DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT - 16-Bit DSC 256KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12.85 | $12.85 |
| 10 | $11.57 | $115.70 |
| 100 | $10.28 | $1,028.00 |
| 500 | $9.64 | $4,820.00 |
| 1,000 | $9 | $9,000.00 |
DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT Overview
A Digital Signal Controller (DSC) is a hybrid device that merges the real-time control capabilities of a microcontroller (MCU) with the math throughput of a digital signal processor (DSP). In the product taxonomy, a DSC sits between a general-purpose MCU and a dedicated DSP: it executes control-loop code and fixed-point DSP algorithms on the same core, eliminating the need for a separate DSP plus MCU pair. The dsPIC33F family is Microchip's 16-bit DSC line, positioned above 8-bit PIC MCUs and below 32-bit PIC32 devices.
Key features of the DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT include 256 KB Flash, 30 KB SRAM, 40 MIPS operation at 3.0 V to 3.6 V, an extended temperature range of -40 C to +125 C, and a 100-pin TQFP footprint. The device integrates a 16-bit CPU with a 17x17-bit single-cycle multiplier, a barrel shifter, and a DMA engine, enabling deterministic execution of control algorithms.
The 'A' suffix denotes the enhanced dsPIC33FJXXXGPX06A/X08A/X10A revision, which adds advanced analog peripherals and improved migration options across the 64-, 80-, and 100-pin family members. The E/PT ordering code indicates the extended (-40 C to +125 C) temperature grade in the 100-pin TQFP (12x12) package, and the part is listed as AEC-Q100 automotive qualified by distributor data.
Typical applications include three-phase motor field-oriented control (FOC), digital power supplies and PFC stages, automotive sensor and actuator control, industrial servo drives, and solar micro-inverters. The 40 MIPS core and hardware multiplier allow current-loop execution well above 10 kHz while leaving CPU headroom for communication stacks.
When designing with this device, note that the 100-pin TQFP (12x12) body differs from the 100-pin TQFP (14x14) used by the -E/PF variant; the two are not footprint-compatible despite sharing the same pin count. Verify the land pattern before layout. This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT — 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 DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Mounting Type, SRAM, Automotive Qualification.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
DSPIC33FJ256GP506A-E/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6.6 / Unit
View Datasheet →DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-I/PT
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Contact for price
View Datasheet →DSPIC33FJ128MC510A-E/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.45 / Unit
View Datasheet →DSPIC33FJ128MC510A-I/PT
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 16-bit dsPIC33F DSC (modified RISC + DSP engine) |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 40 MIPS |
| Program Memory Size | 256 KB (256K x 8) Flash |
| RAM Size | 30 KB SRAM |
| Operating Voltage Range | 3.0 V to 3.6 V |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +125 C (extended grade) |
| Package / Case | 100-pin TQFP (12x12 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Multiplier | 17 x 17-bit single-cycle hardware multiplier |
| Automotive Qualification | AEC-Q100 (per distributor listing) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Packaging | Tray |
DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT 100-pin tqfp (12x12 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT (100-pin tqfp (12x12 mm) 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 DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT is suitable for 6 applications: Three-Phase Motor Field-Oriented Control, Digital Power Supply and PFC Control, Automotive Sensor and Actuator Control, Industrial Servo and Motion Control, Solar Micro-Inverter Control, Embedded Signal Processing and Filtering.
Three-Phase Motor Field-Oriented Control
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT fits three-phase motor field-oriented control because its 40 MIPS core and 17x17-bit single-cycle multiplier execute the Clarke/Park transforms and PI current loops in a fraction of each PWM period. At a 20 kHz PWM rate, the 50 ns instruction cycle leaves roughly 80 percent of CPU time for position estimation and communication. The device is typically placed on the motor control board, driving a three-phase inverter gate driver through its PWM outputs while sampling phase currents through the on-chip ADC. Unlike a general-purpose MCU, the DSC instruction set performs the multiply-accumulate operations of the current loop in single cycles, so the control bandwidth is limited by the ADC and PWM rather than by CPU throughput. The extended -40 C to +125 C rating supports industrial and automotive motor drives.
Recommended
Digital Power Supply and PFC Control
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT suits digital power supplies and power-factor-correction stages because its 40 MIPS core closes the voltage and current loops in software, replacing analog compensators and allowing firmware updates to the control law. The 256 KB Flash holds the control algorithm, communication stack, and calibration tables, while the 30 KB SRAM buffers ADC samples for the inner current loop. In a typical implementation the DSC sits on the primary-side control card, sampling the output voltage and inductor current through the ADC and modulating the switching stage through its PWM outputs. The trade-off versus an analog controller is firmware development effort and the need for careful ADC/PWM synchronization; the benefit is deterministic loop timing and the ability to implement adaptive gain scheduling without hardware changes.
Recommended
Automotive Sensor and Actuator Control
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT is used in automotive sensor and actuator control modules because its extended -40 C to +125 C temperature grade and AEC-Q100 listing (per distributor data) cover under-hood ambient conditions. The 256 KB Flash accommodates CAN or LIN communication stacks alongside the control application, and the 40 MIPS core handles sensor fusion and actuator PWM generation in a single device. In a body or powertrain module the DSC interfaces to position sensors through its ADC, drives relays or H-bridge drivers through PWM and GPIO, and reports status over CAN. The main design consideration is thermal: at +125 C ambient the device must be derated per the datasheet, and the 100-pin TQFP (12x12) package requires adequate copper area for heat spreading.
