PIC16LF18444-E/SS - 8-bit MCU, 7KB Flash, 32MHz, SSOP-20 | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF18444-E/SS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.68 | $1.68 |
| 10 | $1.51 | $15.10 |
| 100 | $1.21 | $121.00 |
| 500 | $1.04 | $520.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.92 | $920.00 |
PIC16LF18444-E/SS Overview
An 8-bit PIC microcontroller is a single-chip computer based on a modified Harvard architecture with separate program and data buses, popular for deterministic real-time control in cost-sensitive and low-power embedded applications. Within Microchip's portfolio, PIC16 sits between the baseline PIC10/12/16 families and the 16-bit dsPIC line, and the LF prefix denotes the low-voltage variant for 1.8 V operation.
Key features include two 10-bit PWMs (a 16-bit PWM is also available via the CCP module), a 12-bit ADC with Computation (ADCC), an 8-bit DAC, two comparators, a Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), and configurable logic cells. Communication peripherals include EUSART, SPI and I2C. The 12-bit ADCC supports automated averaging, threshold comparison, and oversampling, reducing CPU overhead for sensor acquisition.
The PIC16LF18444 integrates Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that operate without CPU intervention - the CWG, configurable logic, and ADCC can implement motor control, lighting, and signal conditioning in hardware. The XLP features deliver nanoWatt sleep currents below 50 nA typical in deep sleep with retention, making the device suitable for energy-harvesting or battery-powered sensor nodes.
Typical applications include IoT sensor nodes, low-power wireless sensor transmitters, battery-powered home automation, LED lighting controllers, consumer appliances, and small motor or fan control stages. The wide 1.8 V to 3.6 V supply range lets the device run directly from a single lithium cell or two AA batteries.
When designing with this part, budget carefully for the 1.8 V minimum supply - the 32 MHz operation requires at least 3.0 V VDD, while full 32 MHz core speed and ADC performance are only guaranteed above 3.0 V. Use Microchip's MPLAB X IDE with the XC8 compiler for firmware development.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing across 9+ channels, drop-in PIC16 family alternatives, and practical low-power design guidance that goes beyond the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF18444-E/SS — 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 PIC16LF18444-E/SS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, DAC, Package, Operating Temperature, Program Memory (Flash).
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16LF18444-E/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18444-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.32 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18344-E/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.54 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18446-E/SS
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$1.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18424-E/SS
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18444-E/SS
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18444-E/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 enhanced mid-range 8-bit RISC |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 7 KB (4K x 14 words) |
| Data SRAM | 512 bytes |
| Data EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 32 MHz |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| Minimum VDD at 16 MHz | 1.8 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +125 C |
| ADC | 12-bit ADCC with computation, averaging, threshold compare |
| DAC | 8-bit, 1 channel |
| Comparators | 2 |
| PWM Modules | 2 x 10-bit PWM + 16-bit CCP |
| CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) | Yes |
| Communication Interfaces | EUSART, SPI, I2C |
| Package | 20-pin SSOP (5.30 mm body width) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 1 (unlimited floor life at <30 C / 85% RH) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
| Tube Standard Quantity | 67 pcs/tube |
PIC16LF18444-E/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O, also ICSPCLK |
| Pin 2 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O, also CLKOUT |
| Pin 3 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O, also MCLR/VPP (reset) |
| Pin 4 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O, also DACOUT/ANA2 |
| Pin 5 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O, also ICSPCLK |
| Pin 6 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O, also ICSPDAT |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | RA7 — Bidirectional I/O, also DACREF+/CLKIN |
| Pin 9 | RA6 — Bidirectional I/O, also OSC2/CLKOUT |
| Pin 10 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 11 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 12 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O |
| Pin 13 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O, also SCL |
| Pin 14 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O, also SDA |
| Pin 15 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O, also SDO |
| Pin 16 | RC6 — Bidirectional I/O, also TX/CK |
| Pin 17 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O, also RX/DT |
| Pin 18 | VSS — Ground reference (second pad) |
| Pin 19 | VDD — Positive supply 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| Pin 20 | VDD — Positive supply 1.8 V to 3.6 V (second pad) |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF18444-E/SS is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node, Home Automation & Smart Lighting, Small BLDC Motor or Fan Control, Consumer Appliance User Interface, Industrial Sensor Transmitter, Portable Medical Monitoring Accessory.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node
The PIC16LF18444-E/SS fits battery-powered IoT sensor nodes because its XLP deep-sleep current drops below 50 nA typical while retaining RAM, allowing the part to wake only on a timer, threshold-compare event from the 12-bit ADCC, or external interrupt. Its 1.8 V to 3.6 V supply lets it run directly from a single CR2032 coin cell or two AA batteries without a boost regulator, and the EUSART/SPI/I2C interfaces connect natively to sub-GHz transceivers like the MRF89XA or BLE modules for uplink.
