PIC16C74AT-10/PQ - 8-bit 10MHz OTP MCU 7KB | Microchip
MPN: PIC16C74AT-10/PQ ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8.2 | $8.20 |
| 10 | $7.4 | $74.00 |
| 100 | $6.55 | $655.00 |
| 500 | $5.8 | $2,900.00 |
| 1,000 | $5.1 | $5,100.00 |
PIC16C74AT-10/PQ Overview
What is an 8-bit OTP microcontroller? An OTP (One-Time Programmable) MCU is a microcontroller whose program memory can be written exactly once after manufacture, typically using a parallel or serial programmer, after which the code becomes permanent. The 8-bit designation refers to the width of the ALU and the data bus, while the 10MHz rating is the maximum oscillator input frequency that drives the instruction pipeline. OTP MCUs sit in the hierarchy: microcontroller -> embedded controller -> semiconductor IC, and they are widely used in cost-sensitive, high-volume consumer and industrial products.
Key features include 33 digital I/O pins, integrated 8-bit A/D converter channels, Brown-out Detect/Reset, Power-On Reset (POR), Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), Watchdog Timer (WDT), and serial connectivity through I2C, SPI, and UART/USART peripherals. The 10MHz instruction rate delivers roughly 5 MIPS, with each instruction cycle taking four oscillator clocks in the PIC mid-range architecture.
The device uses a Harvard architecture with separate program and data buses, a 14-bit wide instruction word, and a RISC instruction set with only 35 single-word instructions to simplify firmware development. The CMOS process provides low power consumption with a 4V to 6V supply range (typical Vcc = 5V), making the part suitable for both battery- and line-powered embedded systems.
Typical applications include industrial control boards, motor drive interfaces, instrumentation front-ends, automotive body electronics (non-safety subsystems), and legacy embedded products that were designed around the PIC16C7X family. The 44-pin MQFP footprint also simplifies migration to PIC16F74A flash-based successors when re-programmability becomes necessary.
When designing with this part, note that the OTP memory prevents field firmware updates, so production firmware must be fully validated before programming. Decoupling and a stable oscillator layout are critical because the integrated A/D converter is sensitive to supply and clock noise.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-brand alternatives, comparison data, and practical design notes that go beyond what the original Microchip datasheet provides in isolation.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16C74AT-10/PQ — 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 PIC16C74AT-10/PQ (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, A/D Converter, Mounting Type, Core Architecture, Operating Temperature Range.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16C74A-10/PQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.85 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C74A-20/PQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C74A-20I/L
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$8.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C74A-20E/PQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$8.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16C74A-04/PQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F74A-I/PQ
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16C74AT-10/PQ Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core | PIC16 mid-range RISC, 8-bit |
| Instruction Set Width | 14-bit |
| Number of Instructions | 35 |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 10 MHz |
| Program Memory Type | OTP (One-Time Programmable) |
| Program Memory Size | 7 KB (4K x 14) |
| RAM Size | 192 x 8 bytes |
| Supply Voltage (Vcc) | 4 V to 6 V (5 V typical) |
| Number of I/O Pins | 33 |
| Package | 44-pin MQFP (10x10 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (Gull Wing) |
| A/D Converter | 8-bit integrated |
| Connectivity | I2C, SPI, UART/USART |
| Peripherals | Brown-out Detect/Reset, POR, PWM, WDT |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +70C (commercial) |
PIC16C74AT-10/PQ Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | OSC1/CLKIN — Oscillator input or external clock input |
| Pin 2 | OSC2/CLKOUT — Oscillator output |
| Pin 3 | MCLR — Master Clear (reset) input, active low |
| Pin 4 | RA0/AN0 — PORTA bit 0 / analog input 0 |
| Pin 5 | RA1/AN1 — PORTA bit 1 / analog input 1 |
| Pin 6 | RA2/AN2 — PORTA bit 2 / analog input 2 |
| Pin 7 | RA3/AN3/VREF — PORTA bit 3 / analog input 3 / VREF+ |
| Pin 8 | RA4/T0CKI — PORTA bit 4 / Timer0 clock input |
| Pin 9 | RA5/AN4/SS — PORTA bit 5 / analog input 4 / SPI slave select |
| Pin 10 | Vss — Ground reference |
| Pin 11 | Vdd — Positive supply voltage (4V to 6V) |
| Pin 12 | RB0/INT — PORTB bit 0 / external interrupt |
| Pin 13 | RB1 — PORTB bit 1 |
| Pin 14 | RB2 — PORTB bit 2 |
| Pin 15 | RB3 — PORTB bit 3 |
| Pin 16 | RB4 — PORTB bit 4 |
| Pin 17 | RB5 — PORTB bit 5 |
| Pin 18 | RB6/PGC — PORTB bit 6 / ICSP clock |
