PIC16F1829-E/SS - 8-bit MCU, 14KB Flash, 32MHz XLP | Microchip
MPN: PIC16F1829-E/SS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.81 | $0.81 |
| 10 | $0.74 | $7.40 |
| 100 | $0.66 | $66.00 |
| 500 | $0.6 | $300.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.54 | $540.00 |
PIC16F1829-E/SS Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, memory (Flash for program, SRAM for data, EEPROM for non-volatile storage), and a configurable set of peripheral blocks (I/O, timers, ADC, communications). PIC microcontrollers follow the RISC-based Harvard architecture family from Microchip, and the PIC16F1829 belongs to the Enhanced Mid-range Core (EMC) tier, sitting between baseline PIC10/12/16 cores and the PIC18 family. Within the broader category hierarchy it is classified as: microcontroller -> embedded controller -> semiconductor device -> integrated circuit. The 'XLP' designation signals this part is engineered for ultra-low sleep current (typical 20 nA in Sleep mode with WDT and BOR disabled), making it suitable for battery-powered and energy-harvesting products.
Key features include 18 digital I/O pins capable of source/sink up to 25 mA per pin, a 10-bit ADC with up to 12 channels, two Capture/Compare/PWM (CCP) modules and one Enhanced CCP (ECCP), four 8-bit timers plus one 16-bit timer, hardware UART, SPI, I2C with address-masking, mTouch capacitive touch support, an integrated temperature indicator, and an on-chip 32 MHz internal oscillator. Debug is supported via PICkit 3, MPLAB ICD 3, or the optional AC244043 (F) / AC244044 (LF) debug header. Code protection and a 16-level hardware stack with overflow/underflow reset are built in.
The device uses the standard PIC16 enhanced core with 49 instructions, automatic interrupt context saving, and a 16-level hardware stack. The XLP implementation combines nanoWatt XLP sleep current, ultra-low-power wake sources, and switchable oscillator modes to optimize average current in duty-cycled products.
Typical applications include low-power remote sensors, capacitive touch user interfaces (mTouch), small motor control (DC brushed or stepper via ECCP), battery-powered consumer electronics, 5 V industrial control nodes, and mains-powered appliance user-interface panels where an SSOP-20 footprint fits the bill.
Designers should plan decoupling with a 100 nF ceramic + 4.7 µF bulk close to VDD, place a 1 µF capacitor on MCLR if used, and ensure unused I/O are configured as outputs low to minimize sleep current. The SSOP-20 has limited thermal dissipation, so applications pushing the ADC continuously at 32 MHz may benefit from PCB copper pour.
This page synthesizes distributor stock, verified drop-in alternatives, application examples, and design notes that are not aggregated on the manufacturer product page.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16F1829-E/SS — 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 PIC16F1829-E/SS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Program Memory (Flash), ADC, I/O Pins, Core.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F1829-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.28 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F1828-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F1827-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F1826-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F1788-E/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.15 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F1829-E/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core | PIC16 Enhanced Mid-range (49 instructions, 16-level hardware stack) |
| Data Bus Width | 8-bit |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 14 KB (8K x 14 words) |
| RAM | 1 KB |
| EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz (32 MHz internal; up to 64 MHz with PLL) |
| Supply Voltage | 2.5 V to 5.5 V |
| I/O Pins | 18 |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +125 °C (-E suffix) |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 12 channels |
| Timers | 4 x 8-bit + 1 x 16-bit |
| CCP / ECCP | 2 CCP, 1 ECCP |
| Communications | UART, SPI, I2C (with address masking) |
| Capacitive Touch | mTouch supported (via Charge Time Measurement Unit) |
| XLP Sleep Current | Typical 20 nA (Sleep, WDT/BOR disabled) |
| Package | SSOP-20 (5.30 mm body, 0.65 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL | 1 (per JEDEC J-STD-020, unless otherwise specified) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (Microchip product family standard) |
| Debug Support | Integrated ICD; PICkit 3 / MPLAB ICD 3; AC244043 (F) / AC244044 (LF) headers |
PIC16F1829-E/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VDD — Positive supply (2.5 V to 5.5 V); decouple with 100 nF + 4.7 µF. |
| Pin 2 | RA5 — Digital I/O / analog input AN4. |
| Pin 3 | RA4 — Digital I/O (open-drain option) / analog input AN3. |
| Pin 4 | RA3 — Digital I/O / analog input AN2 / MCLR (input only when configured as reset). |
| Pin 5 | RC5 — Digital I/O / CCP1 input. |
| Pin 6 | RC4 — Digital I/O / C2OUT. |
| Pin 7 | RC3 — Digital I/O / analog input AN7 / SCL (I2C). |
| Pin 8 | RC2 — Digital I/O / analog input AN6. |
| Pin 9 | RC1 — Digital I/O / analog input AN5 / INT1 / CCP2. |
| Pin 10 | RC0 — Digital I/O / analog input AN4 / INT0. |
| Pin 11 | VSS — Ground reference. |
| Pin 12 | RB7 — Digital I/O / ICSPDAT. |
| Pin 13 | RB6 — Digital I/O / ICSPCLK. |
| Pin 14 | RB5 — Digital I/O / analog input AN11. |
| Pin 15 | RB4 — Digital I/O / analog input AN10. |
| Pin 16 | RB3 — Digital I/O / analog input AN9 / CCP2 output. |
| Pin 17 | RB2 — Digital I/O / analog input AN8 / P1B. |
| Pin 18 | RB1 — Digital I/O / analog input AN10 / INT1 / P1C. |
| Pin 19 | RB0 — Digital I/O / analog input AN12 / INT0 / CCP1 output. |
| Pin 20 | RA0 — Digital I/O / analog input AN0 / ULPWU / ICSPDAT2. |
Typical Applications
PIC16F1829-E/SS is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered Remote Sensor Nodes, Capacitive Touch User Interface (mTouch), Small DC Brush and Stepper Motor Control, Industrial 5V Sensor Signal Conditioning, Consumer Appliance Control Board, USB-to-Serial Bridge / Debug UART Translator.
