PIC16F874T-20I/PT - 8-bit 20MHz MCU, 7KB Flash, 44-TQFP | Microchip
MPN: PIC16F874T-20I/PT ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $9.2 | $9.20 |
| 10 | $8.45 | $84.50 |
| 100 | $7.6 | $760.00 |
| 500 | $6.85 | $3,425.00 |
| 1,000 | $6.1 | $6,100.00 |
PIC16F874T-20I/PT Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, non-volatile program memory (Flash/ROM), volatile data memory (RAM), EEPROM, and programmable peripherals onto one die. PIC16F devices sit in the mid-range PIC family — between baseline PIC10/12 and high-pin PIC18 — and are widely used in cost-sensitive embedded control where deterministic instruction timing and low-power sleep modes matter more than raw throughput. This places the PIC16F874 in the broader hierarchy: MCU -> 8-bit MCU -> mid-range PIC -> Flash MCU -> embedded controller.
Key features include 33 digital I/O pins, three 8-bit timers (Timer0, Timer2) plus one 16-bit Timer1, a 10-bit ADC with 8 channels, two capture/compare/PWM (CCP) modules, MSSP (SPI/I2C) and USART (SCI) serial interfaces, and an 8-level hardware stack. Brown-out reset (BOR), power-on reset (POR), watchdog timer (WDT), and ICD in-circuit debug are built in. The Flash-based program memory is in-system programmable via the ICSP interface, allowing field firmware updates.
Architecturally, the PIC16F874T-20I/PT uses Microchip's Harvard RISC core with separate program and data buses, 14-bit wide instruction words, and 35 single-word instructions. The 'T' suffix denotes Tape & Reel packaging, the '20' denotes 20 MHz maximum clock, the 'I' denotes the industrial temperature grade, and '/PT' designates the 44-pin TQFP package. The part is electrically and logically compatible with the PIC16F874A family and is supported by MPLAB X IDE, the XC8 compiler, and a mature toolchain.
Typical applications include industrial control panels, sensor signal conditioning, motor control signal boards, RS-232/RS-485 bridges, LED display drivers, HVAC controllers, and consumer appliance control where 8-bit processing, low cost, and proven longevity are valued.
When designing, confirm the 44-TQFP land pattern is identical to the PIC16F874A/PT footprint for tooled PCB reuse, ensure the AVDD/AVSS pair is properly decoupled for ADC accuracy, and use MPLAB X with the XC8 compiler for the latest support.
This page synthesizes drop-in alternatives, parametric comparison, and practical design notes for procurement and engineering teams evaluating the PIC16F874T-20I/PT alongside newer Microchip and third-party 8-bit MCU options.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16F874T-20I/PT — 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 PIC16F874T-20I/PT (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Timers, ADC, Program Memory (Flash).
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F874AT-I/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F874-20I/PT
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F874AT-E/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.7 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F874-04I/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F874-10E/PT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6.55 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F884-I/PT
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F874T-20I/PT Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Product Family | PIC PIC® 16F |
| Core | 8-bit PIC Harvard RISC |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 20 MHz |
| Instruction Execution Time | 200 ns |
| Instruction Set | 35 single-word instructions, 14-bit instruction width |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 7 KB (4K x 14 words) |
| Data RAM | 192 bytes |
| EEPROM | 128 bytes |
| Operating Voltage | 5 V (PIC16F874 family standard) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +85C (Industrial, 'I' grade) |
