PIC16LF1574T-I/SL - 8-Bit MCU, 7KB Flash, 12 I/O | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF1574T-I/SL β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.45 | $1.45 |
| 10 | $1.28 | $12.80 |
| 100 | $1.12 | $112.00 |
| 500 | $0.98 | $490.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.86 | $860.00 |
PIC16LF1574T-I/SL Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, program memory (Flash), data memory (RAM), and a set of peripherals (ADC, timers, communication interfaces) into one package. Within the broader component taxonomy, an MCU belongs to the integrated circuit family, then to the microcontroller sub-family, then to 8-bit microcontrollers, and specifically to the PIC16 family of low-power Flash MCUs from Microchip. The "LF" prefix designates the wide-Vdd, low-power variant suitable for battery-powered and energy-harvesting designs.
Key features include 12 I/O pins, an internal oscillator, support for up to 32 MHz operation, 1.8 V to 3.6 V supply voltage, and CIPs that offload tasks like waveform generation and signal conditioning from the core. The integrated 5-bit DAC and 10-bit ADC simplify mixed-signal designs by eliminating external converters in cost-sensitive applications.
Technically, the device uses a RISC-based PIC16 core with a 14-bit instruction word and a 16-level hardware stack. The Flash-based program memory supports in-circuit serial programming (ICSP) and self-programming, allowing field firmware updates. The device is engineered for low-power operation with nanoWatt XLP technology, supporting sleep currents down to the nanoampere range, making it suitable for always-on sensor and IoT edge nodes.
Typical applications include LED lighting control (using CWG and 16-bit PWM), general-purpose IoT sensor nodes, consumer appliance control, battery-powered instrumentation, and low-cost motor control. Its 14-SOIC footprint makes it well-suited for hand-soldered prototypes and small-batch production.
When designing with this MCU, leave adequate ground and supply decoupling (100 nF + bulk) close to the VDD pins, and reserve the ICSP/PGD/PGC pins for in-circuit programming access. If your application needs more memory or peripherals, consider PIC16LF1575 (28-pin) before changing architecture families.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, with cross-references to the PIC16LF1574-I/SL and PIC16LF1554-I/SL parts.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF1574T-I/SL 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 PIC16LF1574T-I/SL (same form factor and footprint) β differing in ADC, Package, DAC, MSL Level, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16LF1574-I/SL
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF1554-I/SL
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF1615T-I/SL
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1.18 / Unit
View Datasheet βPIC16LF1574-E/SL
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF15325T-I/SL
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$0.84 / Unit
View Datasheet βPIC16LF1574T-I/SL Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 8-bit RISC |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 7 KB (4K x 14 words) |
| Data Memory (RAM) | 512 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| I/O Pins | 12 |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 8 channels |
| DAC | 5-bit, 1 channel |
| Timers | 8-bit and 16-bit timers |
| PWM | 16-bit PWM (Core Independent Peripheral) |
| Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) | Yes |
| Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) | Yes |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial, "I") |
| Package | 14-SOIC (3.90 mm body width) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 1 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Programming Interface | ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) |
PIC16LF1574T-I/SL Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA5/SS/HLVDIN/RCV β Digital I/O / Slave Select / High-Low Voltage Detect input |
| Pin 2 | RA4/AN3/CWG1A/CWG2A/TX/CK β Digital I/O / ADC input / CWG output / UART TX |
| Pin 3 | RA3/MCLR/VPP β Digital I/O / Master Clear reset (active low) / programming voltage |
| Pin 4 | RA2/AN2/DACOUT1/CWG1F/CWG2F β Digital I/O / ADC input / DAC output / CWG output |
| Pin 5 | RA1/AN1/CWG1B/CWG2B/ICSPCLK β Digital I/O / ADC input / CWG output / ICSP clock |
| Pin 6 | RA0/AN0/ICSPDAT β Digital I/O / ADC input / ICSP data |
| Pin 7 | VSS β Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | RA7/OSC1/CLKIN β Digital I/O / external clock input / crystal oscillator |
| Pin 9 | RA6/OSC2/CLKOUT β Digital I/O / crystal oscillator output / clock output |
| Pin 10 | RC2/AN6/CWG1C/CWG2C β Digital I/O / ADC input / CWG output |
| Pin 11 | RC1/AN5/CWG1D/CWG2D β Digital I/O / ADC input / CWG output |
| Pin 12 | RC0/AN4 β Digital I/O / ADC input |
| Pin 13 | RC3/AN7 β Digital I/O / ADC input |
| Pin 14 | VDD β Positive supply voltage (1.8 V to 3.6 V) |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF1574T-I/SL is suitable for 6 applications: LED Lighting and Dimming Control, Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes, Consumer Appliance Control, General-Purpose Digital I/O and PWM, Low-Cost Mixed-Signal Front-End, Educational and Prototype Development.
LED Lighting and Dimming Control
The PIC16LF1574T-I/SL is well-suited for LED lighting and dimming because its integrated 16-bit PWM, Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), and 5-bit DAC eliminate the need for external PWM controllers and analog references. Designers typically drive a half-bridge MOSFET stage from the CWG outputs to generate constant-frequency PWM with programmable dead-band, achieving flicker-free dimming down to 1% duty cycle. The wide 1.8-3.6 V VDD range allows direct Li-ion or 2x AA battery operation, while the 32 MHz core handles DMX, DALI, or 0-10 V analog dimming protocols without external interface ICs.
