PIC16F18446-I/GZ - 28KB Flash 8-bit MCU, 32MHz, 20-UQFN | Microchip
MPN: PIC16F18446-I/GZ ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 10 | $1.76 | $17.60 |
| 100 | $1.55 | $155.00 |
| 500 | $1.39 | $695.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.24 | $1,240.00 |
| 3,000 | $1.1 | $3,300.00 |
PIC16F18446-I/GZ Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that uses an 8-bit data path, optimized for cost-sensitive, low-power, and deterministic embedded applications. Within the broader taxonomy, the PIC16F18446 sits as: PIC microcontroller -> 8-bit MCU -> microcontroller unit -> semiconductor device. The PIC16F184xx family specifically targets sensor end-node, IoT, and battery-powered designs where active current, sleep current, and integration density dominate the design trade-offs.
Key features include a 12-bit ADCC (Analog-to-Digital Converter with Computation), a 5-bit DAC, two PWM modules, a Comparator, a Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), and communication peripherals (EUSART, SPI, I2C). The on-chip CIPs such as the CWG and ADCC enable closed-loop hardware control of sensors, LEDs, and power stages without waking the CPU, dramatically reducing average power consumption. The 20-UQFN package (4x4 mm) provides a minimal PCB footprint suitable for space-constrained wearable and IoT modules.
Typical applications include IoT sensor end nodes, battery-powered wireless transmitters, home automation controllers, low-power edge sensors, LED lighting controllers, and consumer appliance user interfaces. The wide 2.3V to 5.5V operating voltage range enables direct connection to 2x AA / coin-cell stacks or 3.3V regulated rails. The XLP sleep currents in the nanoampere range allow multi-year battery life on duty-cycled nodes.
When designing with this device, allocate PCB area for the exposed thermal pad on the UQFN, use a 0.1 µF decoupling capacitor adjacent to VDD, and configure the unused I/O pins as outputs to minimize sleep current. This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16F18446-I/GZ — 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-I/GZ (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, Package, I/O Pins, Core Architecture, DAC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F18446T-I/GZ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.74 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F18446-E/GZ
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18346-I/GZ
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18345T-I/GZ
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$2.04 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F1829-I/GZ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.31 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F18426-I/GZ
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18446-I/GZ Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced mid-range |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 32 MHz |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 28 KB (16K x 14 words) |
| Data RAM | 2 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Operating Voltage Range | 2.3 V to 5.5 V |
| ADC | 12-bit ADCC with computation |
| DAC | 5-bit DAC |
| PWM Modules | 2 x 10-bit PWM |
| Comparators | Yes (on-chip) |
| Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) | Yes |
| Communication Peripherals | EUSART, SPI, I2C |
| I/O Pins | 17 |
| Package | 20-pin UQFN (4x4 mm) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | MSL1 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
| Functional Safety (FuSa) | Yes |
PIC16F18446-I/GZ Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (2.3 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 2 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O / analog input |
| Pin 3 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 4 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 5 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 6 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 7 | RA7/OSC1 — Bidirectional I/O / crystal oscillator input |
| Pin 8 | RA6/OSC2 — Bidirectional I/O / crystal oscillator output |
| Pin 9 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 10 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 11 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 12 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 13 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 14 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 15 | RC6 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 16 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 17 | RB4 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 18 | RB5 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 19 | RB6/ICSPCLK — Bidirectional I/O / in-circuit serial programming clock |
| Pin 20 | RB7/ICSPDAT — Bidirectional I/O / in-circuit serial programming data |
Typical Applications
PIC16F18446-I/GZ is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor End Nodes, Home Automation Controllers, LED Lighting and Strip Controllers, Consumer Appliance User Interfaces, Automotive Body and Sensor Nodes (Sub-System), Industrial Sensor Conditioning and Edge Processing.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor End Nodes
The PIC16F18446-I/GZ is engineered for coin-cell and 2x AA battery IoT sensor end nodes where quiescent current dominates battery life. Its XLP sleep current under 50 nA typical and the 12-bit ADCC with Computation allow autonomous sensor acquisition and thresholding without waking the CPU, while the 28KB Flash supports Zigbee, LoRa, or BLE stack fragments. Placed as the application MCU between a sensor front-end and a radio module on a 4x4 mm UQFN footprint, it provides the lowest BOM cost in the PIC16F184xx family. Designers should leverage the eXtreme Low-Power (XLP) sleep modes with the on-chip ADCC for nanoampere-class duty-cycled sensor reads, enabling multi-year coin-cell operation. Pair with a sub-1GHz or BLE radio companion IC for complete wireless sensor node design.
