PIC16F18446-E/SS - 32MHz 8-bit MCU, 28KB Flash, 20-SSOP | Microchip
MPN: PIC16F18446-E/SS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.74 | $1.74 |
| 10 | $1.62 | $16.20 |
| 100 | $1.38 | $138.00 |
| 500 | $1.21 | $605.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.05 | $1,050.00 |
PIC16F18446-E/SS Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a programmable semiconductor device that integrates a CPU, non-volatile program memory, working RAM, and a rich set of on-chip peripherals (ADC, timers, communication ports, comparators) into a single chip. Within the broader taxonomy, this places the PIC16F18446 in the MCU -> microcontroller -> embedded controller -> semiconductor IC hierarchy. Microcontrollers are the brain of embedded systems and are used wherever sensor data must be read, decisions made, and actuators driven - from a thermostat to a motor controller to a wireless sensor node.
Key features include a 32MHz internal oscillator, a 12-bit ADC with computation (ADC2) that offloads averaging and threshold detection from the CPU, two PWM modules, a Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), a 5-bit DAC, comparators, EUSART, SPI and I2C. The device operates from 1.8V to 5.5V and offers Active current below 1mA/MHz with sleep currents in the nanoamp range via XLP modes, enabling years of operation from a single coin cell.
Typical applications include low-power sensor end nodes (IoT), battery powered remote controls, home appliances, lighting controls, sensor signal conditioning nodes and small motor or fan controllers. The high-resolution analog and CIPs allow the ADC, threshold detection and PWM to run without CPU intervention, dramatically reducing active time and overall power consumption.
When designing with this device, choose the SSOP-20 variant when PCB height is constrained and 14-20 GPIO pins are sufficient. For pin-constrained designs below 20 pins, the PIC16F18426 family shares the same peripherals in 14-pin packages. Always provide a 0.1uF decoupling capacitor within a few millimeters of VDD.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives and practical design notes that are not aggregated on the manufacturer product page or distributor catalog.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16F18446-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 PIC16F18446-E/SS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Core Architecture, Operating Temperature, Package, ADC, DAC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F18446-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18446-E/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.34 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F18445-E/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.88 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F18346-E/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.55 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F18426-I/SL
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18446-E/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 (8-bit RISC) |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 32 MHz |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 28 KB (16K x 14 words) |
| Data SRAM | 2 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| ADC | 12-bit ADC with computation (ADC2) |
| DAC | 5-bit DAC |
| PWM Channels | 2 (with Complementary Waveform Generator) |
| Comparators | Yes |
| Communication | EUSART, SPI, I2C |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (Extended, "E") |
| Package | 20-pin SSOP (5.30 mm body) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC16F18446-E/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O / ADC2 input |
| Pin 2 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O / ADC2 input |
| Pin 3 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O / MCLR (programming/reset) |
| Pin 4 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O / PWM output |
| Pin 5 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 6 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O / SCL (I2C clock) |
| Pin 7 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O / SDA (I2C data) |
| Pin 8 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O / CWG output |
| Pin 9 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 10 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 11 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O / DAC output / comparator input |
| Pin 12 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O / ICSPCLK / comparator input |
| Pin 13 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O / ICSPDAT |
| Pin 14 | RA7 — Bidirectional I/O / oscillator input |
| Pin 15 | RA6 — Bidirectional I/O / oscillator output |
| Pin 16 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O / EUSART RX |
| Pin 17 | RC6 — Bidirectional I/O / EUSART TX |
| Pin 18 | RB7 — Bidirectional I/O / SPI/I2C alternate |
| Pin 19 | VDD — Positive supply (1.8V to 5.5V) |
| Pin 20 | RB5 — Bidirectional I/O / PWM output |
Typical Applications
PIC16F18446-E/SS is suitable for 7 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor End Node, Touchless User Interface with Capacitive Sensing, DC-DC / LED Lighting PWM Controller, Home Appliance Control Board, Remote Control / Wireless Sensor Hub, Small Motor and Fan Speed Controller, Smart Agriculture Sensor Node.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor End Node
The PIC16F18446-E/SS is purpose-built for IoT sensor end nodes where years of coin-cell battery life are required. Its 12-bit ADC2 (ADC with computation) can average, threshold and oversample sensor data in hardware without waking the CPU, while nanoWatt XLP sleep currents measured in nanoamps keep quiescent drain negligible. With 28KB Flash it can hold a LoRaWAN/Sigfox MAC stack or BLE radio driver alongside application code, and the 32MHz CPU lets the radio and sensor frames be processed quickly before returning to sleep. Compared with a Cortex-M0+ solution, the PIC16F18446 typically achieves 30-50% lower active energy per event at the same functionality, which directly extends the time between battery changes in field deployments.
