PIC16F720-E/P - 8-Bit 16MHz MCU 3.5KB Flash 20-PDIP | Microchip
MPN: PIC16F720-E/P ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.93 | $1.93 |
| 10 | $1.74 | $17.40 |
| 100 | $1.55 | $155.00 |
| 500 | $1.38 | $690.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.24 | $1,240.00 |
PIC16F720-E/P Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, program memory, data memory, and I/O peripherals. The PIC16F720 belongs to Microchip's mid-range 8-bit MCU family with a 14-bit instruction word and 8 hardware stack levels. MCUs sit in a wider taxonomy: microcontroller -> embedded controller -> semiconductor IC. The PIC line is one of the most widely deployed 8-bit architectures in industrial, automotive, and consumer applications, known for deterministic execution, low power consumption, and a mature toolchain (MPLAB X IDE, XC8 compiler, PICkit programmers).
Key features of the PIC16F720-E/P include nanoWatt XLP ultra-low-power technology for battery-powered designs, two 8-bit timers (TMR0/TMR2) and one 16-bit timer (TMR1), a Watchdog Timer (WDT), Power-on Reset (POR), and Brown-out Reset (BOR). The integrated 16 MHz oscillator eliminates the need for an external crystal in many designs, reducing BOM cost and PCB area.
The PIC16F720's mid-range core delivers 35 instructions, 8 stack levels, and an internal oscillator with selectable frequency, supporting clock speeds up to 20 MHz in the data-signal domain while the canonical core clock is 16 MHz. Twelve channels of 8-bit ADC enable direct sensor interfacing for analog signals such as temperature, light, or battery voltage without an external ADC chip.
Typical applications include consumer appliance control, industrial sensor monitoring, low-power battery devices, automotive body electronics (with the -E extended temperature grade), and home automation nodes. The 18 I/O pins combined with I2C/SPI/AUSART make it well suited to a control board talking to sensors, displays, and wireless modules.
When designing with this part, ensure the supply stays within 2.5 V-5.5 V and follow the In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP) footprint recommendations in the datasheet to retain field-reprogrammability. The -E temperature grade (-40C to +125C) makes it a practical drop-in choice for industrial and certain automotive subsystems that require extended-temperature 8-bit control.
This page synthesizes current distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical engineering design notes that are not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16F720-E/P — 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 PIC16F720-E/P (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, ADC, Timers, Core Architecture.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F721-E/P
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F720-I/P
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$1.02 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F720T-E/SS
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F720-E/SO
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$0.99 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F716-E/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.48 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F720-E/P Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 8-bit mid-range |
| Program Memory | 3.5 KB (2K x 14) Flash |
| Data SRAM | 128 B |
| Non-volatile Data EEPROM | 128 B |
| CPU Clock Speed | 16 MHz |
| Operating Voltage | 2.5 V to 5.5 V |
| I/O Pins | 18 |
| I/O Source/Sink Current | 25 mA per pin |
| ADC | 12-channel, 8-bit |
| Timers | TMR0 (8-bit), TMR1 (16-bit), TMR2 (8-bit) |
| Communication | I2C, SPI, AUSART (enhanced UART) |
| PWM Module | CCP (Capture/Compare/PWM) |
| Watchdog Timer | Yes (WDT) |
| Resets | POR (Power-on Reset), BOR (Brown-out Reset) |
| Low-Power Technology | nanoWatt XLP |
| Internal Oscillator | 16 MHz, selectable |
| In-Circuit Programming | ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (extended grade) |
| Package | 20-pin PDIP (0.300" / 7.62 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Through-hole |
| Lead Finish | Lead-free (Matte Tin) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC16F720-E/P Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA3/AN3/CCP1 — Bidirectional I/O; analog input 3; Capture/Compare/PWM channel 1 |
| Pin 2 | RA4/T0CKI — Bidirectional I/O; Timer0 external clock input |
| Pin 3 | RA5/SS/HLQSI — Bidirectional I/O; SPI slave select |
| Pin 4 | RA6/OSC2 — Bidirectional I/O; crystal oscillator output or external clock output |
| Pin 5 | RA7/OSC1/CLKIN — Bidirectional I/O; crystal oscillator input or external clock input |
| Pin 6 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 7 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 8 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 9 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 10 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 11 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 12 | RC6 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 13 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O (digital only on this part) |
| Pin 14 | RB0 — Bidirectional I/O; interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 15 | RB1 — Bidirectional I/O; interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 16 | RB2 — Bidirectional I/O; interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 17 | RB3 — Bidirectional I/O; interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 18 | RB4 — Bidirectional I/O; interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 19 | RB5 — Bidirectional I/O; interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 20 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (2.5 V to 5.5 V) |
Typical Applications
PIC16F720-E/P is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Sensor Monitoring, Consumer Appliance Control Boards, Battery-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes, Automotive Body Electronics, Home Automation / IoT Edge Nodes, User Interface / Keypad / LED Drivers.
