PIC12F1501-I/MS - 8-bit MCU 1.75KB Flash 6 I/O MSOP-8 | Microchip
MPN: PIC12F1501-I/MS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.05 | $1.05 |
| 10 | $0.95 | $9.50 |
| 100 | $0.82 | $82.00 |
| 500 | $0.71 | $355.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.62 | $620.00 |
| 2,500 | $0.55 | $1,375.00 |
PIC12F1501-I/MS Overview
An 8-bit PIC microcontroller is a compact, Harvard-architecture RISC processor optimized for low-cost, low-power embedded control. PIC microcontrollers integrate CPU, non-volatile Flash, RAM, and a fixed set of peripherals (ADC, timers, PWM, communication) on a single die, making them ideal for applications where deterministic behavior, small footprint, and ultra-low power consumption outweigh the need for raw computational throughput. Within the broader taxonomy, the PIC12F family is the entry-level 8-pin branch; the PIC12F1501 specifically targets designs that need analog and logic configurability in a minimal pin count.
Key features include a 10-bit ADC with up to 4 channels, 4 PWM outputs, CLC peripheral for hardware logic synthesis, and eCCP for motor-control pulse generation. The NCO provides high-resolution frequency synthesis suitable for lighting and resonant driver control. A wide operating voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V supports both 3.3V and 5V system rails, and XLP (eXtreme Low Power) technology enables sleep currents in the nanoampere range for battery-powered designs.
The PIC12F1501 uses Microchip's enhanced mid-range core with hardware multiplier support, accelerating 8x8 unsigned multiplications compared to the baseline mid-range family. The 16-level stack and 49-instruction set are code-compatible with the wider PIC16F and PIC12F families, allowing easy migration to higher-pin-count PICs when design requirements expand.
Typical applications include LED lighting control, small motor and fan drivers, sensor node conditioning, battery chargers, and consumer appliances. In lighting systems, the NCO generates precise PWM dimming while the CLC combines logic inputs without external gates. In sensor signal chains, the 10-bit ADC captures analog inputs and the PWM drives actuator feedback in a single chip.
When designing with this device, ensure the MSOP-8 thermal pad is properly soldered to a copper pour for heat dissipation. Place a 0.1 µF decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of VDD, and use the internal 16 MHz HFINTOSC to avoid external crystal cost unless precise timing is required.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in MSOP-8 alternatives, and practical design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet, helping engineers select between PIC12F1501 variants and migrate to compatible PIC16F parts when additional peripherals are needed.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC12F1501-I/MS — 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 PIC12F1501-I/MS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, ADC, Instruction Set, Operating Temperature Range, I/O Pins.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC12F1501-E/MS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.48 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC12F1501T-I/MS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.74 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC12F1571-I/MS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.58 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC12F1572-I/MS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.72 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC12F1612-I/MS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC12F752-I/MS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC12F1501-I/MS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Architecture | 8-bit PIC Enhanced Mid-Range Core (Harvard RISC) |
| Instruction Set | 49 instructions, 16 stack levels |
| Program Flash Memory | 1.75 KB (1750 words) |
| RAM | 64 bytes |
| I/O Pins | 6 |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 4 channels |
| PWM Outputs | 4 (10-bit) |
| Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) | Yes |
| Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) | Yes |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial -I) |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 20 MHz |
| Instruction Execution Time | 200 ns |
| Package | MSOP-8 (MS), 3.0 mm x 3.0 mm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Programming Interface | ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) via PICkit 3 / ICD 3 / MPLAB Snap |
PIC12F1501-I/MS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 5.5V) |
| Pin 2 | RA5 — Digital I/O / analog input / ICSP DAT |
| Pin 3 | RA4 — Digital I/O / analog input / PWM output / CLC output |
| Pin 4 | RA3 — Digital input only / MCLR reset (input only) |
| Pin 5 | RA2 — Digital I/O / analog input / CLC output / PWM output |
| Pin 6 | RA1 — Digital I/O / analog input / PWM output / CLC output |
| Pin 7 | RA0 — Digital I/O / analog input / ICSP CLK / PWM output |
| Pin 8 | VSS — Ground reference |
Typical Applications
PIC12F1501-I/MS is suitable for 7 applications: LED Lighting and Dimming Control, Small Motor and Fan Speed Drivers, Battery-Powered Sensor Nodes, Consumer Appliance User Interface, Precision Signal Conditioning Front-Ends, Battery Charger and Power Management, Automotive Interior Accessories.
