PIC16C54-10/P - 8-Bit 10MHz OTP MCU, 768B | Microchip
MPN: PIC16C54-10/P ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.85 | $1.85 |
| 10 | $1.69 | $16.90 |
| 100 | $1.45 | $145.00 |
| 500 | $1.22 | $610.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.05 | $1,050.00 |
PIC16C54-10/P Overview
What is an OTP microcontroller? An OTP (One-Time-Programmable) microcontroller is a class of embedded MCU whose program memory can be written only once via EPROM-style programming and cannot be erased or rewritten. OTP MCUs sit within the broader microcontroller taxonomy as: microcontroller -> embedded controller -> single-chip computer -> semiconductor. They are positioned between mask-ROM MCUs (cheapest at volume, programmed at wafer fab) and flash-based MCUs (reprogrammable in-circuit), and are favored for low-to-mid-volume production where the small per-unit savings of OTP outweigh the inconvenience of no field updates.
Key features of the PIC16C54-10/P include a RISC architecture with 12-bit wide instructions and 8-bit wide data path, seven or eight special-function hardware registers, a two-level deep hardware stack, and direct, indirect, and relative addressing modes for both data and instructions. An 8-bit real-time clock/counter (TMR0) with an 8-bit prescaler handles basic timing, and a watchdog timer improves field reliability. The PIC16C5X core achieves approximately 2:1 code compression over competitive 8-bit MCUs because every instruction fits a single 12-bit word and executes in one cycle.
Architecturally, the PIC16C54-10/P uses a Harvard-style separate program/data bus that allows instruction fetch and data access in the same cycle, providing deterministic execution. Its 33-instruction orthogonality and absence of paging or bank-switching complexity simplify assembler development for cost-sensitive designs. The 18-pin PDIP package is industry-standard and breadboard-friendly, which makes the part equally suitable for prototype, hobby, and legacy industrial production runs.
Typical applications include low-cost consumer appliances, simple logic-replacement controllers, hobby electronics and educational platforms, sensor signal conditioning, LED driving, and legacy industrial control nodes. The 12 I/O pins and 4.5-5.5 V supply match the I/O requirements of older 5V logic families, easing system integration with TTL-era peripherals.
When designing with this part, note that the /P suffix indicates a PDIP package rated for the commercial temperature range (0 C to +70 C) and that OTP memory cannot be re-programmed - the firmware must be fully validated before commitment. Microchip has marked the PIC16C54 as Not Recommended for new designs; engineers should consider the PIC16F54 (flash-based, pin-compatible in most footprints) for new projects.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16C54-10/P — 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 PIC16C54-10/P (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Program Memory Size, Core Architecture, Mounting Type, Program Memory Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F54-I/P
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16C54A-10/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.98 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C54C-10/P
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16C56-10/P
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16C55-10/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.65 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C57-10/P
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16C54-10/P Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8-bit PIC RISC |
| Instruction Set | 33 single-word, single-cycle instructions (12-bit wide) |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 10 MHz |
| Program Memory Type | OTP (One-Time-Programmable) EPROM |
| Program Memory Size | 768 B (512 x 12) |
| Data RAM | 25 B |
| I/O Pins | 12 |
| Timers | 1 x 8-bit TMR0 with 8-bit prescaler |
| Watchdog Timer | Yes |
| Hardware Stack | 2-level deep |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 4.5 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +70 C (commercial, /P suffix) |
| Package | 18-pin PDIP (Plastic DIP) |
| Mounting Type | Through-Hole |
| MSL Level | Not applicable (through-hole) |
PIC16C54-10/P Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | /MCLR/VPP — Master Clear (reset, active low) / programming voltage input |
| Pin 2 | RA0 — PORTA bit 0, digital I/O |
| Pin 3 | RA1 — PORTA bit 1, digital I/O |
| Pin 4 | RA2 — PORTA bit 2, digital I/O |
| Pin 5 | RA3 — PORTA bit 3, digital I/O |
| Pin 6 | RA4/OSC2 — PORTA bit 4 / oscillator output (crystal mode) |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | OSC1/CLKIN — Oscillator input / external clock input |
| Pin 9 | RA5 — PORTA bit 5, digital I/O |
| Pin 10 | RB0/INT — PORTB bit 0 / external interrupt input |
| Pin 11 | RB1 — PORTB bit 1, digital I/O |
| Pin 12 | RB2 — PORTB bit 2, digital I/O |
| Pin 13 | RB3 — PORTB bit 3, digital I/O |
| Pin 14 | RB4 — PORTB bit 4, digital I/O |
| Pin 15 | RB5 — PORTB bit 5, digital I/O |
| Pin 16 | RB6 — PORTB bit 6, digital I/O |
| Pin 17 | RB7 — PORTB bit 7, digital I/O |
| Pin 18 | VDD — Positive supply, 4.5 V to 5.5 V |
Typical Applications
PIC16C54-10/P is suitable for 6 applications: Low-Cost Consumer Appliance Control, Hobby Electronics and Educational Platforms, Logic Replacement and Glue Controllers, Sensor Signal Conditioning Front-Ends, LED Driver and Lighting Controllers, Legacy Industrial Control Nodes.