| I/O Pins | 33 digital I/O |
| Timers | 2x 8-bit (Timer0, Timer2) + 1x 16-bit (Timer1) |
| ADC | 10-bit, 8 channels |
| CCP Modules | 2 (Capture/Compare/PWM) |
| Serial Interfaces | MSSP (SPI/I2C) + USART (SCI) |
| Package | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm), 'PT' suffix |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Packaging | Tape & Reel ('T' suffix) |
| In-Circuit Programming | ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) |
| Stack Levels | 8 levels hardware |
| Resets | Power-on Reset (POR), Brown-out Reset (BOR), Watchdog Timer (WDT) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC16F874T-20I/PT Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | MCLR/VPP — Master Clear (reset) input / ICSP programming voltage |
| Pin 2 | RA0/AN0 — PORTA bit 0 / Analog input channel 0 |
| Pin 3 | RA1/AN1 — PORTA bit 1 / Analog input channel 1 |
| Pin 4 | RA2/AN2/VREF- — PORTA bit 2 / Analog input channel 2 / ADC VREF- |
| Pin 5 | RA3/AN3/VREF+ — PORTA bit 3 / Analog input channel 3 / ADC VREF+ |
| Pin 6 | RA4/T0CKI — PORTA bit 4 / Timer0 clock input |
| Pin 7 | RA5/AN4/SS — PORTA bit 5 / Analog input channel 4 / SPI Slave Select |
| Pin 8 | RE0/RD/AN5 — PORTE bit 0 / Parallel-port Read / Analog input channel 5 |
| Pin 9 | RE1/WR/AN6 — PORTE bit 1 / Parallel-port Write / Analog input channel 6 |
| Pin 10 | RE2/CS/AN7 — PORTE bit 2 / Parallel-port Chip Select / Analog input channel 7 |
| Pin 11 | VDD — Positive power supply (5 V) |
| Pin 12 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 13 | OSC1/CLKIN — Crystal oscillator input / External clock input |
| Pin 14 | OSC2/CLKOUT — Crystal oscillator output / Clock output |
| Pin 15 | RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI — PORTC bit 0 / Timer1 oscillator output / Timer1 clock input |
| Pin 16 | RC1/T1OSI/CCP2 — PORTC bit 1 / Timer1 oscillator input / CCP2 I/O |
| Pin 17 | RC2/CCP1 — PORTC bit 2 / CCP1 I/O (PWM) |
| Pin 18 | RC3/SCK/SCL — PORTC bit 3 / MSSP SPI clock / I2C clock |
| Pin 19 | RD0/PSP0 — PORTD bit 0 / Parallel Slave Port bit 0 |
| Pin 20 | RD1/PSP1 — PORTD bit 1 / Parallel Slave Port bit 1 |
| Pin 21 | RD2/PSP2 — PORTD bit 2 / Parallel Slave Port bit 2 |
| Pin 22 | RD3/PSP3 — PORTD bit 3 / Parallel Slave Port bit 3 |
| Pin 23 | RC4/SDI/SDA — PORTC bit 4 / MSSP SPI data in / I2C data |
| Pin 24 | RC5/SDO — PORTC bit 5 / MSSP SPI data out |
| Pin 25 | RC6/TX/CK — PORTC bit 6 / USART TX / USART clock |
| Pin 26 | RC7/RX/DT — PORTC bit 7 / USART RX / USART data |
| Pin 27 | RD4/PSP4 — PORTD bit 4 / Parallel Slave Port bit 4 |
| Pin 28 | RD5/PSP5 — PORTD bit 5 / Parallel Slave Port bit 5 |
| Pin 29 | RD6/PSP6 — PORTD bit 6 / Parallel Slave Port bit 6 |
| Pin 30 | RD7/PSP7 — PORTD bit 7 / Parallel Slave Port bit 7 |
| Pin 31 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 32 | VDD — Positive power supply (5 V) |
| Pin 33 | RB0/INT — PORTB bit 0 / External interrupt |
| Pin 34 | RB1 — PORTB bit 1 |
| Pin 35 | RB2 — PORTB bit 2 |
| Pin 36 | RB3/PGM — PORTB bit 3 / LVP programming enable |
| Pin 37 | RB4 — PORTB bit 4 |
| Pin 38 | RB5 — PORTB bit 5 |
| Pin 39 | RB6/PGC — PORTB bit 6 / ICSP clock |
| Pin 40 | RB7/PGD — PORTB bit 7 / ICSP data |
| Pin 41 | AVSS — Analog ground |
| Pin 42 | AVDD — Analog positive power supply (5 V) |
| Pin 43 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet, no internal bond) |
| Pin 44 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet, no internal bond) |
Typical Applications
PIC16F874T-20I/PT is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Control Panel MCU, Sensor Signal Conditioning Board, RS-232/RS-485 Communication Bridge, HVAC Climate Controller, Consumer Appliance Control Board, LED Display Driver Board, Educational Microcontroller Trainer.
