PIC16C54T-RCE/SO - 8-Bit OTP MCU, 4MHz, 18-SOIC | Microchip
MPN: PIC16C54T-RCE/SO ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.85 | $1.85 |
| 10 | $1.65 | $16.50 |
| 100 | $1.42 | $142.00 |
| 500 | $1.18 | $590.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.95 | $950.00 |
PIC16C54T-RCE/SO Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a small single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, program memory, RAM, and peripheral I/O on a single die, executing instructions from on-chip program memory. Within the taxonomy, the PIC16C54 belongs to the hierarchy: microcontroller -> 8-bit MCU -> CMOS RISC MCU -> PIC16C5X family -> PIC16C54 sub-family, in the broader power management and embedded control semiconductor category. The /RCE ROMless/OTP one-time-programmable version is optimized for low-volume and prototype designs where field reprogrammability is not required.
Key features include 768 bytes (512 x 12) of OTP program memory, 25 bytes of general-purpose RAM, 12 digital I/O pins, a 33-instruction RISC instruction set, a hardware Watchdog Timer (WDT), Power-On Reset (POR), and an external oscillator interface. Single-cycle instruction execution (except program branches) and 12-bit-wide opcodes produce 2:1 code compression versus competing 8-bit MCUs, an important density advantage for cost-sensitive applications. Supply voltage spans 3.25 V to 6 V, with the /E suffix extending the operating range to -40C to +125C.
Typical applications include appliance control, automotive body electronics, smart sensors, low-end remote controls, battery chargers, and simple LED driver controllers. The 18-SOIC footprint also supports hand-soldering in prototypes and small-series industrial systems. The RISC architecture enables deterministic interrupt response and predictable timing for hard-real-time loops, while the small code footprint allows the 512-word OTP window to absorb full application logic in many designs.
When designing with the PIC16C54T-RCE/SO, observe the 6 V absolute-maximum VDD rating, provide a 0.1 uF decoupling capacitor close to VDD, and select an external clock source that meets the 4 MHz specification. Because OTP memory cannot be re-programmed, the JW (windowed) variant is recommended for firmware development and the C-revision mask set is recommended for production.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16C54T-RCE/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 PIC16C54T-RCE/SO (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Program Memory Size, Program Memory Type, RoHS Status, Operating Temperature Range, Maximum Clock Frequency.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16C54C-04I/SO
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View Datasheet →PIC16C54C-04/SO
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View Datasheet →PIC16C54AT-20E/SO
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View Datasheet →PIC16C54A-20I/SO
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View Datasheet →PIC16C54T-LPI/SO
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View Datasheet →PIC16C54T-HS/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.05 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C54T-RCE/SO Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8-bit PIC RISC |
| Family | PIC16C5X |
| Program Memory Type | OTP (One-Time Programmable) EPROM |
| Program Memory Size | 768 bytes (512 x 12 words) |
| RAM Size | 25 x 8 bytes |
| EEPROM Size | None |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 4 MHz |
| Instruction Cycle Time | 200 ns |
| Number of I/O Pins | 12 |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 3.25 V to 6 V |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +125C (E grade) |
| Package / Case | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch, 7.50 mm width) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Oscillator Type | External |
| Peripherals | POR, WDT |
| Number of Instructions | 33 |
| Packaging | Tape & Reel (T-suffix) |
| Terminal Form | Gull Wing |
PIC16C54T-RCE/SO Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 0 |
| Pin 2 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 1 |
| Pin 3 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 2 |
| Pin 4 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 3 |
| Pin 5 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 6 | RB0 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 0 |
| 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 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 0 / RTCC |
| Pin 13 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 1 |
| Pin 14 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (3.25 V to 6 V) |
| Pin 15 | OSC2 — Oscillator crystal output |
| Pin 16 | OSC1 — Oscillator crystal / external clock input |
| Pin 17 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 2 |
| Pin 18 | MCLR — Master Clear (active-low reset) with internal pull-up |
Typical Applications
PIC16C54T-RCE/SO is suitable for 6 applications: Appliance Control, Automotive Body Electronics, Battery Chargers and Power Tool Controllers, LED Lighting Controllers, Remote Controls and IR Transmitters, Industrial Sensor Signal Conditioning.
