PIC16C54AT-04I/SO - 8-Bit 4MHz OTP MCU, 768B | Microchip
MPN: PIC16C54AT-04I/SO ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.1 | $2.10 |
| 10 | $1.93 | $19.30 |
| 100 | $1.71 | $171.00 |
| 500 | $1.52 | $760.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.34 | $1,340.00 |
PIC16C54AT-04I/SO Overview
Background Knowledge: A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, memory (program + data), and peripherals into one device. Microcontrollers are classified by data bus width (4-bit, 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit) and memory technology (ROM, EPROM, OTP, Flash). An OTP (One-Time-Programmable) MCU is programmed once by the user and cannot be erased electrically, making it ideal for low-cost, high-volume production where firmware is finalized. The PIC16C5X family uses a RISC architecture with 12-bit wide instructions that achieve roughly 2:1 code compression versus 8-bit CISC competitors, which historically gave the family strong price/performance positioning in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Key features of the PIC16C54AT-04I/SO include its compact 768-byte OTP program memory, 4 MHz maximum clock input (yielding a 1 MHz internal instruction rate), wide operating voltage tolerance of 3.3 V to 5.5 V (the I-grade version), industrial temperature range of -40 °C to +85 °C, low-power CMOS process, and compatibility with the PIC16C5X instruction set. The 18-SOIC package is the industry-standard 7.50 mm wide SOIC footprint, supporting surface-mount assembly on legacy through-hole-replacement boards.
Architecturally, the PIC16C54A uses a Harvard memory layout with separate program and data buses, a two-stage pipeline, and 12-bit opcode word width. The CPU has a file-register based data architecture with 32 special-function registers mapped in bank 0. The interrupt-free design relies instead on polled peripherals and software state machines, simplifying deterministic real-time code. Compared to PIC16C54 (original), the "A" silicon revision improves oscillator tolerance and ADC-support readiness, and the "04" speed grade formally rates the device at 4 MHz maximum clock.
Typical applications include low-cost consumer appliances, remote-control transmitters, sensor-interface modules, simple timer/counter products, and educational/development kits where a minimal 8-bit MCU suffices. The wide 3.3 V to 5.5 V supply range and industrial temperature make it suitable for both battery-powered and mains-fed industrial control. Because this part is OTP only, it is best chosen where firmware is finalized and volume justifies one-time programming cost.
Design consideration: When migrating away from this part, note that the PIC16C5X instruction set is non-upward-compatible with the modern PIC16F1XXX family, so source code must be recompiled. For new designs consider PIC16F54 (Flash, 4 MHz, 18-pin) as a more flexible successor with similar pinout.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-brand PIC16C5X-family alternatives, and practical design notes not included in the manufacturer datasheet summary, providing a single source of information for engineers and procurement teams.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16C54AT-04I/SO — 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 PIC16C54AT-04I/SO (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Data Converters, Number of Instructions, Operating Temperature, Package / Case, Program Memory Size.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16C54A-04I/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.55 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C54C-04I/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C56A-04/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C54A-20I/SO
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$1.15 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F54T-I/SO
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16C54AT-04I/SO Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Microchip Technology |
| Series | PIC® 16C |
| Core Processor | PIC |
| Core Size | 8-Bit |
| Core Architecture | RISC (Harvard) |
| Speed (Clock Input) | 4 MHz |
| Instruction Cycle | 200 ns (1 MHz instruction rate) |
| Program Memory Size | 768 B (512 x 12) |
| Program Memory Type | OTP (One-Time-Programmable EPROM) |
| RAM Size | 25 B |
| Number of I/O | 12 |
| Supply Voltage (Vcc/Vdd) | 3.3 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +85 °C (Industrial) |
| Connectivity / Peripherals | POR (Power-on Reset), WDT (Watchdog Timer) |
| Oscillator Type | External |
| Data Converters | None (no ADC on this device) |
| Package / Case | 18-SOIC (0.295", 7.50 mm width) |
| Supplier Device Package | 18-SOIC |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Packaging | Tape and Reel |
| Number of Instructions | 33 single-word |
| Operating Range | Industrial (I) |
PIC16C54AT-04I/SO Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 2 |
| Pin 2 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 3 |
| Pin 3 | RA4/T0CKI — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 4 / Timer0 clock input |
| Pin 4 | MCLR/Vpp — Master Clear reset input / programming voltage |
| Pin 5 | Vss — Ground reference |
| Pin 6 | RB0/INT — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 0 / external interrupt |
| Pin 7 | RB1 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 1 |
| Pin 8 | RB2 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 2 |
| Pin 9 | RB3 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 3 |
| Pin 10 | RB4 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 4 |
| Pin 11 | RB5 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 5 |
| Pin 12 | RB6 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 6 |
| Pin 13 | RB7 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 7 |
| Pin 14 | Vdd — Positive supply voltage (3.3 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 15 | OSC2/CLKOUT — Oscillator crystal output / clock output |
| Pin 16 | OSC1/CLKIN — Oscillator crystal input / external clock input |
| Pin 17 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 0 |
| Pin 18 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 1 |
Typical Applications
PIC16C54AT-04I/SO is suitable for 6 applications: Remote Control Transmitters, Low-Cost Consumer Appliance Control, Sensor Interface and Signal Conditioning Modules, LED Lighting Controllers and Effects, Educational and Hobby Development Kits, Battery-Powered Timing and Counter Modules.
