PIC16LF18856-I/SS - 32MHz 8-bit XLP MCU 28KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF18856-I/SS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.55 | $1.55 |
| 10 | $1.39 | $13.90 |
| 100 | $1.18 | $118.00 |
| 500 | $0.97 | $485.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.86 | $860.00 |
| 3,000 | $0.78 | $2,340.00 |
PIC16LF18856-I/SS Overview
The PIC16F family sits within the broader hierarchy of 8-bit microcontrollers -> microcontrollers (MCUs) -> microprocessors and controllers -> integrated circuits -> semiconductors. Within Microchip's portfolio, PIC16F/LF devices form the mid-range 8-bit tier between the baseline PIC10/12/16F and the high-performance PIC18F and 16-bit dsPIC families. The LF suffix designates the low-voltage variant that operates from 1.8 V to 3.3 V, while the F variant extends the supply range up to 5.5 V. The "XLP" branding highlights Microchip's nanoWatt XLP technology for sleep currents measured in nanoamps.
Key differentiating features include 25 general-purpose I/O pins, a 10-bit ADC with computation (ADC2), up to five CCP/ECCP modules, two comparators, a DAC, an 8-bit configurable timer/counter with HLT, a CRC/Scan module, and peripheral pin select (PPS) that lets signals be remapped at runtime. The device integrates the CIP ecosystem so functions like signal generation, motor timing, and safety checks can run without CPU intervention, freeing the core for application code and reducing power consumption.
Typical applications include IoT sensor nodes, low-power wireless endpoints, battery-powered medical wearables, consumer appliances, industrial sensing front-ends, and LED lighting controls that benefit from the 25 I/O channels and analog front-end. The wide CIP set (CRC, HLT, Scan, PWM, ADC2) also supports BLDC motor commutation, fan control, and eMetering. Programming is supported through MPLAB X IDE with the XC8 compiler, and debug is enabled by the on-chip ICD over standard two-wire ICSP.
When designing with this part, allocate the budget for the 28-pin SSOP land pattern (5.30 mm body, 0.65 mm pitch) and observe the 1.8 V to 3.6 V supply range. Power decoupling should include 100 nF + 1 uF/10 uF bulk capacitors placed close to VDD/AVDD with a low-impedance ground return. For PIC16F vs PIC16LF behavior in firmware, verify any 5V-only peripheral is replaced with a 3.3V-tolerant counterpart, since the LF device is not 5 V tolerant on its I/O.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF18856-I/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 PIC16LF18856-I/SS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, Package, Operating Temperature, Program Memory (Flash), DAC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F18856-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.22 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18855-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18857-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.38 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18854-I/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.63 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18856-I/SP
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18856-I/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 8-bit RISC |
| Family | PIC16F/LF1885X/7X |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 28 KB (16K x 14 words) |
| Data SRAM | 2 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 32 MHz |
| Operating Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 3.6 V (LF variant) |
| Number of I/O Pins | 25 |
| ADC | 10-bit, ADC2 with computation |
| Timers | 8-bit TMR0/HLT, 16-bit TMR1/3/5, SMT |
| PWM / CCP | Up to 5 CCP/ECCP modules |
| Comparators | 2 |
| DAC | 5-bit + 8-bit DAC modules |
| Communication | UART, SPI, I2C (with PPS remap) |
| CIP Modules | CRC/SCAN, HLT, CLC, NCO, ZCD |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (I grade) |
| Package | 28-pin SSOP (5.30 mm body, 0.65 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
| Debug Support | On-chip ICD over 2-wire ICSP |
