PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO - 8-bit MCU, 28KB Flash, XLP, AEC-Q100 | Microchip
MPN: PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.18 | $2.18 |
| 10 | $1.96 | $19.60 |
| 100 | $1.74 | $174.00 |
| 500 | $1.55 | $775.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.38 | $1,380.00 |
PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, non-volatile program memory (Flash), working RAM, EEPROM for data retention, and a mix of analog and digital peripherals. PIC16F18346 devices belong to Microchip's PIC16F mid-range 8-bit MCU family, which sits within the broader PIC16 architecture family. The combination of on-chip peripherals and eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology makes this category ideal for battery-powered and energy-harvesting applications.
Key features include a 10-bit ADC with computation, a 5-bit DAC, two comparators, a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO), configurable logic cells (CLC), complementary waveform generators (CWG), capture/compare/PWM (CCP) and 10-bit PWM peripherals, and the Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) module that allows digital peripheral signals to be remapped to general-purpose I/O pins for flexible PCB routing.
Functional Safety (FuSa) support makes this part suitable for safety-critical designs. The device operates from 1.8V to 5.5V with nanoWatt XLP sleep currents in the nA range, supporting battery lifetimes measured in years. Communication peripherals include two I2C/SPI interfaces and an EUSART.
Typical applications include automotive body and lighting control, IoT sensor nodes, consumer appliances, low-power wireless sensor transmitters, and small motor control loops. The AEC-Q100 grade extends use into automotive body controllers, HVAC panels, and lighting modules.
When designing with this MCU, ensure that the PPS configuration in your firmware matches the actual physical pin assignments to avoid peripheral signal mismatches. The internal 32 MHz oscillator is factory-calibrated to within +/-1% across voltage and temperature, eliminating the need for an external crystal in cost-sensitive designs.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO β 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 PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Program Memory (Flash), ADC, Core Architecture, Functional Safety (FuSa).
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F18346T-I/GZ
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18346T-I/GZVAO
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18346T-E/GZVAO
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18345T-I/GZ
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$2.04 / Unit
View Datasheet βPIC16F18345T-I/GZVAO
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core | PIC16 enhanced mid-range 8-bit |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 28 KB (16K x 14 words) |
| Data RAM | 2 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 256 B |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial) |
| Package | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) |
| ADC | 10-bit with Computation (ADC2) |
| DAC | 5-bit |
| Comparators | 2 |
| PWM Channels | 10-bit PWM, plus CCP and CWG |
| CLC | Configurable Logic Cells |
| NCO | Numerically Controlled Oscillator |
| Communication | 2x I2C/SPI, 1x EUSART |
| PPS | Peripheral Pin Select |
| AEC-Q100 | Qualified (Automotive) |
| XLP | eXtreme Low Power (nanoWatt XLP) |
| Functional Safety | FuSa support |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 1 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA0/ICDDAT β Bidirectional I/O / ICD Data |
| Pin 2 | RA1 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 3 | RA2 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 4 | RA3/MCLR β Bidirectional I/O / Master Clear (reset) |
| Pin 5 | RA4 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 6 | RA5 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 7 | RA6 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 8 | RA7 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 9 | VSS β Ground reference |
| Pin 10 | RB0 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 11 | RB1 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 12 | RB2 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 13 | RB3 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 14 | RB4 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 15 | RB5 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 16 | RB6/ICSCLK β Bidirectional I/O / ICD Clock |
| Pin 17 | RB7 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 18 | RC0 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 19 | RC1 β Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 20 | VDD β Positive supply voltage |
Typical Applications
PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO is suitable for 6 applications: Automotive Body Control Modules, IoT Sensor Nodes, Home Appliance Control, Battery-Powered Wearables, Industrial Sensor Transmitters, LED Lighting Controllers.
Automotive Body Control Modules
The PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO's AEC-Q100 qualification and 32 MHz CPU make it ideal for automotive body control modules that switch lighting, mirrors, and accessory loads. Its 1.8-5.5 V supply range tolerates cranking transients on the 12 V automotive bus when paired with a 5 V regulator, while the 10-bit ADC2 reads analog sensors such as thermistors and potentiometers for ambient-light or position sensing. The CWG and 10-bit PWM peripherals generate precise switching waveforms for LED drivers and small DC motor control. Compared to higher-end MCUs, the /GZVAO delivers AEC-Q100 qualification in a compact 4x4 mm UQFN footprint that fits behind dashboard switch panels.
Recommended
IoT Sensor Nodes
The PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO's eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology and nanoWatt sleep modes enable battery-powered IoT sensor nodes that operate for years on a single coin cell. The 10-bit ADC2 with computation performs oversampling and averaging in hardware, reducing wake-time and total energy per measurement. The Peripheral Pin Select allows the same PCB layout to support multiple sensor interfaces by remapping I2C/SPI, EUSART, and PWM functions to different physical pins via firmware. The 28 KB Flash comfortably fits Thread, BLE host stacks, or LoRaWAN application layers with custom sensing logic, while the 20-UQFN keeps board area under 16 mm squared.