Battery-Powered Remote Sensor Nodes
The PIC16F1829-E/SS suits battery-powered sensor nodes because its XLP sleep current drops to ~20 nA with WDT and BOR disabled, while the 32 MHz internal HFINTOSC wake-up is sub-microsecond. With 18 I/O the part can drive a digital sensor via SPI, sample a thermistor through its 10-bit ADC, and broadcast on UART before returning to sleep. The 1 KB RAM is enough for short telemetry packets, and 14 KB of Flash leaves room for an application bootloader that lets you update sensor firmware in the field over a UART channel. Place the MCU in Sleep between conversions to realize multi-year life on a single CR2032 cell.
Recommended
Capacitive Touch User Interface (mTouch)
The PIC16F1829-E/SS integrates Microchip's mTouch capacitive touch sensing through its Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU), allowing engineers to build button and slider interfaces without external touch controllers. The 18 I/O pins easily support 8-12 touch electrodes routed under a 1.5-2 mm cover material, while the 32 MHz core executes the mTouch libraries in real time without measurable latency. The XLP sleep current lets a touch wakeup draw only microamps in idle, perfect for kitchen appliances and consumer products where the user expects an instant, mechanical-feel response. The /SS package fits behind a UI PCB with no exposed MCU body, supporting 1-3 mm clear cover layers.
Recommended
Small DC Brush and Stepper Motor Control
The PIC16F1829-E/SS integrates one Enhanced Capture/Compare/PWM (ECCP) module with complementary PWM outputs, plus a second independent time base, making it a compact driver for small DC brushed motors or bipolar steppers driving up to ~500 mA. The 25 mA per-pin source/sink is enough for direct logic-level MOSFET gate drive on the low-side; for higher-current motors add external gate drivers. The 32 MHz instruction rate executes a PID loop at 1 ms cycle time without DSP acceleration. Designers pair the MCU with gate-driver ICs on the PWM pins, and use one ADC channel for current sense. The SSOP-20 footprint fits a 1 x 1.5 inch PCB next to a 12 V motor.
Recommended
Industrial 5V Sensor Signal Conditioning
For 5 V industrial process instrumentation (loop-powered sensors, simple PLC input cards), the PIC16F1829-E/SS runs natively from 2.5-5.5 V and directly interfaces to 5 V logic peripherals. The 10-bit ADC with 12 channels handles up to 12 transducer inputs, while the I2C and SPI peripherals drive ADCs, DACs, or EEPROM memory for calibration data. The 256 bytes of EEPROM can store calibration coefficients and unit IDs. The -E temperature grade supports factory-floor cabinets that run hot. The SSOP-20 is hand-solderable on industrial control PCBAs, while the /SO variant is also offered for higher-volume auto-assembly lines.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control Board
In consumer appliances - rice cookers, coffee machines, air purifiers, microwave ovens - the PIC16F1829-E/SS pairs a 5 V operating range with 18 I/O pins sufficient for keypad scanning, LED PWM dimming, display multiplexing, and a UART debug port. The ECCP module drives power semiconductors for heater or fan control with precision PWM. The 14 KB Flash is enough for an FSM-style appliance state machine plus custom menu UI. The SSOP-20 package costs less than a QFP and is drop-in compatible with PIC16F1829-I/SS for lower-cost indoor models, and with PIC16F1829-E/SS for high-temperature-graded outdoor versions.