Recommended
Touchless User Interface with Capacitive Sensing
The PIC16F18446-E/SS integrates Microchip's mTouch capacitive touch hardware, enabling up to 17 touch channels through the on-chip CVD peripheral. Combined with the 12-bit ADC2 and CIP-driven noise filtering, it produces robust proximity detection in the presence of moisture or RF interference. The Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) handle touch scanning in hardware, so the CPU only wakes on a confirmed touch event - critical for battery powered remote controls and white-good front panels. At a 32MHz core and 2KB SRAM, the device can also drive an LED or segmented LCD indicator, replace an entire electromechanical switch panel with a single 20-pin IC, and reduce BOM cost by 40-60%.
Recommended
DC-DC / LED Lighting PWM Controller
The PIC16F18446-E/SS includes two PWM modules and a Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) that produces non-overlapping FET drive signals with programmable dead time, making it a natural fit for synchronous buck or half-bridge LED drivers. The 12-bit ADC2 closes the current-control loop in hardware while the CWG modulates the switching FETs, and the entire control loop runs without CPU intervention - a Core Independent Peripheral arrangement. At 32MHz the MCU can drive PWM frequencies well above the audible band (above 20kHz), eliminating acoustic noise in magnetically-levitated LED fixtures. With 28KB Flash the firmware can store multiple dimming curves, color-mixing profiles or DALI/Casambi protocol stacks.
Recommended
Home Appliance Control Board
The PIC16F18446-E/SS is well suited as the main MCU on a washing machine, dishwasher, microwave or induction-cooktop control board where cost-sensitive reliability and rich analog are required. The 12-bit ADC2 reads NTC temperature sensors and current shunts, the CWG drives the half-bridge switching elements, and EUSART/SPI/I2C connect to motor-control and display sub-systems. The extended -40C to +125C temperature grade (denoted by the -E suffix) handles the high-ambient conditions inside an appliance cabinet. With 28KB Flash the appliance firmware can include safety lookups, user-interface state handling and diagnostic logging, eliminating the need for an external EEPROM.
Recommended
Remote Control / Wireless Sensor Hub
The PIC16F18446-E/SS's nanoWatt XLP technology and on-board EUSART/SPI/I2C make it the ideal MCU to glue a low-cost 433MHz/Sub-GHz transceiver (such as the Microchip MRF89XA or RN2903) to a battery powered remote or sensor hub. With sleep currents under 50 nA, a coin cell can power the entire hub for years, while waking the CPU only on a button press or sensor interrupt. The 32MHz CPU is fast enough to handle basic packet encoding and AES-light encryption without external hardware. Compared with implementing the protocol in software on a larger MCU, the PIC16F18446 achieves the same functionality at one-third the energy per transmitted packet.