Recommended
Home Appliance Control
Consumer appliances such as coffee makers, washing machines, and microwave ovens benefit from the PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO's combination of 28 KB Flash for user-interface state machines, 10-bit PWM for motor and heater control, and CWG for synchronous half-bridge drive. The two comparators enable zero-cross detection on AC mains inputs for triac firing, while the 5-bit DAC provides reference voltages for analog sensor conditioning. AEC-Q100 qualification provides headroom for environments where temperature swings are large, extending product warranty periods compared to commercial-grade MCUs.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Wearables
The PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO's XLP nanoWatt technology with sleep currents in the nA range suits wearables such as fitness bands, heart-rate patches, and smartwatches where standby current dominates battery life. The 32 MHz CPU wakes quickly to process sensor data bursts, then returns to deep sleep, achieving average currents below 1 uA in duty-cycled operation. PPS allows flexible PCB routing for ultra-compact wearable form factors where pin assignment must adapt to antenna placement and battery geometry. Compared to 32-bit ARM Cortex alternatives, the /GZVAO delivers longer battery life at lower cost in applications that fit within its 8-bit computational envelope.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Transmitters
The PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO is well suited to 4-20 mA loop-powered sensor transmitters in industrial process control. The 10-bit ADC2 reads bridge, RTD, or thermocouple signals via external signal conditioning, while the 5-bit DAC and PWM peripherals combine to generate a precision 4-20 mA loop current through an external op-amp and pass transistor. The CLC (Configurable Logic Cells) implements custom glue logic such as watchdog timers or sensor-fault detectors without external gates. Industrial temperature range (-40C to +85C standard, extended via /E variant) supports outdoor and factory-floor installations.
Recommended
LED Lighting Controllers
The PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO's 10-bit PWM, CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator), and CCP peripherals provide flexible LED dimming and color-mixing control for architectural and automotive lighting. The PPS module lets designers route multiple PWM channels to any GPIO without PCB rework, simplifying layout of RGBW and tunable-white LED strings. The 32 MHz CPU executes lighting effects, DMX512 or DALI receive stacks, and temperature fold-back algorithms within the 28 KB Flash budget. AEC-Q100 grade makes it directly applicable to automotive interior and exterior LED lighting, including dynamic turn signals and ambient lighting.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F18346T-I/GZ | PIC16LF18346T-I/GZVAO | PIC16F18346T-E/GZVAO | PIC16F18345T-I/GZ | PIC16F18345T-I/GZVAO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) - same |
| Flash Memory | 28 KB | 28 KB | 28 KB | 28 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB |
| RAM | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
| EEPROM | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| AEC-Q100 | Qualified | Not qualified (Industrial) | Qualified | Qualified (extended grade) | Not qualified (Industrial) | Qualified |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
Key Differentiators
- AEC-Q100 qualification for automotive use (vs PIC16F18346T-I/GZ)
- 28 KB Flash vs 14 KB Flash for larger firmware (vs PIC16F18345T-I/GZVAO)
- Industrial -40C to +85C vs Extended -40C to +125C range (vs PIC16F18346T-E/GZVAO)
Design Notes
Estimated: The PIC16F18346T-I/GZVAO's supply current at 32 MHz active mode is approximately 5-7 mA (per Microchip datasheet DS40001839E typical curves). For battery-powered designs, the XLP sleep modes can drop current below 1 uA when peripherals are disabled. Decouple VDD with a 100 nF ceramic capacitor placed within 3 mm of the VDD pin, plus a 10 uF bulk capacitor if driving noisy peripherals. The 1.8 V minimum allows direct coin-cell operation but verify ADC accuracy at low VDD.
The 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) package has an exposed pad that MUST be soldered to the PCB ground plane for thermal dissipation and electrical performance. Thermal resistance theta_JA is approximately 35-40 C/W on a standard 4-layer JEDEC test board, rising sharply without the exposed pad connection. Use NSMD (Non-Solder Mask Defined) pads with via-in-pad or thermal vias to maximize heat transfer into inner ground planes.
The Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) module remaps digital peripheral signals to physical pins at runtime via firmware. After reset, peripheral outputs are NOT routed to any pin until PPS is configured. A common bug is initializing PPS incorrectly so that EUSART TX, PWM, or CLC outputs never appear on the expected pin. Always cross-check the PPS configuration against the schematic during bring-up. For ICD (In-Circuit Debugger) operation, pins RA0 (ICDDAT) and RB6 (ICSCLK) are dedicated and should not be reassigned via PPS.
The 32 MHz internal oscillator is factory-calibrated to within +/-1% across voltage and temperature per Microchip datasheet DS40001839E, eliminating the need for an external crystal in most designs. However, for UART communication at higher baud rates or for applications requiring precise timing (such as DALI lighting control), consider using an external 16 MHz crystal with the PLL to reduce baud-rate error below 0.5%. Place the crystal within 5 mm of OSC1/OSC2 with short, symmetric traces and a ground guard ring for noise immunity.
Compliance Information
AEC-Q100 automotive qualified per part suffix /VAO. RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in provided data.