| Pin 19 | RB7/PGD — PORTB bit 7 / ICSP data |
| Pin 20 | RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI — PORTC bit 0 / Timer1 I/O |
| Pin 21 | RC1/T1OSI/CCP2 — PORTC bit 1 / Timer1 OSC / CCP2 |
| Pin 22 | RC2/CCP1 — PORTC bit 2 / CCP1 PWM output |
| Pin 23 | RC3/SCK/SCL — PORTC bit 3 / SPI clock / I2C clock |
| Pin 24 | RC4/SDI/SDA — PORTC bit 4 / SPI data in / I2C data |
| Pin 25 | RC5/SDO — PORTC bit 5 / SPI data out |
| Pin 26 | RC6/TX/CK — PORTC bit 6 / UART TX / USART clock |
| Pin 27 | RC7/RX/DT — PORTC bit 7 / UART RX / USART data |
| Pin 28 | RD0/PSP0 — PORTD bit 0 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 29 | RD1/PSP1 — PORTD bit 1 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 30 | RD2/PSP2 — PORTD bit 2 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 31 | RD3/PSP3 — PORTD bit 3 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 32 | RD4/PSP4 — PORTD bit 4 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 33 | RD5/PSP5 — PORTD bit 5 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 34 | RD6/PSP6 — PORTD bit 6 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 35 | RD7/PSP7 — PORTD bit 7 / parallel slave port |
| Pin 36 | RE0/RD/AN5 — PORTE bit 0 / read control / analog input 5 |
| Pin 37 | RE1/WR/AN6 — PORTE bit 1 / write control / analog input 6 |
| Pin 38 | RE2/CS/AN7 — PORTE bit 2 / chip select / analog input 7 |
| Pin 39 | Vdd — Positive supply voltage (second Vdd) |
| Pin 40 | Vss — Ground reference (second Vss) |
| Pin 41 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 42 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 43 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 44 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
Typical Applications
PIC16C74AT-10/PQ is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Control Boards, Motor Drive and PWM Control, Instrumentation and Data Acquisition Front-Ends, Automotive Body Electronics (Non-Safety), Legacy Consumer Embedded Products, Educational and Hobby Electronics.
Industrial Control Boards
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ fits industrial control applications because its 33 digital I/O lines, integrated 8-bit ADC, and PWM peripheral provide direct interfacing to sensors, relays, and motor drivers without external glue logic. The 10MHz instruction rate yields roughly 5 MIPS, more than adequate for PLC-style ladder replacement, encoder reading, and HMI keypad scanning. The 4V to 6V supply range tolerates regulated 5V industrial rails, and the Brown-out Detect/Reset plus Watchdog Timer safeguard unattended operation on the factory floor. Engineers migrating PIC16C7X designs to modern platforms can swap the OTP part for the flash-based PIC16F74A-I/PQ in the same 44-pin MQFP footprint when field updates become a requirement.
Recommended
Motor Drive and PWM Control
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ is suitable for motor drive PWM control because its Capture/Compare/PWM (CCP) module generates the precise duty cycles needed for brushed DC, brushless DC, and stepper motor commutation. The 33 I/O pins handle direction logic, enable lines, Hall-sensor inputs, and current-sense feedback simultaneously. The 10MHz clock combined with the 8-bit PWM timer supports switching frequencies from a few hundred hertz up to roughly 40kHz, well within the range of small hobby and appliance-grade motor controllers. Brown-out Reset prevents erratic behavior during inductive load transients, while the Watchdog Timer recovers the firmware if a software lockup occurs in a noisy drive environment.
Recommended
Instrumentation and Data Acquisition Front-Ends
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ is appropriate for instrumentation front-ends because its integrated 8-bit ADC and UART/USART peripherals allow direct connection to analog sensors and to host PCs or displays. With 33 I/O available, the MCU can scan multiple sensor channels, drive a character LCD, and stream digitized readings through the asynchronous serial port at standard baud rates up to 57.6k. The 192-byte RAM is sufficient for circular sample buffers in slow sampling applications such as temperature loggers and panel meters. The 4V to 6V Vcc range simplifies integration with legacy analog signal-conditioning stages built around +/-5V or single 5V rails.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics (Non-Safety)
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ is well suited to non-safety automotive body electronics such as interior lighting controllers, seat-position memory, mirror adjusters, and accessory multiplex modules. The automotive-grade temperature variant (-40C to +125C) is the PIC16C74A-20I/L in the same MQFP family. The 33 I/O lines drive multiple relays and LEDs, while the integrated PWM module dims lamps without external driver circuitry. CAN or LIN transceivers must be added externally because the PIC16C74A family predates on-chip CAN peripherals; designers typically use the UART plus an external LIN transceiver for low-cost body networks.