Appliance Control
The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO is well suited for appliance control boards such as washing-machine timers, microwave user interfaces, and dishwasher cycle controllers. Its 12 digital I/O pins can directly drive relay coils, seven-segment LED displays, and membrane keypads, while the 4 MHz RISC core executes 5 MIPS (million instructions per second) deterministically - more than enough to scan keypads at 10 ms intervals and run PID-like temperature loops for oven or heater regulation. The 25-byte RAM keeps the BOM lean because state variables, debounce counters, and timer flags all fit in a single register page. The extended -40C to +125C E-grade temperature range covers the under-cabinet and laundry-room thermal environment, and the 18-SOIC package is small enough to fit behind a control-panel membrane. With OTP one-time-programmable memory, the firmware is locked at production, eliminating field-tampering risk and reducing per-unit cost by 10-20 percent compared with flash-based PIC16F54.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics
The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO is a strong fit for non-safety automotive body modules such as interior lighting dimmers, mirror-position controllers, seat-occupancy detectors, and HVAC mode selectors. The 33-instruction RISC core delivers predictable 200 ns cycle time, which simplifies CAN-LIN gateway timing budgets and keeps interrupt latency under 1 us. With 12 GPIO plus 25 bytes of RAM, the part can scan up to four rotary encoders, drive a small MOSFET H-bridge for mirror actuation, and handle debounce logic for tactile switches. The E-grade -40C to +125C specification covers under-dash and door-module thermal envelopes, while the wide 3.25 V to 6 V supply range tolerates cranking transients and load-dump events when paired with a TVS diode. For higher-clock automotive designs, the PIC16C54AT-20E/SO 20 MHz variant shares the 18-SOIC footprint and can be a drop-in upgrade.
Recommended
Battery Chargers and Power Tool Controllers
The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO fits Li-ion and Ni-MH charger control boards where deterministic timing is more important than raw MIPS. The 200 ns instruction cycle enables accurate PWM generation for current-mode control loops without analog comparators, and the Watchdog Timer plus Power-On Reset provide the fail-safe behavior required by UL and IEC 60335 household-appliance standards. The 25-byte RAM holds a 16-entry lookup table for charge-state voltage thresholds, while the 768-byte OTP program memory can encode CC/CV algorithms, safety timers, and temperature-derating curves. Because the part runs from 3.25 V to 6 V, it can be powered directly from a single-cell Li-ion pack or a rectified 5 V rail. The 18-SOIC footprint is small enough to fit inside a cylindrical battery housing or a handheld-tool grip.
Recommended
LED Lighting Controllers
The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO drives small LED lighting controllers including RGB strip drivers, decorative light chasers, and aquarium lighting timers. The 12 GPIO can be software-PWM multiplexed to control up to 8 LED channels with 8-bit dimming resolution at refresh rates above 100 Hz, eliminating visible flicker. The 4 MHz clock and 200 ns cycle time support smooth color-mixing math and gamma-correction tables stored in the 25-byte RAM. Because the E-grade temperature range spans -40C to +125C, the part is suitable for outdoor luminaire and under-hood applications. The 18-SOIC package is small enough to mount on a star-LED MCPCB, and the OTP memory locks the color sequence in production, preventing unauthorized field reprogramming. For high-channel-count fixtures, the PIC16F54-I/SO 18-SOIC flash variant is a drop-in upgrade.