Low-Cost Consumer Appliance Control
The PIC16C54-10/P is well suited to small consumer appliances such as coffee makers, fans, and kitchen timers where BOM cost dominates. With 768 bytes of OTP program memory the part fits typical appliance state machines (button debounce, timer countdown, indicator blink), and its 12 I/O pins drive 7-segment LEDs, relays, and buzzer transducers directly. At 10 MHz it executes every instruction in 100 ns, easily handling mains-frequency zero-cross detection without missing edges. The 5V-only supply rails of the part match legacy triac/relay driver stages, eliminating level shifters. The PIC16C5X 33-instruction RISC core lets engineers hand-write tight assembler routines that consume a fraction of the OTP, leaving headroom for product variants without memory swaps.
Recommended
Hobby Electronics and Educational Platforms
The PIC16C54-10/P is a classic teaching MCU on breadboards thanks to its 18-pin PDIP form factor and 0.1-inch pin pitch. Its 33-instruction, single-cycle RISC core introduces students to register-level programming without the complexity of bank switching or memory paging found on larger PIC families. TMR0 with an 8-bit prescaler supports simple time-based lessons (LED blink, PWM, frequency measurement), and the 12 I/O pins connect directly to common hobby peripherals such as 7-segment displays and piezo buzzers. Microchip's MPLAB IDE and the legacy PICSTART Plus programmer still target the PIC16C5X core, so coursework authored a decade ago remains buildable. The 5V supply matches USB-to-serial bridges and Arduino shields used as teaching aids.
Recommended
Logic Replacement and Glue Controllers
Engineers frequently substitute the PIC16C54-10/P for discrete 74-series logic gates, latches, and small state machines that would otherwise consume 4-6 SSI/MSI packages. With 33 single-cycle instructions and a 100 ns instruction cycle at 10 MHz, the MCU can replace an entire CMOS logic cluster at lower quiescent current and smaller PCB area. The OTP memory allows the designer to lock in the exact logic function for production, eliminating the need for DIP-switch configuration. Twelve I/O pins comfortably replace up to 6 standard 14/16-pin logic packages while adding programmable timing, counters, and conditional behavior impossible with pure hardware logic.
Recommended
Sensor Signal Conditioning Front-Ends
The PIC16C54-10/P works well as a low-cost front-end MCU for sensor modules where it digitizes a single analog channel through an external ADC, runs linearization or look-up-table math, and outputs the calibrated value via digital I/O. Its 8-bit TMR0 supports accurate time-base generation for ratiometric measurements and excitation-pulse timing for resistive bridges. The 4.5-5.5 V supply is compatible with 5V ratiometric sensors and reference ICs, simplifying analog front-end design. 25 bytes of RAM hold the latest calibration coefficients and current sample, while the 768-byte OTP accommodates small look-up tables for thermistor or RTD linearization.