PIC16LF18856-I/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA5 — Digital I/O / analog input / DAC output reference |
| Pin 2 | RA4 — Digital I/O / analog input / timer clock input |
| Pin 3 | RA3 — Digital I/O / analog input / reference voltage |
| Pin 4 | RA2 — Digital I/O / analog input / DAC output |
| Pin 5 | RA1 — Digital I/O / analog input / comparator input |
| Pin 6 | RA0 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | RA7 — Digital I/O / oscillator output |
| Pin 9 | RA6 — Digital I/O / oscillator input |
| Pin 10 | RC0 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 11 | RC1 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 12 | RC2 — Digital I/O / analog input / comparator output |
| Pin 13 | RC3 — Digital I/O / analog input / SPI/I2C clock |
| Pin 14 | RC4 — Digital I/O / analog input / SPI data |
| Pin 15 | RC5 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 16 | RC6 — Digital I/O / TX/CK |
| Pin 17 | RC7 — Digital I/O / RX/DT |
| Pin 18 | RB7 — Digital I/O / ICSPCLK programming clock |
| Pin 19 | RB6 — Digital I/O / ICSPDAT programming data |
| Pin 20 | RB5 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 21 | RB4 — Digital I/O / analog input / CCP |
| Pin 22 | RB3 — Digital I/O / analog input / CCP |
| Pin 23 | RB2 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 24 | RB1 — Digital I/O / analog input / INT |
| Pin 25 | RB0 — Digital I/O / analog input / INT |
| Pin 26 | VSS — Optional ground reference |
| Pin 27 | AVDD — Analog supply (tie to VDD) |
| Pin 28 | MCLR/RE3 — Master clear reset (input) or digital I/O |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF18856-I/SS is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node, Wearable Health Monitor, Industrial Sensor Front-End, HVAC Fan / BLDC Motor Control, Consumer Appliance User Interface, Smart LED Lighting Controller.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node
The PIC16LF18856-I/SS fits battery-powered IoT sensor nodes because its LF 1.8-3.6 V supply range accepts a single Li-ion or two AA cells at end-of-life voltage, while the XLP sleep modes drop current consumption into the nanoamp range between sensor reads. The 25 I/O pins and PPS let the designer route UART/SPI/I2C to any GPIO, simplifying PCB layout when the sensor count changes. CLCs and NCO generate wake-up timing or signal conditioning without CPU wakeups, extending battery life by 2-3x versus polled firmware. A typical 2.4 GHz radio companion (e.g. MRF24XA) sits on the same UART and is powered via the PIC's LDO, while ADC2 samples the sensor at 100 ksps with hardware averaging.
Recommended
Wearable Health Monitor
Wearable health monitors benefit from the PIC16LF18856-I/SS because the LF voltage range supports direct operation from a 1.8 V Li-Po cell, while the 10-bit ADC2 with computation can continuously sample photoplethysmography (PPG) or ECG waveforms with hardware averaging to reduce CPU load. Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) lets the I2C bus route to any GPIO so the PCB can be re-routed to fit wrist-strap geometry. The 2 KB SRAM is enough to buffer heart-rate intervals between BLE transmits, and CLCs/CRC offload safety checks that would otherwise burn active-mode milliseconds. Pairing with a BLE module (RN4871) and a 3-axis accelerometer (LIS3DH) creates a complete low-power biosignal subsystem.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Front-End
The PIC16LF18856-I/SS is well-suited to industrial 4-20 mA sensor front-ends because the 10-bit ADC2 with computation handles ratio-metric ratiometric measurements against the internal FVR for calibrated readings independent of VDD drift. The wide -40C to +85C industrial temperature range meets factory-floor requirements and the 1.8-3.6 V supply simplifies isolated 3.3 V rails from a digital isolator. CLC and NCO modules generate precise excitation waveforms for LVDT/RTD bridges without CPU intervention, reducing CPU load by 30-50% on typical scan rates. UART, SPI and I2C interfaces feed back to a PLC or industrial Ethernet gateway.