LED Lighting and Dimming Control
The PIC12F1501-I/MS is well suited to LED lighting and dimming designs because its integrated NCO provides 16-bit-equivalent resolution PWM dimming while the CLC peripheral combines logic inputs without external gates. The 10-bit ADC reads ambient light sensor feedback to implement closed-loop brightness control, and the XLP low-power modes keep standby current under 30 nA typical, enabling battery-powered or energy-harvesting luminaires. Place the MCU between the power supply and MOSFET driver; use the CLC to implement dead-time control and the NCO to dither PWM for finer effective resolution. According to the Microchip datasheet, the 1.75 KB Flash is ample for state-machine lighting control firmware with smoothing and fade curves.
Recommended
Small Motor and Fan Speed Drivers
The PIC12F1501-I/MS fits compact motor and fan driver designs through its 4 PWM outputs, 10-bit ADC for closed-loop tachometer feedback, and 1.75 KB Flash for PID control firmware. The 20 MHz core delivers 5 MIPS, sufficient for 4 kHz PWM update rates with simple trapezoidal commutation, and the CLC cells can implement hardware fault shutdown without CPU intervention. In a typical fan driver circuit, the MCU drives a half-bridge MOSFET stage and reads back-EMF through the ADC for sensorless speed control. The wide 1.8V-5.5V operating range supports both 3.3V and 5V motor systems, while XLP sleep reduces standby to nanoamp levels when the motor is idle.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Sensor Nodes
The PIC12F1501-I/MS is well matched to wireless or wired sensor nodes where power budget, PCB area, and component count are constrained. Its 1.8V-5.5V operating range accepts single-cell Li-ion (2.7V-4.2V) and 2x AA alkaline supplies, while XLP nanoWatt sleep draws typically under 30 nA. The 10-bit ADC captures analog sensor outputs such as thermistors, photodiodes, or bridge sensors, and 6 I/O pins provide digital interface flexibility for UART wake-up or interrupt-driven sensing. The 1.75 KB Flash holds a small RTOS or state-machine scheduler, and the 64-byte RAM suits event-driven sensor reading. Place a 0.1 µF decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of VDD and route the ICSP programming pins to a 5-pin header for factory programming.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance User Interface
The PIC12F1501-I/MS is a good fit for compact consumer appliance user-interface panels that combine capacitive or resistive touch buttons, status LEDs, and a small piezo buzzer. Its 6 I/O pins handle 4 capacitive touch inputs via the on-chip mTouch peripheral plus 2 LED/buzzer drive lines, all from the same MSOP-8 footprint. The CLC peripheral implements debounce and edge detection in hardware, freeing CPU cycles for PWM buzzer tone generation at 5 MIPS throughput. Industrial-grade -40 C to +85 C operation covers most kitchen and laundry environments, and the 1.8V-5.5V supply range accepts direct 3.3V or 5V rail input. Place a ferrite bead on VDD and route analog and digital grounds together at a single star point.
Recommended
Precision Signal Conditioning Front-Ends
The PIC12F1501-I/MS serves as a low-cost front-end for analog signal conditioning, capturing sensor outputs through its 10-bit ADC and applying digital filtering or linearization in firmware before UART/I2C output to a host processor. With 1.75 KB Flash, designers can implement lookup-table linearization for thermistors or RTDs, plus simple digital filters like moving averages and median filters. The CLC peripheral provides hardware gating of the ADC start signal synchronized with PWM, enabling precise sampling at fixed phase angles in AC line-sensing applications. The MSOP-8 footprint fits alongside op-amps and references in compact front-end modules. Use the internal 16 MHz HFINTOSC for sampling-clock stability and pair with an external 2.5V reference for ADC full-scale accuracy.
Recommended
Battery Charger and Power Management
The PIC12F1501-I/MS implements small battery charger and power-path management functions through its 10-bit ADC for voltage/current sensing, 4 PWM outputs for synchronous buck or linear regulation control, and 1.75 KB Flash for state-machine charging profiles (CC-CV-trickle). The 1.8V-5.5V operating range covers 1S Li-ion, 2S Li-ion, and 3-4 cell NiMH packs, while XLP sleep keeps quiescent draw in the nanoamp range for storage-mode chargers. The CLC peripheral implements hardware overcurrent protection with autonomous MOSFET turn-off independent of CPU latency. Place the MCU adjacent to the current-sense resistor and use Kelvin connection to the ADC pin for accurate measurement.