Recommended
Home Automation Controllers
For wall-switch and smart-plug controllers, the PIC16F18446-I/GZ provides the 12-bit ADCC needed for AC zero-cross detection and the EUSART/SPI/I2C interfaces needed for communicating with Wi-Fi/BLE module companions. Its 2.3 V to 5.5 V VDD range accepts rectified 3.3 V or 5 V rails directly, while the 4x4 mm UQFN footprint fits inside standard gang-box PCB areas. The 2 PWM channels and Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) drive TRIAC or MOSFET-based AC switching without external logic. Connect the EUSART to a UART-based Wi-Fi module and use the ADCC for zero-cross sensing of AC mains to enable reliable phase-angle or zero-cross switching of dimmer/relay outputs. The 28KB Flash supports full TCP/IP or Matter-over-Wi-Fi application stacks on the host radio side.
Recommended
LED Lighting and Strip Controllers
The PIC16F18446-I/GZ suits addressable LED strip and architectural lighting controllers via its on-chip Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), which generates hardware PWM and complementary drive signals with dead-band control directly from the timer base. The 12-bit ADCC accepts ambient-light sensor inputs for closed-loop dimming, while the 32 MHz CPU clock executes WS2812B / SK6812 timing-critical bit-banging sequences within interrupt latency. Pair it with a high-current MOSFET driver IC for 5 V / 12 V / 24 V LED strip outputs. Use the CWG for analog-style LED dimming or as a hardware timer reference for digital addressable LED protocols, freeing the CPU for color-mixing logic, BLE/Wi-Fi remote control, and animation sequences stored in 2KB of RAM.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance User Interfaces
In white-goods and small-appliance user-interface panels, the PIC16F18446-I/GZ drives capacitive touch buttons, LED indicator rings, and segment LCD or LED displays while communicating with the main appliance controller over UART or I2C. The 2 KB RAM supports modern touch-sensing libraries and the 32 MHz clock delivers fast scan rates, while the 4x4 mm UQFN package is small enough to embed in slim appliance bezels. Designers can use the 12-bit ADCC for rotary encoder analog tracking, the CWG for haptic-driver PWM, and the EUSART for inter-MCU communication. The 5-bit DAC drives analog trim voltage references for legacy analog front-ends, eliminating a separate trimmer DAC.