Recommended
HVAC Fan / BLDC Motor Control
HVAC fan and small BLDC motor control are excellent applications for the PIC16LF18856-I/SS thanks to its 5 CCP/ECCP modules that deliver complementary PWM with dead-band generation for 3-phase half-bridge drivers. The peripheral pin select (PPS) keeps the high-current timer pins close to the MOSFET gate drivers on the PCB. CLCs implement hardware commutation trapping so the MCU can wake up only on fault conditions, while the 32 MHz core provides 8 MIPS for sinusoidal commutation tables. Combined with a 3-phase gate driver (MCP8024) this PIC replaces much of the analog control circuitry while staying in a 28-pin SSOP.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance User Interface
Consumer appliance user interfaces benefit from the PIC16LF18856-I/SS because the CIP set (CLC, CRC, Scan) handles touch/proximity sensing, button scanning and capacitive sense without CPU wakeups, freeing the core for UI logic. The 10-bit ADC2 reads thermistor inputs with hardware averaging, while the 5 CCP modules drive LED indicators or RGB status lighting. The LF voltage range lets the appliance run directly from a 3.3 V LDO without a boost converter. Pairing with a segmented LCD driver (e.g. PCF8576) and a piezo buzzer creates a complete, low-cost HMI in a small form factor.
Recommended
Smart LED Lighting Controller
Smart LED lighting controllers map well to the PIC16LF18856-I/SS: the 5 CCP/ECCP modules generate high-resolution PWM for up to 5 LED channels at 32 kHz, eliminating flicker while the LF core keeps quiescent current low for standby-only lighting. The DAC plus DMA-free ADC2 allows closed-loop dimming feedback from a photodiode without waking the CPU. CLCs create glitch-free fade-up/fade-down sequencing and the CRC module validates incoming DMX or DALI frames. The 28 KB Flash fits DMX512, DALI and Casambi-like stack implementations simultaneously, and the wide operating temperature suits downlight enclosures.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF18856-I/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F18856-I/SS | PIC16LF18855-I/SS | PIC16LF18857-I/SS | PIC16LF18854-I/SO | PIC16LF18856-I/SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | SSOP-28 (5.30 mm) | SSOP-28 - same | SSOP-28 - same | SSOP-28 - same | SOIC-28 - wider body | SPDIP-28 - through-hole |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Flash Memory | 28 KB | 28 KB | 14 KB | 56 KB | 7 KB | 28 KB |
| SRAM | 2 KB | 2 KB | 1 KB | 4 KB | 1 KB | 2 KB |
| Maximum VDD | 3.6 V | 5.5 V | 3.6 V | 3.6 V | 3.6 V | 3.6 V |
| Maximum Clock | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| I/O Pins | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 17 | 25 |
| XLP (NanoWatt) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key Differentiators
- Larger 28 KB Flash with same SSOP-28 footprint (vs PIC16LF18855-I/SS)
- Wider 1.8 V supply range (vs PIC16LF18346-I/SO)
- 5 V drop-in upward compatibility (vs PIC16F18856-I/SS)
Design Notes
Decouple VDD and AVSS with a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 3 mm of the pins and add a 1 uF/10 uF bulk capacitor on the same net. Tie AVDD to VDD with a separate ferrite bead if analog noise is a concern, otherwise short directly. Ensure VDD never exceeds 3.6 V (LF variant) - an over-voltage event at 5 V will damage the part permanently.
The 28-pin SSOP (5.30 mm body, 0.65 mm pitch) requires a clean land pattern with 0.40 mm pad width and 0.65 mm pitch; route signals on inner layers and flood top/bottom with a continuous ground plane. Use 4 mil trace/spacing rules and ensure ICSP signals RB6/RB7 are routed with short stubs to the programming header to maintain debug reliability.
Do not confuse PIC16F18856 with PIC16LF18856 - the F variant supports 5.5 V but the LF is 1.8-3.6 V only. Always configure MCLR (RE3) as a digital input when not used as a reset, otherwise the reset remains asserted. PPS remapping of CCP/PWM requires unlocking the PPSLOCK register sequence; failure to lock after configuration can lead to unreliable operation.
Estimated: with a 4-layer PCB and 2 oz copper top/bottom, theta_JA for the SSOP-28 is around 80-90 C/W. For an industrial grade part this gives roughly 70C ambient headroom for the 250 mW worst-case dissipation, so no heatsink is required for typical application loads.
Compliance Information
Industrial temperature grade -40C to +85C; not AEC-Q100 qualified (industrial not automotive). Microchip product page states RoHS and REACH compliance.