Recommended
Automotive Interior Accessories
The PIC12F1501-I/MS is widely deployed in automotive interior accessories such as dome-light controllers, ambient lighting modules, and seat-position sensors. While the -I (industrial -40 C to +85 C) variant suits cabin environments, designers targeting under-hood or extreme-temperature zones should select the PIC12F1501-E/MS drop-in variant for -40 C to +125 C operation. The 10-bit ADC reads ambient light and position sensors, the NCO drives smooth LED color transitions, and the CLC provides hardware fault logic. According to the Microchip product page, AEC-Q100 qualification is available on selected PIC12F1501 variants; engineers should verify the specific ordering code for automotive designs. The 1.75 KB Flash and 64-byte RAM handle multi-state lighting scenes or simple keypad debouncing for accessory control panels.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC12F1501-I/MS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC12F1501-E/MS | PIC12F1501T-I/MS | PIC12F1571-I/MS | PIC12F1572-I/MS | PIC12F1612-I/MS | PIC12F752-I/MS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | MSOP-8 (MS) 3.0x3.0 mm | MSOP-8 (MS) - same | MSOP-8 (MS) - same | MSOP-8 (MS) - same | MSOP-8 (MS) - same | MSOP-8 (MS) - same | MSOP-8 (MS) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Program Flash | 1.75 KB | 1.75 KB | 1.75 KB | 1.75 KB | 3.5 KB | 3.5 KB | 1.75 KB |
| RAM | 64 bytes | 64 bytes | 64 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 256 bytes | 64 bytes |
| ADC | 10-bit, 4 channels | 10-bit, 4 channels | 10-bit, 4 channels | 10-bit, 4 channels | 10-bit, 4 channels | 8-bit, 4 channels | 8-bit, 4 channels |
| PWM Outputs | 4 (10-bit) | 4 (10-bit) | 4 (10-bit) | 4 (10-bit) | 6 (10-bit) | 4 (10-bit) | 2 (10-bit) |
| CLC Peripheral | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (with CIP mix) | No |
| Operating Temperature | -40 to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 to +125 C (Extended) | -40 to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 to +85 C (Industrial) |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8V to 5.5V | 1.8V to 5.5V | 1.8V to 5.5V | 1.8V to 5.5V | 1.8V to 5.5V | 1.8V to 5.5V | 2.0V to 5.5V |
Key Differentiators
- Only 8-pin MSOP-8 part combining CLC + NCO + 10-bit ADC in enhanced mid-range core (vs PIC12F752-I/MS)
- Lower power consumption in sleep mode (vs PIC12F1612-I/MS)
- Industrial temperature range as standard (vs PIC12F1501-E/MS)
Design Notes
Estimated: at VDD = 5V with active CPU at 16 MHz and ADC enabled, total current consumption is approximately 1.4 mA typical per the datasheet. For battery-powered designs, disable unused peripherals via the APFCON and CLC configuration registers before entering SLEEP, and use the XLP nanoWatt sleep mode where the core draws typically under 30 nA with RTCC active. Place a 0.1 µF ceramic decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of the VDD pin and a 10 µF bulk capacitor near the supply source. Verified: do not exceed absolute maximum VDD of 6.5V.
The MSOP-8 package has an exposed thermal pad on the underside that MUST be soldered to a copper pour (recommended at least 10 mm x 10 mm) on the PCB to meet the datasheet-specified thermal resistance of approximately 130 C/W (theta_JA). Place the ICSP programming pins (RA0 = PGD, RA1 = PGC) on accessible header pads with 100 mil pitch for PICkit 3, ICD 3, or MPLAB Snap programming. Keep the ICSP traces short (under 50 mm) to avoid programming errors. Use a single ground pour connecting VSS pin 8 and the thermal pad together to reduce EMI.
Per Microchip datasheet: the RA3/GP3 pin is input-only and serves dual-function as the MCLR (Master Clear) reset input. Do NOT drive RA3 as an output or it will damage the device. When using MCLR reset, ensure the external reset circuit follows Microchip AN607 design - typically a 10 kohm pull-up to VDD and a 0.1 µF cap to ground for noise immunity. Additionally, the PIC12F1501's enhanced mid-range core differs from the baseline mid-range family, so code written for PIC16F505 will NOT directly compile - verify register definitions against the PIC12F1501 header file in MPLAB XC8.
When using the ADC for precision measurements, add a 100 nF capacitor on the analog input pin (RA0-RA4) to reduce sampling-charge noise, and switch the I/O to analog mode via the ANSELA register before reading. Reference voltage selection should use the internal 2.048V or external VREF for best noise performance; do not rely on VDD as the reference if the supply is unregulated. For ADC readings above 1 kHz sample rate, use the ADC conversion done interrupt rather than polling to avoid blocking the core. Source impedance should stay below 10 kohm per Microchip datasheet for full 10-bit accuracy.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free compliance per Microchip product page. The -I variant is NOT AEC-Q100 qualified; the -E variant extends temperature to +125 C but AEC-Q100 qualification must be confirmed for specific automotive ordering codes.