Industrial Control Panel MCU
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT fits industrial control panels because its 33 digital I/O, 5V operation, and -40C to +85C industrial temperature grade directly address panel push-button, LED indicator, and relay-driver requirements. The 200 ns instruction cycle supports deterministic scan loops, while the 10-bit 8-channel ADC handles analog sensor inputs such as 4-20 mA transducers. With 7 KB Flash and 192 bytes RAM, it executes mid-complexity ladder-replacement logic without external memory. Placed as the central MCU on the panel PCB, it drives outputs through optocouplers and reads inputs via debounced GPIO; the MSSP peripheral handles I2C-based HMI displays. Note that for panels with extensive logic, the PIC16F874A variant adds ADC refinements without footprint change.
Recommended
Sensor Signal Conditioning Board
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT is well-suited to sensor signal conditioning because its 10-bit ADC with 8 channels provides simultaneous sampling of multiple analog sensors (temperature, pressure, humidity) at reasonable resolution, while the MSSP (SPI/I2C) peripheral interfaces with digital sensors like accelerometers. The 7 KB Flash holds calibration tables and linearization routines, and the 192-byte RAM supports rolling statistics buffers. Industrial -40C to +85C operation lets the board sit in factory environments. Compared with pure analog signal chains, integrating the MCU provides digital filtering and on-board linearization; the trade-off is ADC noise floor (~±1 LSB), which is acceptable for most industrial transducer applications.
Recommended
RS-232/RS-485 Communication Bridge
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT serves as a protocol bridge between RS-232 and RS-485 networks, leveraging its built-in USART (SCI) module to handle asynchronous serial at standard baud rates up to 115.2 kbps. The MSSP peripheral can additionally provide I2C-to-serial conversion. With 7 KB Flash, the MCU stores protocol-conversion state machines, and the 128-byte EEPROM retains configuration parameters such as baud rate and node address. The 44-TQFP exposes the second USART (via software bit-bang) if dual-port bridges are needed. Compared with dedicated bridge ASICs, this approach is firmware-flexible but consumes more PCB area; designers should add TVS diodes on the RS-485 bus for surge protection.
Recommended
HVAC Climate Controller
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT is well matched to HVAC climate controllers where moderate compute, analog sensing, and triac/relay control meet at a low BOM cost. The 10-bit ADC reads thermistor temperature sensors, the CCP modules generate PWM for variable-speed fan control, and 33 GPIO drive relays and triac optocouplers. Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +85C) supports unconditioned equipment rooms. The 200 ns instruction cycle sustains 1 ms control loops; the EEPROM stores user setpoints. A competing DSP-based solution would be over-spec; the PIC16F874T-20I/PT hits the price/performance sweet spot for residential and light-commercial HVAC where firmware reuse and Microchip's long-term supply are valued.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control Board
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT powers consumer appliance control boards (washing machines, dishwashers, small kitchen appliances) where cost is decisive and the firmware is mature. Seven-segment or character-LCD user interfaces are driven through GPIO, the USART interfaces with inverter boards, and the ADC monitors motor current or temperature sensors. The 7 KB Flash holds the appliance state machine; the 128-byte EEPROM retains cycle presets. Industrial temperature handling plus the wide Microchip supply network make this part attractive for high-volume consumer goods. Compared with bare-baseline PIC10/12 parts, the PIC16F874T-20I/PT provides significantly more I/O and code space for feature-rich appliances.
Recommended
LED Display Driver Board
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT drives multiplexed LED matrix displays where its high-speed 200 ns instruction cycle and 33 GPIO enable efficient Charlieplexing or row-column scanning. The CCP modules provide PWM for LED dimming and color mixing in RGB signage, and the 10-bit ADC can read ambient light sensors for automatic brightness adjustment. With 7 KB Flash, the MCU stores font tables and animation patterns; the 192-byte RAM supports frame buffers for small matrices. Industrial temperature handling suits outdoor digital signage applications. Compared with dedicated LED driver ICs, this MCU-based approach reduces part count by integrating scanning logic and brightness control on one die.