Recommended
Legacy Consumer Embedded Products
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ is widely deployed in legacy consumer products such as washing-machine controllers, microwave oven keypads, set-top box front panels, and early-generation remote controls. The 7KB OTP memory holds a fixed feature set that vendors do not intend to update after launch, and the 5V CMOS process minimizes BOM cost for high-volume SKUs. The MQFP-44 footprint remains mechanically compatible with the flash-based PIC16F74A, allowing service depots to keep spare parts available even after Microchip formally discontinues OTP production. For new consumer designs, the PIC16F74A-I/PQ offers the same peripheral map with field-reprogrammability.
Recommended
Educational and Hobby Electronics
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ remains useful in educational and hobby contexts because of its clean PIC mid-range architecture, 35-instruction RISC set, and abundant reference material from Microchip application notes. Universities teaching embedded systems use it to demonstrate ADC sampling, UART communication, interrupt handling, and PWM generation on a real 5V CMOS platform. The MQFP-44 footprint, however, is harder to breadboard than DIP parts, so instructors often prefer the 40-pin PDIP PIC16C74A-10/P for classroom labs and switch to the MQFP variant only when surface-mount assembly is required.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16C74AT-10/PQ — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16C74A-10/PQ | PIC16C74A-20/PQ | PIC16C74A-20I/L | PIC16C74A-04/PQ | PIC16F74A-I/PQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 44-pin MQFP (10x10) | 44-pin MQFP (10x10) - same | 44-pin MQFP (10x10) - same | 44-pin MQFP (10x10) - same | 44-pin MQFP (10x10) - same | 44-pin MQFP (10x10) - same |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 10 MHz | 10 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 4 MHz | 20 MHz |
| Program Memory Type | OTP (7KB / 4K x 14) | OTP (7KB) | OTP (7KB) | OTP (7KB) | OTP (7KB) | Flash (7KB) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial | Industrial (-40C to +85C) | Commercial | Industrial (-40C to +85C) |
| Number of I/O Pins | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| ADC | 8-bit integrated | 8-bit integrated | 8-bit integrated | 8-bit integrated | 8-bit integrated | 8-bit integrated |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Active |
| Connectivity Peripherals | I2C, SPI, UART/USART | I2C, SPI, UART/USART | I2C, SPI, UART/USART | I2C, SPI, UART/USART | I2C, SPI, UART/USART | I2C, SPI, UART/USART |
Key Differentiators
- Wide availability of same-package drop-in replacements within Microchip (vs PIC16C74A-10/PQ (same die, tray packaging))
- 20MHz upgrade path in identical footprint (vs PIC16C74A-20/PQ)
- Industrial temperature option for harsh environments (vs PIC16C74A-20I/L)
- Long-term availability via flash-based replacement (vs PIC16F74A-I/PQ)
Design Notes
The PIC16C74AT-10/PQ operates from 4V to 6V (5V typical). Place a 100nF decoupling capacitor as close as possible to each Vdd pin (there are two on the MQFP-44 package) and add a bulk 10uF tantalum or aluminum cap on the main 5V rail. The Brown-out Detect/Reset and Power-On Reset blocks must see a clean rising Vcc edge during power-up, so avoid slow ramps under 10ms that could trip BOR repeatedly. For battery-backed designs, route the MCLR pin through a 10k pull-up to Vdd and a 100nF cap to ground to filter noise.
Route the 10MHz crystal or ceramic resonator traces (OSC1/OSC2) as short as possible and guard them with a ground pour to avoid injecting clock harmonics into the analog ADC inputs. Keep the ADC reference pin (RA3/VREF) away from switching PWM traces and place its local bypass capacitor within 5mm of the pin. For the MQFP-44 package, use a small ground plane under the die and stitch vias around the perimeter at 2mm pitch to reduce EMI from the parallel slave port transitions on PORTD.
OTP memory cannot be erased after programming, so always validate firmware on a flash-based PIC16F74A prototype before committing to OTP production parts. Programming voltage and timing for the PIC16C74AT-10/PQ follows Microchip programming spec 30402D; do not assume the timings from the F-series parts apply. Watch out for the configuration-word oscillator setting: a wrong HS/XT/LP choice on a high-speed crystal will prevent the part from starting. Finally, the 192-byte RAM is shared with the hardware register file, so leave at least 16 bytes headroom for stack growth to avoid mysterious resets.
Compliance Information
Compliance flags are not specified in the verified distributor data. The part is OTP-based and predates widespread lead-free mandates; check the lot-specific documentation from the supplier before placing a lead-free order.