Recommended
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes
The "LF" low-power designation, 1.8-3.6 V VDD range, and nanoWatt XLP sleep modes make PIC16LF1574T-I/SL a natural fit for battery-powered IoT sensor nodes that must run for years on a single coin cell. The integrated 10-bit ADC digitizes sensor outputs (temperature, light, occupancy) without external converters, while the CLC and CWG peripherals handle sensor timing and wake-up events autonomously, keeping the CPU in sleep most of the time. Typical sleep currents below 1 Β΅A extend battery life to multi-year deployments in remote or inaccessible locations.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control
PIC16LF1574T-I/SL targets consumer appliance control boards where cost, footprint, and a stable peripheral set are critical. The 14-SOIC package hand-solders cleanly for prototypes, and the 7 KB Flash comfortably fits state-machine control firmware for coffee makers, rice cookers, fans, and small kitchen appliances. The CLC cells can decode rotary-encoder inputs in hardware, freeing the core for display-driving and safety timing tasks, while the 10-bit ADC reads NTC temperature sensors and potentiometer set-points without external components.
Recommended
General-Purpose Digital I/O and PWM
The PIC16LF1574T-I/SL serves well as a generic I/O expander with PWM and timing capability when a system host needs additional GPIOs, PWM channels, or analog inputs beyond what its main controller provides. The I2C/SPI slave-capable MSSP peripheral allows the MCU to act as a smart peripheral, exposing registers to a host processor over a standard serial link. The 12 I/O pins, 16-bit PWM, and 10-bit ADC are typically sufficient to drive multiple motors, valves, or indicator LEDs from a single small MCU.
Recommended
Low-Cost Mixed-Signal Front-End
The integrated 10-bit ADC and 5-bit DAC of the PIC16LF1574T-I/SL make it a low-cost mixed-signal front-end for sensor signal conditioning and set-point generation. The DAC drives analog references or bias voltages, while the ADC digitizes return signals with 10-bit resolution (1024 levels) - adequate for many industrial and instrumentation measurements. Combined with the 32 MHz CPU and on-chip CLC cells, the MCU can implement closed-loop PID control entirely in firmware without external analog ICs.
Recommended
Educational and Prototype Development
The PIC16LF1574T-I/SL is widely used in university curricula and hobbyist projects because the 14-SOIC package is hand-solderable, the peripheral set covers most introductory embedded topics (ADC, PWM, timers, I2C/SPI), and the MPLAB X IDE with XC8 compiler is free to download. Students can implement timers, ADC sampling, PWM motor control, and serial communications without paying for toolchains. The PICkit 3/4 programmer connects to the ICSP pins, enabling easy in-circuit debugging.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF1574T-I/SL β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16LF1574-I/SL | PIC16LF1554-I/SL | PIC16LF1615T-I/SL | PIC16LF1574-E/SL | PIC16LF15325T-I/SL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 14-SOIC | 14-SOIC - same | 14-SOIC - same | 14-SOIC - same | 14-SOIC - same | 14-SOIC - same |
| Flash Memory | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB - same | 7 KB - same | 7 KB | 7 KB - same | 14 KB |
| RAM | 512 B | 512 B - same | 512 B - same | 512 B | 512 B - same | 1024 B |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz | 32 MHz - same | 32 MHz - same | 32 MHz | 32 MHz - same | 32 MHz |
| Supply Voltage | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V - same | 1.8 V to 3.6 V - same | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V - same | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| I/O Pins | 12 | 12 - same | 12 - same | 12 | 12 - same | 12 |
| 5-bit DAC | Yes (1 ch) | Yes - same | No | Yes | Yes - same | Yes |
| Complementary Waveform Generator | Yes | Yes - same | No | Yes | Yes - same | Yes |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial -40C to +85C | Industrial - same | Industrial - same | Industrial | Extended -40C to +125C | Industrial |
Key Differentiators
- Built-in 5-bit DAC and Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) (vs PIC16LF1554-I/SL)
- Industrial temperature grade versus commercial only (vs PIC16F1574T-I/SL)
- Same-family 14-SOIC options with different temp grade (vs PIC16LF1574-E/SL)
Design Notes
Decouple VDD with both a 100 nF ceramic capacitor placed within 5 mm of the VDD pin and a bulk capacitor (1-10 Β΅F) close to the device. The PIC16LF1574T-I/SL's ADC readings can be corrupted by VDD ripple during heavy I/O switching, so a low-ESR decoupling cap is essential. For battery-powered designs, the bulk cap also helps the MCU ride out brief load transients from connected peripherals (e.g., radio modules) without brown-out resets. Place a ferrite bead in series with VDD if the rail is shared with switching converters.
Pin 3 (RA3/MCLR/VPP) is the Master Clear reset input on the PIC16LF1574T-I/SL - if MCLR is enabled in configuration bits, this pin must see a defined logic level at power-up or the MCU will not start. Leave it as a digital input only if the configuration bits disable MCLR. For ICSP programming, this pin also carries VPP (programming voltage); a weak pull-up (10-47 kΞ©) to VDD is the standard practice. Forgetting to configure MCLR or the ICSPCLK/ICSPDAT pins for digital I/O are the two most common reasons a PIC16 design does not start up.
Route the ICSP signals (ICSPDAT on RA0, ICSPCLK on RA1) with short, parallel traces to a 6-pin header compatible with PICkit 3/4. Avoid routing noisy switching signals (PWM, relay drivers) adjacent to the ICSP lines or the ADC analog inputs (AN0-AN7) - cross-coupling can cause programming failures or ADC noise. For ADC accuracy, dedicate a ground pour under the analog pins and use a star-ground topology tying analog and digital grounds at a single point near the MCU's VSS pin.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Microchip product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this is a general-purpose industrial MCU, not automotive grade. For AEC-Q100 automotive applications use the PIC16LF1574-E/SL extended temperature grade as a starting point.