Recommended
Small Motor and Fan Speed Controller
The PIC16F18446-E/SS is a compact BLDC/PMSM or DC-fan controller for small appliances and computing fans. The CWG drives the three-phase FET bridge with precise dead-time insertion, the ADC2 measures back-EMF or shunt current for sensorless or sensor-based commutation, and the on-board comparator provides hardware overcurrent protection that trips independent of the CPU. With 28KB Flash the device can run Microchip's free Sensorless BLDC reference firmware with custom tuning constants stored in the 256-byte EEPROM. The SSOP-20 footprint fits inside a fan hub, making it ideal for 5V/12V PC fans and 24V industrial fans.
Recommended
Smart Agriculture Sensor Node
The PIC16F18446-E/SS fits soil-moisture, leaf-wetness and greenhouse-climate monitoring nodes deployed in remote fields where mains power is unavailable. Its nanoWatt XLP modes keep average current under 5uA at 1 sample per minute, while the 12-bit ADC2 performs oversampling to deliver 14-bit effective resolution when averaging 256 samples. The 256-byte EEPROM stores node ID and last calibration coefficients, so a node can be factory-tuned and field-deployed without external storage. Compared with an ARM Cortex-M0+ design at the same throughput, the PIC16F18446 typically draws 40% less active current, directly translating to smaller solar panels or longer battery service intervals.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16F18446-E/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F18446-I/SS | PIC16F18445-E/SS | PIC16F18346-E/SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 20-SSOP | 20-SSOP - same | 20-SSOP - same | 20-SSOP - same |
| Core / Architecture | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 8-bit RISC |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 28 KB | 28 KB | 14 KB (-50%) | 16 KB (-43%) |
| Data SRAM | 2 KB | 2 KB | 1 KB (-50%) | 1 KB (-50%) |
| Data EEPROM | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes |
| Temperature Range | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +125C (Extended) |
Key Differentiators
- Larger Flash than the PIC16F18445 family variant in the same SSOP-20 footprint (vs PIC16F18445-E/SS)
- Higher SRAM than the PIC16F18346 in the same SSOP-20 footprint (vs PIC16F18346-E/SS)
- Extended temperature grade (-40C to +125C) vs Industrial (-40C to +85C) (vs PIC16F18446-I/SS)
Design Notes
The PIC16F18446-E/SS XLP sleep currents reach nanoamp levels when configured correctly. Place a 0.1uF ceramic decoupling capacitor within 5mm of the VDD pin, and an additional bulk capacitor of 1-10uF if the supply rail is shared with switching loads. Disable unused peripherals via the PMD (Peripheral Module Disable) registers and switch unused I/O pins to outputs driving low to minimize DC current paths from internal pull-ups. The ADC2 should be disabled in PMD when not sampling to avoid its bias current.
The 20-pin SSOP package has 0.65mm pitch - use a PCB land pattern compliant with IPC-7351 nominal-density SSOP. Run power traces at least 0.2mm wide, keep the MCLR/ICSPDAT line away from switching signals, and route the analog AGND return separately from digital GND if the ADC2 will be used at high resolution. Place the decoupling capacitor on the same side as the IC and connect it through a short via-less trace when possible.
Do not leave MCLR floating - tie it to VDD through a 10k resistor (or directly for non-ICSP applications) or the device will intermittently reset or fail to enter programming mode. Avoid configuring the EUSART and MSSP to the same pins; pin assignment conflicts are a common bug in PIC16 firmware. When migrating from PIC16F18346 to PIC16F18446, re-validate the CONFIG word - the F18446 uses different register defaults for the LVP bit and the WDT postscaler.
For mixed-signal designs that use ADC2 alongside PWM, route the analog traces (RA0-RA5) orthogonally to the PWM switching traces to minimize capacitive coupling. Add a small RC filter (100 ohm + 1nF) at the ADC input when the source impedance exceeds 2k ohm. The CWG output should drive the gate of the switching FET through a series resistor of 10-47 ohm to damp ringing; keep this trace short to limit EMI.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Microchip product page. Standard grade is not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive designs Microchip offers a separately qualified -VAO suffix variant. Lead-free reflow profile per JEDEC J-STD-020.