Remote Control Transmitters
The PIC16C54AT-04I/SO fits remote-control transmitters because its 12 digital I/O pins easily drive a matrix of buttons and an IR LED, while the 768 B OTP program memory holds simple encode routines for protocols like NEC, RC5, or Sony. At 4 MHz the device produces accurate 38 kHz carrier timing within a few percent without needing a hardware PWM, and the 25 B RAM is sufficient to debounce keys and manage transmission state. The wide 3.3 V–5.5 V supply lets the same board work from 3 V coin cells or 5 V USB-style supplies, and the industrial -40 °C to +85 °C range supports garage-door, toy, and appliance remotes that may sit in cold vehicles. OTP programming cost amortizes over the millions of units typical of consumer remotes, where the firmware never changes after release.
Recommended
Low-Cost Consumer Appliance Control
In white-goods and small kitchen appliances, the PIC16C54AT-04I/SO serves as the main control MCU for toaster ovens, coffee makers, blenders, and air purifiers where 4 MHz is more than enough to sequence relays and read a handful of buttons. Its 12 I/O pins directly drive TRIACs, opto-isolators, and seven-segment LED drivers, while the Watchdog Timer (WDT) automatically resets the MCU on firmware lock-up for safety-critical loads. The 3.3 V–5.5 V operating voltage tolerates rectified mains-derived rails, and the PIC16C5X RISC architecture's deterministic 200 ns instruction cycle supports accurate timing of heating elements and motor PWM without RTOS overhead. OTP programming locks the firmware against tampering, which is increasingly required for compliance-marked appliances.
Recommended
Sensor Interface and Signal Conditioning Modules
The PIC16C54AT-04I/SO is well matched to low-rate sensor interface modules reading thermistors, photocells, simple switches, or mechanical encoders at sample rates up to a few kHz. With 4 MHz of clock and 200 ns per instruction, the MCU performs linearization, thresholding, and digital filtering in firmware without external DSP, and the 25 B RAM holds moving averages and hysteresis state. The wide 3.3 V–5.5 V supply lets the board share power with battery sensors or 5 V industrial backplanes. Because the silicon is industrial-grade, it operates reliably in outdoor enclosures, HVAC ducts, and factory floors where temperatures span -40 °C to +85 °C and electrical noise demands a robust reset via the on-chip POR and WDT.
Recommended
LED Lighting Controllers and Effects
Color-changing LED lamps, decorative string lights, and architectural lighting controllers use the PIC16C54AT-04I/SO to drive multiple MOSFETs or LED driver chips with time-multiplexed PWM patterns. The 12 I/O pins control 3 RGB channels plus auxiliary white or amber LEDs, and the 4 MHz clock delivers 8 kHz PWM at 1% duty-cycle resolution which exceeds the flicker-fusion threshold for human vision. The Harvard RISC architecture executes deterministic inner loops so that lighting transitions remain smooth without jitter, and the OTP program memory prevents end users from modifying lighting sequences—important for branded retail fixtures. Operating from 3.3 V–5.5 V, the MCU runs directly from a 5V regulator or 3.3V LDO supplied by the LED driver stage.