Recommended
Home Automation & Smart Lighting
The PIC16LF18444-E/SS handles dimmable LED lighting and switch panels using its Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) and two 10-bit PWMs plus a 16-bit CCP, which can drive MOSFET half-bridges for flicker-free dimming without CPU intervention. Its Core Independent Peripherals allow capacitive touch sensing via the ADCC and a timer, and the 1.8 V operation lets the device run from a small switched-mode supply or two AAA cells for battery-backed wireless wall switches.
Recommended
Small BLDC Motor or Fan Control
The PIC16LF18444-E/SS drives small brushless DC motors or 12 V fans using its CWG and CCP modules, which can generate complementary PWM with programmable dead-time without CPU load, while the 12-bit ADCC samples back-EMF or current-sense signals for closed-loop speed control. With 32 MHz CPU bandwidth, the device can implement sensorless trapezoidal commutation in firmware while leaving headroom for UART diagnostics or a user interface.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance User Interface
Consumer appliances such as coffee makers, air purifiers, or microwave ovens use the PIC16LF18444-E/SS for the user-interface panel because the 12-bit ADCC reads multiple capacitive touch or resistive buttons through its hardware averaging, the CWG drives piezo buzzers for alerts, and the EUSART connects to a main controller MCU for status updates. The 256-byte EEPROM stores user settings across power cycles, and the SSOP-20 footprint fits narrow PCB bezels common in appliance front panels.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Transmitter
Industrial 4-20 mA loop-powered or battery-backed sensor transmitters benefit from the PIC16LF18444-E/SS extended -40 C to +125 C operating range, 12-bit ADCC for ratiometric bridge measurements, and XLP sleep modes that let a loop-powered temperature or pressure transmitter run for years on a single coin cell. The on-chip 8-bit DAC and comparators allow a single device to sense the process variable and output a proportional current, eliminating a separate DAC chip.
Recommended
Portable Medical Monitoring Accessory
Portable medical accessories such as pulse-oximeter finger probes, thermometer attachments, or wearable patches use the PIC16LF18444-E/SS because its low XLP sleep current extends battery life beyond a year, and its 12-bit ADCC digitizes photodiode or thermistor signals with hardware averaging to reduce noise on weak sensor outputs. The on-chip comparators handle threshold detection for alarms, while SPI/I2C connect to a BLE SoC for data uplink to a phone or tablet.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF18444-E/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16LF18444-E/P | PIC16LF18444-I/SS | PIC16LF18344-E/SS | PIC16LF18446-E/SS | PIC16LF18424-E/SS | PIC16F18444-E/SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 20-pin SSOP (5.30 mm) | 20-pin PDIP (through-hole) | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 7 KB | 7 KB | 7 KB | 4 KB | 28 KB | 4 KB | 7 KB |
| Data SRAM | 512 B | 512 B | 512 B | 256 B | 2 KB | 512 B | 512 B |
| Supply 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 | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| 12-bit ADCC | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (10-bit ADC) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +125 C (E grade) | -40 C to +125 C (E grade) | -40 C to +85 C (I grade) | -40 C to +125 C (E grade) | -40 C to +125 C (E grade) | -40 C to +125 C (E grade) | -40 C to +125 C (E grade) |
Key Differentiators
- 12-bit ADCC with hardware computation (vs PIC16LF18344-E/SS)
- Complementary Waveform Generator and configurable logic (vs PIC16LF18344-E/SS)
- XLP deep-sleep current below 50 nA (vs PIC16F18444-E/SS)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 32 MHz CPU clock and 3.3 V VDD with all peripherals active, the PIC16LF18444 draws roughly 5-7 mA typical. Dropping to the 16 MHz HFINTOSC at 1.8 V cuts active current to about 1.5 mA. For battery designs, enter Sleep between sensor reads and wake the core from the ADCC threshold-compare interrupt, holding deep-sleep current under 50 nA typical.
Place a 100 nF decoupling capacitor as close as possible to each VDD pin (pin 19 and pin 20 on the SSOP-20) and a 10 uF bulk capacitor near the package to handle the inrush during HFINTOSC startup. The exposed pad (if present in your PCB footprint) should be tied to VSS for thermal relief, even though the SSOP-20 does not have a true EP.
Route the ICSPDAT and ICSPCLK traces (RA0/RA1) as a short, parallel pair with a guard ground, and avoid running them adjacent to switching signals such as the CWG outputs. The MCLR/VPP pin (RA3) must have its own 10 kohm pull-up to VDD; do not share the pull-up with any digital I/O that could be driven low during programming.
The PIC16LF18444 part is the LF low-voltage variant; programming at 5 V on VPP or running from 5 V supply will damage the part. Use only the PIC16F18444 variant when 5 V tolerance is required. Also ensure the CONFIG words set the WDTE bit appropriately for your safety case - an unintended watchdog reset can brick a deployed sensor node until power cycle.
When using the 12-bit ADCC for low-level analog signals, disable digital input buffers on analog pins via the ANSELA/ANSELC registers to remove cross-talk from adjacent digital lines. Average at least 16 samples in hardware to suppress mains-frequency noise; the ADCC computation engine does this without CPU overhead.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Microchip product page and onlinecomponents.com datasheet listing. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; choose PIC16F18444-E/SSVAO or other -Q suffix parts for automotive.
