PIC16LF18344-E/P - 8-Bit XLP MCU, 7KB Flash, 32MHz | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF18344-E/P ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.49 | $1.49 |
| 10 | $1.34 | $13.40 |
| 100 | $1.16 | $116.00 |
| 500 | $0.97 | $485.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.81 | $810.00 |
PIC16LF18344-E/P Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, program and data memory, peripherals, and I/O on one die, allowing embedded products to replace discrete logic with programmable intelligence. Within the broader power-managed semiconductor taxonomy, an 8-bit PIC MCU sits below 16-bit dsPIC and 32-bit Cortex-M microcontrollers in processing capability, but it offers the lowest cost, lowest active and sleep current, and simplest toolchain for non-connectivity edge tasks. The PIC16F1xxx enhanced mid-range core adds Peripheral Pin Select (PPS), Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs), and the XLP nanoWatt sleep modes that define this generation.
Key differentiating features of the PIC16LF18344 include 7KB self-programmable Flash, 256 bytes EEPROM, up to 17 I/O pins, an integrated 10-bit ADC with computation, two comparators with 5-bit DAC references, Configurable Logic Cells (CLC), Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO), and four 16-bit timers. The Peripheral Pin Select module lets the user remap most digital peripherals to almost any I/O pin, which simplifies PCB layout and frees the MCU from pin-strict peripheral allocation. The CWG and NCO together provide high-resolution PWM and arbitrary waveform synthesis without CPU intervention, supporting motor control, lighting, and power-conversion loops.
The architecture combines a Harvard RISC core with a 14-bit instruction word, two-cycle hardware stack, and hardware multiplier. XLP technology delivers typical sleep currents of roughly 30 nA with the watchdog enabled and several hundred nA with the Real-Time Clock running, extending battery life in duty-cycled wireless sensor applications. The 32 MHz internal oscillator eliminates an external crystal on most designs, and the integrated temperature indicator and fixed-voltage reference simplify analog calibration.
Typical applications for the PIC16LF18344-E/P include low-power IoT sensor endpoints, wearable health monitors, remote controls, low-end lighting controllers, small appliance user interfaces, and battery-backed metering products. The DIP-20 package specifically supports prototyping, hobby projects, through-hole manufacturing, education labs, and pre-production builds that benefit from socketed or hand-solderable parts.
When designing with the PIC16LF18344-E/P, keep VDDCORE decoupling within 5 mm of the dedicated pin pair, place the 0.1 uF VDD bypass first in the layout, and route the ICSPDAT/ICSPCLK pair to a 5-pin in-circuit programming header for field updates. PPS reassignment should be locked in code before peripheral initialization to avoid glitching on remapped outputs.
This page consolidates distributor pricing as of 2026-09-24, verified drop-in alternatives in the same 20-pin PDIP footprint, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, giving buyers and engineers a faster path from selection to production.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF18344-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 PIC16LF18344-E/P (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, Package, I/O Pins, Comparators, DAC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16LF18324-E/P
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View Datasheet →PIC16LF18326-E/P
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View Datasheet →PIC16LF18325-E/P
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
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View Datasheet →PIC16LF18345-E/P
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View Datasheet →PIC16F18344-E/P
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$1.02 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF1829-E/P
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
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View Datasheet →PIC16LF18344-E/P Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16F1xxx Enhanced Mid-Range 8-bit |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 7 KB (4K x 14 words) |
| Data SRAM | 512 bytes |
| Data EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| I/O Pins | Up to 17 |
| ADC | 10-bit with computation (ADC2) |
| Comparators | 2 with 5-bit DAC references |
| Timers | 4 x 16-bit |
| PWM Outputs | Yes (CCP, PWM, CWG) |
| Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) | Yes |
| Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) | Yes |
| Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) | Yes |
| Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) | Yes |
| Communication | I2C, SPI, EUSART with Auto-Baud |
| Package | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil, 7.62 mm) |
| Temperature Grade (E) | -40C to +125C (Extended) |
| Mounting Type | Through-Hole (DIP) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (Pb-free matte tin) |
PIC16LF18344-E/P Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 3.6V) |