Recommended
LED Driver and Lighting Controllers
The PIC16C54-10/P drives multichannel LED fixtures where each I/O pin sinks a constant-current LED string and TMR0 generates the PWM frame. Its 10 MHz instruction rate supports PWM frequencies above 1 kHz per channel without flicker, well above the persistence-of-vision threshold for human-perceptible flicker. Twelve I/O pins comfortably address small RGB or single-color arrays, and the 33-instruction core lets the designer implement dimming curves, fade effects, and thermal foldback in assembler for compact code. The 5V rail matches common LED driver ICs and MOSFET gate-drive thresholds, eliminating the need for level translation in 5V lighting designs.
Recommended
Legacy Industrial Control Nodes
The PIC16C54-10/P is widely deployed in legacy industrial controllers, machine-tool timers, and conveyor sequencers that were designed in the 1990s and continue to operate today. Its 4.5-5.5 V supply, 0 C to +70 C commercial temperature range, and through-hole PDIP package suit factory-floor enclosures with convection cooling. Watchdog timer support and a 2-level hardware stack provide the minimal fault-recovery required for unattended equipment. Because the PIC16C54 is marked NRND, service replacements typically migrate to the pin-compatible PIC16F54-I/P to extend field life without board rework. Existing OTP firmware images can be ported to flash memory in a single programming session, preserving decades of process tuning.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16C54-10/P — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F54-I/P | PIC16C54A-10/P | PIC16C54C-10/P | PIC16C56-10/P | PIC16C57-10/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | PDIP-18 | PDIP-18 (same) | PDIP-18 (same) | PDIP-18 (same) | PDIP-18 (same) | PDIP-18 (same) |
| Program Memory | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B Flash | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 1.5 KB (1K x 12) OTP | 3 KB (2K x 12) OTP |
| Memory Type | OTP EPROM | Flash (reprogrammable) | OTP EPROM | OTP EPROM | OTP EPROM | OTP EPROM |
| Maximum Clock | 10 MHz | 20 MHz | 10 MHz | 10 MHz | 10 MHz | 10 MHz |
| I/O Pins | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 20 |
| Supply Voltage | 4.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.0 V to 5.5 V | 4.5 V to 5.5 V | 4.5 V to 5.5 V | 4.5 V to 5.5 V | 4.5 V to 5.5 V |
| Lifecycle | NRND | Active | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Industry-standard PIC16C5X RISC core with 33 single-cycle instructions (vs PIC16F54-I/P)
- 768-byte OTP fits simple state machines without flash overhead (vs PIC16C56-10/P (1.5 KB))
- PIC16C5X instruction compatibility across A and C revisions (vs PIC16C54A-10/P)
Design Notes
OTP memory cannot be erased or rewritten. Once a PIC16C54-10/P is programmed, any firmware bug requires scrapping the device. Engineers should fully validate code on a flash-based PIC16F54-I/P or windowed EPROM PIC16C54 (ceramic package) before committing to OTP production units. Budget for OTP programming time and per-unit programming cost in the bill of materials.
Decouple VDD (pin 18) and VSS (pin 7) with a 100 nF ceramic capacitor placed within 5 mm of the package leads, plus a bulk 10 uF electrolytic or tantalum on the supply rail. The PIC16C54-10/P draws peak current spikes on internal clock edges; insufficient decoupling causes intermittent resets or oscillator glitches. For battery-backed designs, route VDD through a Schottky diode so that the /MCLR rise-time meets the minimum specification of 100 ns.
Keep the crystal or ceramic resonator traces between OSC1 (pin 8) and OSC2 (pin 6) short, symmetric, and surrounded by a ground guard ring. Place the load capacitors within 3 mm of the oscillator pins and connect their common ground to VSS (pin 7) with a direct trace rather than sharing a power-ground plane. For RC oscillator mode, route the R and C components directly to OSC1 with minimal trace length to avoid stray capacitance that shifts the calibration.
The PIC16C54-10/P is rated for 0 C to +70 C commercial operation. In enclosed industrial enclosures with no airflow, derate clock frequency or add conductive cooling if internal ambient exceeds 60 C. While the 18-pin PDIP's thermal resistance is forgiving for typical digital workloads (under 10 mA active current), long-duration high-output-pin loads can raise junction temperature by 10-15 C above ambient in sealed housings.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status not explicitly listed in the verified web data for the /P PDIP-18 variant; consult Microchip's environmental compliance page for the latest declaration. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; commercial temperature grade (0 C to +70 C).