Recommended
Industrial Servo and Motion Control
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT fits industrial servo and motion control because the DSC core executes position-loop and velocity-loop algorithms deterministically at 40 MIPS while the 256 KB Flash stores motion profiles and fieldbus stacks. In a servo drive the device samples encoder feedback, computes the position error, and updates the current loop each PWM cycle, with the 17x17-bit multiplier handling the fixed-point math. The extended temperature range covers cabinet-mounted drives where internal ambient can exceed +85 C. Compared with a 32-bit MCU, the 16-bit DSC offers a smaller silicon area and lower cost for the same control-loop throughput, at the expense of a narrower data path for high-precision floating-point work.
Recommended
Solar Micro-Inverter Control
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT is used in solar micro-inverter control because it can run maximum-power-point tracking, a boost stage, and an H-bridge inverter loop on one 40 MIPS core, with the 256 KB Flash holding the MPPT algorithm and grid-tie protection logic. The device samples panel voltage and current through its ADC, computes the MPPT duty cycle, and generates the inverter PWM, all synchronized to the grid zero-crossing. The extended -40 C to +125 C rating supports rooftop installations where the inverter enclosure reaches high temperatures. The design trade-off is that a single DSC must meet both the control-loop timing and the safety-monitoring requirements, so watchdog and comparator resources must be allocated carefully.
Recommended
Embedded Signal Processing and Filtering
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT handles embedded signal processing and filtering because its DSC instruction set executes FIR and IIR filter kernels with single-cycle multiply-accumulate operations, and the 30 KB SRAM provides enough buffer space for multi-channel sample blocks. In a typical implementation the device acquires analog signals through its ADC, applies digital filtering, and outputs the processed result through a DAC or PWM channel. The 40 MIPS core supports real-time filtering of audio-band and control-band signals without an external DSP. The trade-off versus a dedicated DSP is a narrower data path and fixed-point arithmetic, which requires careful scaling to avoid overflow; the benefit is a single-chip solution with integrated control peripherals.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | DSPIC33FJ256GP506A-E/PT | DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-I/PT | DSPIC33FJ128MC510A-E/PT | DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 100-pin TQFP (12x12) | 100-pin TQFP (12x12) - same | 100-pin TQFP (12x12) - same | 100-pin TQFP (12x12) - same | 100-pin TQFP (14x14) - different body |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Flash Program Memory | 256 KB (256K x 8) | 256 KB | 256 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB |
| CPU Speed | 40 MIPS | 40 MIPS | 40 MIPS | 40 MIPS | 40 MIPS |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +125 C (extended) | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +85 C (industrial) | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +125 C |
| Operating Voltage | 3.0 V to 3.6 V | 3.0 V to 3.6 V | 3.0 V to 3.6 V | 3.0 V to 3.6 V | 3.0 V to 3.6 V |
| Automotive Qualification | AEC-Q100 (per distributor listing) | AEC-Q100 (per distributor listing) | Not automotive grade | AEC-Q100 (per distributor listing) | AEC-Q100 (per distributor listing) |
| Peripheral Set | General-purpose (GP) with advanced analog | General-purpose (GP), reduced instances | General-purpose (GP) with advanced analog | Motor-control (MC) peripheral set | General-purpose (GP) with advanced analog |
Key Differentiators
- Extended temperature grade in the same footprint (vs DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-I/PT)
- Full 256 KB Flash with the general-purpose peripheral set (vs DSPIC33FJ128MC510A-E/PT)
- Higher RAM and peripheral count than the GP506A sibling (vs DSPIC33FJ256GP506A-E/PT)
- 12x12 mm body for compact 100-pin layouts (vs DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PF)
Design Notes
The DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT uses a 100-pin TQFP with a 12x12 mm body, which is NOT footprint-compatible with the 100-pin TQFP 14x14 mm body used by the -E/PF variant. Before releasing a layout, confirm the land pattern against the package drawing in the Microchip dsPIC33FJXXXGPX06A/X08A/X10A datasheet. A 0.5 mm pitch requires solder-mask-defined pads and a stencil aperture reduction of roughly 10 percent to control solder volume and prevent bridging on the fine-pitch leads.
Decouple every VDD pin with a 0.1 uF ceramic capacitor placed within 5 mm of the pin, plus at least one 10 uF bulk capacitor per supply rail near the device. The dsPIC33F family draws transient current during ADC conversion and PWM switching; inadequate decoupling causes ADC code jitter and can corrupt the internal PLL. Route the VDD and VSS traces as short, wide pairs and connect the exposed thermal pad (if present) to a solid ground plane with multiple vias.
Estimated: at +125 C ambient the device has no thermal headroom above the rated junction limit, so power dissipation must be minimized. Estimated dissipation at 40 MIPS and 3.3 V is on the order of 100-200 mW depending on peripheral usage; with a TQFP theta_JA of roughly 50 C/W this yields a junction rise of 5-10 C. Keep total I/O current within the datasheet limits and avoid driving heavy capacitive loads at maximum frequency. Verify the actual theta_JA and current consumption from the datasheet before finalizing the thermal design.
Do not substitute the industrial -I/PT grade for the extended -E/PT grade in designs that operate above +85 C. The two parts are pin-identical and share the same 100-pin TQFP (12x12) footprint, so a substitution will not be caught by layout review, but the -I grade is only specified to +85 C. Add a BOM note that locks the -E suffix for automotive and high-ambient applications, and validate any firmware change when migrating between the GP510A and GP506A variants because peripheral instance counts differ.
Compliance Information
Distributor listings (Hotenda) describe the DSPIC33FJ256GP510A-E/PT as AEC-Q100 automotive qualified and RoHS compliant. REACH, lead-free, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals status were not stated in the retrieved data and are marked unknown rather than assumed.