| Pin 2 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 3 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 4 | MCLR/RA3 — Master Clear reset input or digital I/O |
| Pin 5 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 6 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 7 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 8 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 9 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 10 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 11 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 12 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 13 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 14 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 15 | RA7 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 16 | RA6 — Bidirectional I/O with analog and digital functions |
| Pin 17 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS mapping |
| Pin 18 | ICSPCLK/RB6 — In-circuit serial programming clock or I/O |
| Pin 19 | ICSPDAT/RB7 — In-circuit serial programming data or I/O |
| Pin 20 | VSS — Ground reference |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF18344-E/P is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node, Wearable Health Monitor, Industrial Sensor Transmitter (4-20 mA), LED Lighting Controller, Consumer Remote Control, Small Appliance User Interface.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node
The PIC16LF18344-E/P fits battery-powered IoT sensor nodes because its XLP technology delivers typical sleep currents around 30 nA with the watchdog enabled and roughly 700 nA with the LFINTOSC running, while the 32 MHz HFINTOSC enables burst-mode sensor reads at 8 MIPS. The 1.8V to 3.6V supply range accommodates two-cell alkaline stacks down to cutoff, and the integrated 10-bit ADC with computation plus two comparators with 5-bit DAC references handle multiple analog channels without external signal conditioning. PPS reassignment lets the I2C/SPI lines route to any I/O, simplifying PCB routing when the radio module dictates the layout. Estimated runtime on a 2400 mAh CR2032 stack reaches 5+ years at a 0.1% duty cycle.
Recommended
Wearable Health Monitor
The PIC16LF18344-E/P is well suited to wearable health monitors because it operates from 1.8V to 3.6V on a single Li-ion or Li-poly cell down to cutoff, while its XLP nanoWatt modes keep average current below 1 uA in duty-cycled heart-rate and step-counting applications. The 7 KB Flash accommodates sensor-fusion state machines plus BLE radio SPI drivers, and PPS remapping allows the ECG/PPG AFE signals to land on any ADC-capable pin without redesigning the board. The 32 MHz HFINTOSC and PLL give enough headroom for oversampling at 1 ksps and running on-chip FIR filters in firmware. The 20-pin PDIP is intended for prototyping and education builds before migrating to a smaller SSOP or QFN variant.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Transmitter (4-20 mA)
The PIC16LF18344-E/P serves as the brain of an industrial 4-20 mA loop-powered sensor transmitter because its 1.8V minimum supply starts below the loop's compliance voltage at 3.5 mA, while the CWG and NCO peripherals synthesize the HART modem FSK carrier without CPU loading. The integrated 10-bit ADC with computation handles bridge sensor linearization in firmware, and the 256-byte EEPROM stores calibration coefficients for the life of the field instrument. PPS lets the user put the UART, CWG, and ADC on convenient pins, simplifying the loop-powered PCB layout. AEC-Q100 is not applicable to the -E extended grade, but the PIC16LF18344 industrial -I variant qualifies for similar temperature ranges in non-automotive process plants.
Recommended
LED Lighting Controller
The PIC16LF18344-E/P is a strong fit for entry-level LED lighting controllers because its Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) generates complementary PWM outputs with programmable dead time for half-bridge LED drivers, while the 16-bit PWM and NCO support 16-million-step color-mixing resolution for RGBW fixtures. Peripheral Pin Select remaps the PWM outputs to almost any I/O, letting the PCB designer choose trace routes that minimize EMI loop area. The 32 MHz instruction rate gives ample headroom for DMX-512, DALI, or 0-10V dimming protocol stacks alongside LED control. The 20-pin PDIP package aids pre-production breadboard tuning before committing to SSOP-20 for cost-down manufacturing.
Recommended
Consumer Remote Control
The PIC16LF18344-E/P drives coin-cell-powered remote controls well because its nanoWatt sleep current stays below 100 nA between button presses, while an internal wake-on-change I/O can wake the part in microseconds to transmit an IR or RF command. The Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) implement custom key-scanning glue logic without external gates, and the EUSART with auto-baud supports IR protocol generation up to 56 kHz carrier frequencies. The 1.8V minimum supply runs directly from a single CR2032 cell across its entire discharge curve, and 7 KB Flash accommodates NEC, RC5, RC6, and SIRC protocol tables with room for OEM keymap customization.