Recommended
Automotive Body and Sensor Nodes (Sub-System)
For non-safety-critical automotive body modules and sensor nodes, the PIC16F18446-I/GZ in 20-UQFN package can be used on sub-boards where the AEC-Q100 qualified PIC16F18446T-I/GZ variant is not required. Its LIN-compatible EUSART supports LIN 2.x body communication, the 12-bit ADCC digitizes analog sensor inputs, and the PWM modules drive small loads such as interior lighting. The Functional Safety (FuSa) rating indicates Microchip documentation supporting IEC 61508 integration in safety-related sub-systems when paired with the appropriate hardware diagnostic libraries. Use the LIN-ready EUSART plus a LIN transceiver IC like MCP2003B for body-control sub-modules, and the ADCC for resistive sensor signal conditioning in automotive interior sensing applications.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Conditioning and Edge Processing
The PIC16F18446-I/GZ is a strong fit for industrial 4 mA to 20 mA loop-powered sensor conditioners and edge-processing nodes where 2-wire loop power and 4x4 mm PCB area are both critical constraints. The 12-bit ADCC handles ratiometric bridge-sensor measurements, the on-chip op-amp (selected variants) provides signal conditioning, and the CWG generates excitation signals for sensors. EUSART outputs 4-20 mA via a DAC-driven transmitter stage. The 2.3 V to 5.5 V supply range supports direct operation from a 24 V loop via a low-dropout regulator. Use the ADCC for ratiometric resistive-bridge measurement with on-chip PGA, and the CWG to generate synchronous sensor excitation, reducing BOM cost by eliminating dedicated analog front-end ICs in many low-bandwidth sensor applications.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16F18446-I/GZ — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F18446T-I/GZ | PIC16F18446-E/GZ | PIC16F18346-I/GZ | PIC16F1829-I/GZ | PIC16F18345T-I/GZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 20-UQFN (4x4 mm) | 20-UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-UQFN (4x4 mm) - same | 20-UQFN (4x4 mm) - same |
| Core | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced - same | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced - same | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced - same | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced - same | 8-bit PIC16 enhanced - same |
| Max CPU Clock | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 28 KB | 28 KB | 28 KB | 16 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB |
| RAM | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
| Operating Voltage | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V |
| Temperature Range | -40 C to +85 C | -40 C to +85 C | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +85 C | -40 C to +85 C | -40 C to +85 C |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density UQFN-20 footprint in the PIC16F184xx family (vs PIC16F18444-I/SO)
- Functional Safety (FuSa) documentation support (vs PIC16F1829-I/GZ)
- 12-bit ADCC with Computation engine on-chip (vs PIC16F18346-I/GZ)
Design Notes
The PIC16F18446-I/GZ supports XLP (eXtreme Low-Power) sleep currents below 50 nA typical when configured for sleep with all peripherals disabled. To minimize sleep current, configure all unused I/O pins as outputs driven low, disable the BOR (Brown-Out Reset) if VDD stability allows, and use the on-chip ADCC with Computation to perform sensor acquisitions without waking the CPU. Estimated: at 3 V VDD and 25 C, a typical sleep configuration with WDT disabled draws approximately 30 nA.
Place a 0.1 µF decoupling capacitor as close as possible to the VDD pin (pin 1), with the ground lead connected to a via that joins the VSS ground pour. The exposed thermal pad (EP) on the bottom of the 20-UQFN package must be soldered to the PCB ground pour for mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance; this requires at least one via in the EP area to the inner or bottom ground plane. Maintain a continuous ground pour under the part to reduce EMI and provide thermal dissipation for the ~50 mA peak I/O current.
For 32 MHz operation, keep the ICSP programming pins (RB6/ICSPCLK and RB7/ICSPDAT) accessible on the PCB with a 2x3 or 1x6 header for in-circuit debugging and programming. Route the high-speed oscillator traces (RA6/OSC2 and RA7/OSC1) short and symmetric if using an external crystal; for HFINTOSC operation no external oscillator routing is required. Keep analog input traces (RA2, RA3, RC0-RC5) away from digital switching signals to minimize ADC coupling noise.
Do not connect the ICSPDAT/ICSPCLK pins to active drivers during programming - use jumpers or a dedicated programming header. The 12-bit ADCC requires the FVR (Fixed Voltage Reference) to be enabled and stable before conversions for absolute measurements; allow at least 25 µs after enabling FVR. When migrating from PIC16F1829 to PIC16F18446, verify peripheral library compatibility because the ADCC peripheral supersedes the older ADC10 module, requiring configuration-register updates in MPLAB X MCC code generation.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive sub-modules select the PIC16F18446T-I/GZ automotive grade variant or step up to PIC18F family. Functional Safety (FuSa) documentation available for IEC 61508 systems integration.
