drives multi-channel LED matrices with per-pixel dimming at refresh rates above 4 kHz. The high-resolution PWM and DMA-driven SPI allow the slave core to refresh LED data while the master handles DMX512, DALI, or CAN FD lighting-control protocols. The 256 KB Flash accommodates gamma-correction lookup tables and color-space transforms.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for DSPIC33CH256MP506-E/MR — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | DSPIC33CH256MP506-I/MR | DSPIC33CH256MP506T-E/MR | DSPIC33CH128MP506-I/PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 64-QFN (9x9 mm) | 64-QFN (9x9 mm) | 64-QFN (9x9 mm) | 64-TQFP |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Architecture | dsPIC33CH dual-core | dsPIC33CH dual-core | dsPIC33CH dual-core | dsPIC33CH dual-core |
| Combined Core Speed | 200 MIPS | 200 MIPS | 200 MIPS | 200 MIPS |
| Flash Memory | 256 KB | 256 KB | 256 KB | 128 KB |
| Master SRAM | 32 KB | 32 KB | 32 KB | 32 KB |
| Slave SRAM | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (E-temp) | -40C to +85C (I-temp) | -40C to +125C (E-temp) | -40C to +85C (I-temp) |
| AEC-Q100 Qualification | Yes | No (industrial grade) | Yes | No (industrial grade) |
Key Differentiators
- True dual-core architecture with independent code spaces (vs DSPIC33EP256GM306-I/MR)
- AEC-Q100 automotive qualification on -E variant (vs DSPIC33CH256MP506-I/MR)
- Higher Flash density (256 KB vs 128 KB) (vs DSPIC33CH128MP506-I/PT)
Design Notes
Estimated: at full 200 MHz dual-core operation with both cores active, internal power dissipation is approximately 250-400 mW depending on peripheral and PWM activity. The 64-QFN package's exposed pad must be soldered to a continuous copper pour of at least 1 square inch to keep junction temperature below 125C in -E automotive environments. Use thermal vias under the EP for multilayer PCBs.
Decouple each VDD pin with a 100 nF ceramic capacitor placed as close as possible to the IC, and add a bulk 10 uF tantalum or ceramic capacitor on the supply rail. The exposed pad of the 64-QFN must be soldered to a ground pour with at least 9 thermal vias (0.3 mm drill, 0.5 mm pitch) for proper heat dissipation. Keep high-speed PWM traces short and away from analog ADC inputs to avoid coupling.
Inter-core mailbox and shared-RAM access must be synchronized; race conditions between master and slave cores can corrupt data without explicit software barriers. Each core has independent interrupt vectors and ISR priorities - configure both in the device initialization. Slave-core reset and boot must complete before master-core code assumes the slave is responsive.
Route the external crystal traces short and symmetric, with a guard ground on both sides to minimize EMI pickup. For CAN FD signals, use 120 ohm termination at the bus ends and place a common-mode choke near the connector. PWM outputs driving FET gates should use a gate-driver buffer IC; the DSC pins cannot directly drive large gate charges.
Compliance Information
AEC-Q100 qualified per Arrow.com automotive listing. RoHS and lead-free compliant per Microchip product page. Halogen-free per Microchip environmental certification.