Recommended
USB-to-Serial Bridge / Debug UART Translator
Because the PIC16F1829-E/SS includes both an enhanced UART and the PIC16 standard ICSP interface, it is a low-cost, reliable USB-to-serial bridge or debugging UART for embedded projects. The 14 KB Flash can hold a small CDC stack plus command parser, and the 1 KB RAM buffers serial traffic. The XLP high efficiency mode supports battery-powered handhelds that want to expose a debug UART without burning several milliamps. Pair the MCU with an MCP2221 USB-to-I2C/UART converter and a 32.768 kHz watch crystal for accurate baud rate generation.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16F1829-E/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F1829-I/SS | PIC16F1828-I/SS | PIC16F1827-I/SS | PIC16F1826-I/SS | PIC16F1788-E/SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | SSOP-20 | SSOP-20 - same | SSOP-20 - same | SSOP-20 - same | SSOP-20 - same | SSOP-20 - same |
| Flash Memory | 14 KB | 14 KB | 7 KB | 4 KB | 2 KB | 8 KB |
| RAM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 384 B | 256 B | 1 KB |
| Operating Voltage | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V |
| Maximum Clock | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| Temperature Range | -40 to +125 °C (E) | -40 to +85 °C (I) | -40 to +85 °C (I) | -40 to +85 °C (I) | -40 to +85 °C (I) | -40 to +125 °C (E) |
| I/O Pins | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 |
| 1-Piece Price (USD, as of 2026-09-20) | 0.81 | 0.81 | 0.71 | 0.65 | 0.60 | 0.78 |
Key Differentiators
- Largest Flash in the PIC16F182x pin-compatible SSOP-20 family (vs PIC16F1828-I/SS)
- Same Flash as sibling but wider temperature grade (vs PIC16F1829-I/SS)
- More I/O than the entry-level 16-pin PIC16F1826 (vs PIC16F1826-I/SS)
- Higher on-chip temperature-indicator accuracy vs PIC16F1788 (vs PIC16F1788-E/SS)
Design Notes
Decouple VDD (pin 1) with a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 5 mm of the pin and a 4.7 µF bulk tantalum or aluminum polymer on the same trace. If you use a switching regulator upstream, add a ferrite bead on VDD to attenuate switching ripple above 10 MHz, otherwise the PIC16F1829-E/SS internal analog reference (used for ADC and CTMU) may pick up burst noise during high-current switching. Avoid daisy-chained supply traces; star-route MCU VDD from the bulk cap.
Although the SSOP-20 has limited thermal headroom, the PIC16F1829-E/SS typically consumes < 8 mA at 32 MHz and < 1 µA in Sleep, so thermal concerns are rare. At 32 MHz continuous execution in a sealed enclosure, estimate θJA ≈ 95 °C/W for SSOP-20. Estimated: at 5 V × 8 mA = 40 mW, the junction rise above 25 °C ambient is ≈ 3.8 °C - within the -40 to +125 °C E-grade range. No heatsink needed in normal use.
Keep the ICSP clock (ICSPCLK, RB6) and ICSP data (ICSPDAT, RB7) traces short and isolated from high-frequency digital switching or analog inputs to prevent programming and debug noise coupling. Route RB6/RB7 with a ground guard if you plan to use them in-circuit after programming. Place the 100 nF VDD capacitor on the same side of the PCB as the MCU, with a short via-to-ground return, to minimize loop inductance that would otherwise allow ESD injection on the supply rail.
When using the mTouch CTMU for capacitive sensing, do not route the touch electrodes near switching power converter inductors or near high-current signals; the CTMU measures femtocoulombs of charge. Reserve a copper pour island connected only through a 10 kΩ resistor or ferrite to keep radiated noise from coupling into the electrode's capacitance. Per Microchip application notes, the touch scan rate should be 10-50 Hz, and the firmware should average 4-16 samples for stable readings.
Do not leave unused I/O pins floating - configure them as outputs driving low to minimize Sleep current leakage. The PIC16F1829-E/SS datasheet specifies that floating inputs can pull up to 1 µA each. Also, disable any unused analog channel before entering Sleep; otherwise the ADC's bias current remains active. Finally, ensure that MCLR (RA3) is tied high through a 10 kΩ resistor (with optional 1 µF cap) for clean reset; do not tie it directly to VDD or leave it floating.
Compliance Information
Lead-free and RoHS compliant per Microchip's standard /SS suffix ordering codes. Halogen-free status depends on specific lot certification - request from Microchip support if needed. AEC-Q100 not qualified; for PPAP documents use the -VAO suffix ordering code (e.g. PIC16F1829-E/SSVAO).