Recommended
Small Appliance User Interface
The PIC16LF18344-E/P runs small appliance user interfaces such as coffee makers, blenders, and air purifiers because it integrates capacitive touch via the on-chip mTouch peripherals, drives character or graphical LCDs through SPI or I2C, and runs a 32 MHz instruction rate that keeps UI feel responsive. The 256-byte EEPROM stores user preference settings across power cycles, and the 10-bit ADC reads temperature and humidity sensors used by environmental control loops. PPS reassignment keeps the touch channels and LCD data lines on routing-friendly pins, reducing PCB layer count in 2-layer cost-sensitive designs. The 20-pin PDIP variant simplifies the engineering prototype cycle before migrating to SSOP-20 for production.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF18344-E/P — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16LF18324-E/P | PIC16LF18326-E/P | PIC16LF18325-E/P | PIC16LF18345-E/P | PIC16F18344-E/P | PIC16LF1829-E/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) - same | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) - same | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) - same | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) - same | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) - same | 20-pin PDIP (300 mil) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Flash Memory | 7 KB (4K x 14) | 7 KB | 16 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB | 7 KB | 14 KB |
| SRAM | 512 bytes | 512 bytes | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 512 bytes | 1 KB |
| EEPROM | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes | 256 bytes |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| Max CPU Speed | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) | 32 MHz (8 MIPS) |
| Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (older family) |
Key Differentiators
- PPS, CLC, CWG, and NCO on a 20-pin PDIP in the same XLP family (vs PIC16LF1829-E/P)
- Lower minimum operating voltage (1.8V) vs the F-version's 2.3V (vs PIC16F18344-E/P)
- Code-compatible upgrade path to larger Flash within the same 20-pin PDIP (vs PIC16LF18324-E/P)
Design Notes
Estimated: at VDD=3.3V and 32 MHz active current of ~2 mA plus peripheral draws, the average system current for a duty-cycled sensor node at 0.1% wake duty cycle falls near 30 uA. Place the 0.1 uF VDD decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of pin 1 and a 10 uF bulk capacitor within 10 mm. Connect both VDDCORE bypass pins (where present in SSOP/QFN variants) directly to VSS through the shortest trace. For sleep currents below 1 uA, switch all unused peripherals off in firmware before SLEEP().
Route the ICSPDAT and ICSPCLK pair (pins 18 and 19 on the PDIP) to a 5-pin programming header with MCLR/VPP and VDD/VSS, allowing in-circuit programming without desoldering. Keep MCLR traces short and add a 10 kohm pull-up plus a 100 nF cap to ground if external reset sources must be debounced. Place a 4.7 kohm to 10 kohm pull-up on I2C SDA/SCL lines even if those pins are mapped through PPS, since PPS does not activate internal weak pull-ups by default on those remapped signals.
PPS reassignment can place PWM, UART, and CWG outputs on almost any I/O pin, which is convenient but also risk-prone if a pin is reused before PPS is locked. Initialize PPS registers before any peripheral is enabled, and document the chosen pin map in the firmware header so future revisions are traceable. For high-frequency PWM outputs above 50 kHz, route the traces on the top layer over a continuous ground pour to minimize radiated EMI from the switching edges.
Do not assume that disabling peripherals in firmware also disables their PPS routings - an unused peripheral still drives its pin if PPS is assigned. Clear PPS output registers before SLEEP() if the pin state matters during sleep. Watchdog timer postscaler and prescaler values are not preserved across software resets in some configurations; configure WDT explicitly in the CONFIG words and again in code for fail-safe behavior. Do not exceed 3.6V on VDD - the LF variant has no internal 5V tolerance and EEPROM endurance degrades above the absolute maximum.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page and declaration of conformity. Lead-free matte-tin finish. Halogen-free per Microchip packaging marking. Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) compliant. AEC-Q100 not applicable to the -E extended industrial grade; choose PIC16(L)F18344-I or higher-grade variants for non-automotive industrial duty.