Recommended
Remote Controls and IR Transmitters
The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO is a proven choice for low-cost IR remote controls for TVs, set-top boxes, air conditioners, and ceiling fans. The 33-instruction RISC core can generate 38 kHz / 40 kHz / 56 kHz carrier frequencies directly from a 4 MHz system clock using software toggle on a GPIO pin, eliminating an external 555 timer or ceramic resonator. The 12 GPIO can matrix-scan a 4x4 keypad (8 lines) plus drive the IR LED and a status LED. The 25-byte RAM holds the last-key-pressed buffer, hold-repeat counters, and device-ID bytes, while the 768-byte OTP easily accommodates NEC, RC-5, RC-6, and SIRC protocol stacks. The 3.25 V to 6 V range allows direct operation from two AAA cells or a CR2032 coin cell with boost regulator.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Signal Conditioning
The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO is used in industrial sensor-interface modules that need a small, deterministic MCU to perform linearization, scaling, and protocol conversion. The 200 ns instruction cycle is fast enough to implement 10-bit sigma-delta averaging on a single GPIO bit-banged input, while the 25-byte RAM can hold scaling tables for thermistor or RTD linearization. The 12 GPIO can drive a 4-20 mA current loop transmitter, an RS-232 level shifter, and a status-LED array without external logic. The E-grade -40C to +125C temperature range is mandatory for plant-floor or outdoor enclosures. Because OTP memory cannot be re-flashed, sensor calibration constants are locked at production, eliminating field drift. The 18-SOIC footprint fits in standard DIN-rail module housings, and the part's 5 MIPS performance is sufficient for most slow-control loops in process instrumentation.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16C54T-RCE/SO — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16C54C-04I/SO | PIC16C54C-04/SO | PIC16C54AT-20E/SO | PIC16C54A-20I/SO | PIC16C54T-LPI/SO | PIC16C54T-HS/SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) - same | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) - same | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) - same | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) - same | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) - same | 18-SOIC (0.295 inch) - same |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 4 MHz | 4 MHz | 4 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 4 MHz | 20 MHz |
| Instruction Cycle | 200 ns | 200 ns | 200 ns | 100 ns | 100 ns | 200 ns | 100 ns |
| Program Memory | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP | 768 B (512 x 12) OTP |
| RAM | 25 x 8 bytes | 25 x 8 bytes | 25 x 8 bytes | 25 x 8 bytes | 25 x 8 bytes | 25 x 8 bytes | 25 x 8 bytes |
| Supply Voltage | 3.25 V to 6 V | 3.25 V to 6 V | 3.25 V to 6 V | 3.25 V to 6 V | 3.25 V to 6 V | 2.5 V to 6 V (wider range) | 3.25 V to 6 V |
| Temperature Grade | -40C to +125C (E) | -40C to +85C (I) | 0C to +70C (commercial) | -40C to +125C (E) | -40C to +85C (I) | -40C to +85C (I) | 0C to +70C (commercial) |
| I/O Pins | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Key Differentiators
- E-grade extended temperature range (vs PIC16C54C-04/SO)
- Tape and Reel high-volume packaging (vs PIC16C54-RCE/SO (tube version))
- 4 MHz operation with 200 ns deterministic instruction cycle (vs PIC16C54T-LPI/SO (low-power variant))
Design Notes
Place a 0.1 uF ceramic decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of the VDD pin (pin 14) and a 10 uF bulk capacitor near the VDD trace. The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO has no internal voltage regulator, so a noisy 5 V rail can corrupt OTP programming pulses and cause brown-out resets; add a ferrite bead on VDD if the supply shares a switching converter. The MCLR pin (pin 18) has an internal pull-up, but adding an external 10 kohm pull-up improves ESD and EMI immunity on long reset traces.
OTP (One-Time Programmable) memory cannot be erased after programming, so use the PIC16C54 JW (windowed CERDIP) variant for firmware development and the C-revision mask set for production. The T-suffix in PIC16C54T-RCE/SO indicates Tape & Reel carrier only, not a temperature option; do not confuse it with the I-suffix industrial grade. Also note that the maximum 6 V absolute rating applies to VDD only - driving an I/O pin above VDD or below VSS will latch up the part, even within the operating temperature range.
Route the OSC1/OSC2 traces (pins 15-16) short and symmetric, with a ground guard ring, to avoid coupling noise from adjacent switching nodes. Keep the crystal or resonator within 5 mm of the IC and place load capacitors (typically 15-33 pF) directly at the IC pins. If using an external CMOS clock, drive OSC1 only and leave OSC2 floating; do not load OSC2 with anything except the internal inverter. Avoid running I/O traces under the crystal traces to minimize capacitive coupling that can shift the oscillator frequency.
Compliance Information
Lead-free (Pb-free) finish is industry-standard for SOIC packages, but RoHS and REACH compliance must be confirmed with the manufacturer's lot-specific certificate of conformance. The PIC16C54T-RCE/SO is not AEC-Q100 qualified; the E-grade -40C to +125C temperature range covers industrial but not automotive safety-critical applications. The Automotive Q-grade version, if required, would carry a different ordering suffix.