Recommended
Educational Microcontroller Trainer
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT is widely used in educational MCU trainer kits because the 44-pin TQFP exposes 33 GPIO, the ADC, the USART, the MSSP, and PWM outputs — every major 8-bit peripheral — on accessible breakout pins. Students learn the PIC16 instruction set with 200 ns cycle visibility, then transition to C with the MPLAB XC8 compiler. ICSP allows real-time in-circuit programming and debugging. Compared with modern ARM Cortex boards, the PIC16F874 is slower but pedagogically cleaner; the 35-instruction RISC architecture makes assembly fundamentals visible without overwhelming beginners. Industrial temperature also supports lab and harsh-environment demonstrations.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16F874T-20I/PT — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F874AT-I/PT | PIC16F874-20I/PT | PIC16F874AT-E/PT | PIC16F874-04I/PT | PIC16F874-10E/PT | PIC16F884-I/PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) - same |
| Max Clock Frequency | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 4 MHz | 10 MHz | 20 MHz |
| Program Flash | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 14 KB (2x memory) |
| RAM | 192 bytes | 192 bytes | 192 bytes | 192 bytes | 192 bytes | 192 bytes | 368 bytes |
| EEPROM | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 256 bytes |
| Temperature Grade | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) |
| ADC | 10-bit, 8 channels | 10-bit, 8 channels (improved) | 10-bit, 8 channels | 10-bit, 8 channels (improved) | 10-bit, 8 channels | 10-bit, 8 channels | 10-bit, 14 channels |
| I/O Pins | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 36 |
Key Differentiators
- Best-in-class migration path with pin-compatible PIC16F874AT-I/PT (vs PIC16F874AT-I/PT)
- Highest memory density in the same footprint with PIC16F884-I/PT (vs PIC16F884-I/PT)
- Industrial -40C to +85C grade in same package as extended-grade parts (vs PIC16F874AT-E/PT / PIC16F874-10E/PT)
- 20 MHz throughput vs slower PIC16F874-04I/PT (4 MHz) and PIC16F874-10E/PT (10 MHz) (vs PIC16F874-04I/PT and PIC16F874-10E/PT)
Design Notes
Decouple VDD/VSS pairs (digital pins 11/12 and 31/32) with a 100 nF ceramic capacitor placed within 5 mm of the package pins, and add a bulk 10 uF tantalum or aluminum-polymer cap on the main 5 V rail. The PIC16F874T-20I/PT draws approximately 5-15 mA active and <1 uA in sleep; for battery-backed designs, switch off VDD to unused analog blocks and disable unused peripherals via firmware. AVDD (pin 42) and AVSS (pin 41) should be tied to VDD/VSS through an LC or ferrite-bead isolation network for ADC noise suppression.
Lay out the 44-pin TQFP land pattern per Microchip's TB-025 TQFP footprint recommendation: 0.8 mm pitch, 0.3 mm lead width, with thermal vias under the exposed pad (if any). For best ADC accuracy, route AVSS as a Kelvin connection back to the system ground and isolate the analog traces (PORTA, AVDD/AVSS) from switching digital lines. Place the 20 MHz crystal (or resonator) within 5 mm of OSC1/OSC2 with short, symmetric traces and a guard ground pour. Programming pins PGC/PGD (RB6/RB7) should be accessible for ICSP probe connection.
Do not exceed 5.5 V on VDD — the PIC16F874 family is specified for 4.0-5.5 V operation and overvoltage will damage the Flash. The MCLR/VPP pin must not be left floating; tie it to VDD through a 10 kohm resistor (with optional capacitor for noise filtering) or to the ICSP programmer's reset driver. When using the Parallel Slave Port (PORTD/PORTE), ensure the PSP configuration bits are set correctly or PORTD/PORTE pins default to analog inputs on POR. Finally, configure unused pins as outputs (not inputs) to minimize current draw — a common mistake that increases sleep current by orders of magnitude.
The PIC16F874T-20I/PT in 44-pin TQFP has a thermal resistance (theta_JA) of approximately 50 C/W in still air. At full 20 MHz active operation drawing ~15 mA from 5 V (75 mW dissipation), the junction temperature rise above ambient is roughly 3.75 C — negligible. Industrial grade parts are qualified for -40C to +85C ambient operation; no heatsink is required for normal MCU workloads. Note that for any design approaching the upper temperature limit, derate by reducing clock speed or duty cycle, and verify that adjacent power components (LDOs, drivers) do not heat-soak the MCU.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified (industrial grade only); Microchip recommends PIC16F874AT-E/PT for extended temperature or AEC-Q100 parts for automotive. Conflict-minerals compliance is declared per Microchip's standard statement.