Industrial Sensor Monitoring
The PIC16F720-E/P fits industrial sensor monitoring because its 16 MHz PIC16 mid-range core delivers deterministic 8-bit control of slow sensor nodes, while 18 I/O pins (25 mA source/sink) drive relay coils or 4-20 mA loops directly. Its 12-channel 8-bit ADC samples thermistor or 4-20 mA shunt voltages, and nanoWatt XLP technology keeps idle-board current in the sub-microampere range. With a -40C to +125C extended temperature grade, it operates in plant-floor enclosures that exceed commercial grade.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control Boards
The PIC16F720-E/P powers consumer appliance control boards by providing enough MIPS at 16 MHz to handle user-interface scans, motor timing, and triac-based heater control, all on 18 I/O pins. The integrated I2C/SPI/AUSART peripherals connect to EEPROM, character-LCD displays, and BLE bridges, while the CCP module produces PWM for low-side switching of relays and small DC loads. With 2.5 V-5.5 V operation, it can run directly from a rectified 5 V rail typical of white-goods SMPS designs.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes
The PIC16F720-E/P fits battery-powered wireless sensor nodes because nanoWatt XLP technology delivers nA-level sleep current to extend CR2032 coin-cell life into the 5-10 year range. The PIC16 mid-range core executes sensor-read-and-transmit duty cycles in microseconds before returning to deep-sleep, and the AUSART peripheral feeds a Bluetooth Low Energy or sub-GHz transceiver. The integrated 16 MHz internal oscillator avoids an external crystal, trimming BOM cost by roughly $0.20 on every node.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics
The PIC16F720-E/P targets automotive body electronic modules because of its -40C to +125C extended operating range, robust PIC16 mid-range architecture, and 18 I/O pins rated to 25 mA that drive LEDs, small relays, and low-side MOSFET pre-drivers in door, lighting, and HVAC subsystems. ICSP allows dealer-updateable firmware revisioning, while the AUSART peripheral feeds a LIN bus via an external transceiver. For engine-bay use beyond +125C, consider the AEC-Q100 qualified PIC16F18446 instead.
Recommended
Home Automation / IoT Edge Nodes
The PIC16F720-E/P serves as an IoT edge controller by combining 18 I/O pins, a 12-channel 8-bit ADC, and I2C/SPI/AUSART peripherals that communicate to sensors, smart meters, and Wi-Fi/BLE modules. Its 128 B of SRAM is sufficient for a small control loop and command queue, and its 128 B of EEPROM stores non-volatile configuration like calibration coefficients. With 3.5 KB of Flash, the part can host a small TCP/IP stack offload or Zigbee bridge in low-bandwidth home-automation use cases.
Recommended
User Interface / Keypad / LED Drivers
The PIC16F720-E/P drives user interface boards (keypads, LED matrices, and 7-segment displays) by using the CCP (Capture/Compare/PWM) module to multiplex LEDs without software bit-banging. Its 18 I/O pins are adequate for an 8-key matrix plus an 8-digit display, and the 12-channel ADC scans a resistive touch strip or potentiometer. nanoWatt XLP technology lowers sleep current when the display is in standby, important for battery-powered remote controls.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16F720-E/P — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F721-E/P | PIC16F720-I/P | PIC16F716-E/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 20-PDIP (0.300") | 20-PDIP (0.300") - same | 20-PDIP (0.300") - same | 20-PDIP (0.300") - same |
| Flash Program Memory | 3.5 KB (2K x 14) | 7 KB (4K x 14) - +100% | 3.5 KB (2K x 14) - same | 14 KB (8K x 14) - +300% |
| SRAM | 128 B | 256 B - +100% | 128 B - same | 256 B - +100% |
| CPU Clock | 16 MHz | 16 MHz | 16 MHz | 20 MHz - +25% |
| Operating Voltage | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.5 V to 5.5 V | 2.0 V to 5.5 V - wider |
| I/O Pins | 18 | 18 - same | 18 - same | 13 - -28% |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (extended) | -40C to +125C (extended) | -40C to +85C (industrial) | -40C to +125C (extended) |
Key Differentiators
- Twice the Flash and SRAM for code growth headroom (vs PIC16F720 (this part) vs PIC16F721-E/P)
- Higher temperature grade for harsh environments (vs PIC16F720-E/P (extended) vs PIC16F720-I/P (industrial))
- 12-channel 8-bit ADC at this price point (vs PIC16F720-E/P vs PIC16F716-E/P)
Design Notes
Estimated: in deep sleep with nanoWatt XLP, the PIC16F720-E/P idle current is < 1 uA typical. For battery-life calculations with a CR2032 (220 mAh) cell, the sleep current plus wake-up-and-transmit average must remain below ~10 uA average to reach a > 2-year service interval. Place a 0.1 uF decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of the VDD pin and a bulk 1-10 uF capacitor (low-ESR) at the regulator output to handle the high-current pulses of Flash programming and AUSART transmission.
For the PIC16F720-E/P, worst-case I/O current is 25 mA per pin but is limited by 8 pins sourcing plus 8 pins sinking simultaneously, giving total chip I/O dissipation in the tens of mW range. Device package theta_JA for 20-PDIP is approximately 70-100 C/W, so at +125C grade maximum ambient the junction-to-ambient rise per mW is small. Keep I/O patterns balanced (do not source 25 mA from all 18 pins in parallel) and add thermal copper if the layout is in a sealed enclosure.
Do not write Flash above 5 V VDD without a properly sized bulk capacitor - programming currents can be tens of mA, and regulator collapse mid-write corrupts memory. Confirm your MCLR pull-up resistor does not exceed 50 kohm (per datasheet) so the part sees a clean reset on power-up. Watch for the OSCCAL factory calibration value: changing it shifts the internal 16 MHz oscillator out of spec, breaking UART baud-rate accuracy.
Keep the ICSP programming pair (ICSPCLK/ICSPDAT) clear of high-frequency traces on the PCB so that field-reprogrammability is preserved. For Mixed Signal designs with the 12-channel ADC, route the analog VDD (AVDD) trace as a star from the main VDD decoupling node and put a 10 uH ferrite plus 0.1 uF on the analog side. The MCLR/VPP pin is a high-voltage input during programming - protect it with a clamping diode to VDD if the system board sees ESD strikes in the field.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free per Microchip product page. The -E temperature grade (-40C to +125C) supports many industrial and some automotive body-electronics applications, but the part is NOT AEC-Q100 qualified - choose the PIC16F18446-Q1 family for AEC-Q100 requirements.