Recommended
Educational and Hobby Development Kits
The PIC16C54AT-04I/SO is a cost-effective teaching MCU for introductory embedded courses, summer-camp kits, and DIY electronics projects because of its 33-instruction RISC core that students can master in a single lab session. With 12 I/O pins, hobbyists wire up breadboarded circuits of buttons, LEDs, buzzers, and simple sensors without external bus expanders, while the 768 B OTP program memory is large enough for real projects like stopwatches, reaction timers, and dice simulators. The PIC16C5X architecture's orthogonal instruction set is well documented in Microchip application notes and third-party books, and assembly programming on this part is widely taught. The 18-SOIC package is also easy to hand-solder with basic tools.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Timing and Counter Modules
Battery-powered devices like stopwatches, kitchen timers, parking-space counters, and small metering products rely on the PIC16C54AT-04I/SO because of its low-power CMOS process, 3.3 V minimum supply, and WDT-driven sleep wake-up. At 4 MHz the MCU still completes timing math and LCD/LED multiplexing tasks quickly enough to drop into sleep mode most of the time, extending battery life to months on two AA cells. The 12 I/O pins interface to segmented LCDs, mechanical pushbuttons, and reed-switch sensors typical of these products. Industrial-grade silicon operating down to -40 °C supports outdoor meters (parking, weather, irrigation), and OTP programming locks the calibration and time-base algorithms against field tampering.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16C54AT-04I/SO — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16C54A-04I/SO | PIC16C54C-04I/SO | PIC16C56A-04/SO | PIC16C54A-20I/SO | PIC16F54T-I/SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 18-SOIC | 18-SOIC - same | 18-SOIC - same | 18-SOIC - same | 18-SOIC - same | 18-SOIC - same |
| Program Memory Size | 768 B (512 x 12) | 768 B | 768 B | 1 KB | 768 B | 768 B Flash |
| Program Memory Type | OTP | OTP | OTP | OTP | OTP | Flash |
| Max Clock Frequency | 4 MHz | 4 MHz | 4 MHz | 4 MHz | 20 MHz | 4 MHz |
| Supply Voltage | 3.3 V to 5.5 V | 3.3 V to 5.5 V | 3.3 V to 5.5 V | 3.3 V to 5.5 V | 3.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.0 V to 5.5 V |
| Number of I/O Pins | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C |
| RAM Size | 25 B | 25 B | 25 B | 25 B | 25 B | 25 B |
Key Differentiators
- Tape-and-reel variant of the proven PIC16C54A silicon (vs PIC16C54A-04I/SO)
- Industrial temperature grade and wide 3.3 V–5.5 V supply (vs PIC16C54A-04/SO)
- OTP-based, low unit cost for high volume (vs PIC16F54T-I/SO)
Design Notes
Estimated: the PIC16C54AT-04I/SO draws approximately 2 mA active at 5 V / 4 MHz and 4 µA typical sleep current per the PIC16C5X family datasheet. Add a 100 nF decoupling capacitor on Vdd (pin 14) placed within 5 mm of the IC, and a 10 µF bulk capacitor if the supply is derived from a switched regulator. For battery operation, use the SLEEP instruction followed by WDT-driven wake-up; ensure WDT prescaler is configured to balance wake-up interval with current budget.
Lay out the oscillator traces (OSC1 pin 16, OSC2 pin 15) short and symmetric, with the crystal or ceramic resonator within 5 mm of the IC, and a ground guard ring around the oscillator area to reduce noise injection into nearby analog or timing-sensitive traces. The MCLR/Vpp pin 4 requires a 10 kΩ pull-up to Vdd and a 100 nF cap to ground for proper reset; do not leave MCLR floating or the MCU may randomly reset in noisy environments.
Do not attempt to electrically erase the OTP program memory—it is write-once, so verify firmware with a Flash-equivalent emulator (e.g., PIC16F54) before committing to production programming. Do not exceed 4 MHz on the -04 speed grade; using a 20 MHz crystal will cause timing errors and out-of-spec oscillator operation. Avoid driving LEDs or relays without current series resistors or drivers; the PIC16C5X I/O pins source/sink only ~25 mA per pin and 100 mA total.
Route the ICSP programming signals (MCLR/Vpp, RB6, RB7, Vss) to a 5-pin in-circuit serial programming header to allow factory firmware update during production. Place the header at the board edge so the PICkit programmer can clip on without removing the board from its enclosure. Reserve 0.1-inch-pitch through-hole pads or a 1.27 mm SMD footprint to accept standard Microchip programming headers.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, lead-free, halogen-free, and conflict-mineral status are not explicitly stated in the verified web snippets; consult the Microchip PIC16C5X product page and material declaration sheet for the current compliance status before designing into RoHS-restricted end products. AEC-Q100 is not applicable because this is a general-purpose industrial MCU, not an automotive-qualified part.
