PIC16LF18875-E/ML - 8-Bit 32MHz XLP MCU 14KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF18875-E/ML ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.95 | $2.95 |
| 10 | $2.65 | $26.50 |
| 100 | $2.2 | $220.00 |
| 500 | $1.85 | $925.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.55 | $1,550.00 |
| 3,000 | $1.3 | $3,900.00 |
PIC16LF18875-E/ML Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, memory (Flash, RAM, EEPROM), and programmable peripherals (ADC, timers, communication interfaces) on one die. The PIC16LF18875 sits within the hierarchy: microcontroller -> 8-bit MCU -> PIC16 family -> PIC16LF188xx sub-family -> low-power (LF) variant. The LF prefix denotes the wide-voltage (1.8V-3.6V) process, while the standard PIC16F18875 variant operates at 2.3V-5.5V. The 8-bit PIC16 architecture uses a Harvard RISC core with a 14-bit instruction word optimized for C and assembly code density.
Key features include eXtreme Low Power XLP technology with sub-uA sleep currents, hardware CRC/SCAN and HLT (Hardware Limit Timer) peripherals, multiple 10-bit ADC channels, enhanced PWM modules, and interfaces including I2C, SPI, and EUSART. The 44-QFN package supports up to 36 I/O pins with 5V-tolerant I/O on most pins, enabling direct interface to 5V peripherals from a 3.3V supply.
The PIC16LF18875 architecture combines a 32MHz internal oscillator with a 4x PLL, Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) for hardware glue logic, Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), and Zero-Cross Detect (ZCD) module. The integrated peripheral pin select (PPS) provides flexible signal routing to any digital I/O pin. Together these features reduce BOM cost and PCB area in mixed-signal designs.
Typical applications include IoT sensor nodes, battery-powered industrial sensors, home automation controllers, low-power wireless modules, and consumer electronics with touch or LED driving. The wide operating voltage range (1.8V-3.6V) makes it suitable for single-cell Li-ion or two-AA battery systems. Designers select this part when they need 8-bit simplicity with modern CIP peripherals and sub-uA standby current for energy-harvesting or battery-backed applications.
When designing with the PIC16LF18875-E/ML, ensure the QFN exposed pad is soldered to a sufficient copper pour for thermal dissipation and electrical ground reference. Use MPLAB X IDE with XC8 compiler for code development, and configure the PPS module to map peripherals to pins without hardware rework.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing across 7 channels, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, giving procurement and engineering teams a single source for PIC16LF18875-E/ML evaluation.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF18875-E/ML — 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 PIC16LF18875-E/ML (same form factor and footprint) — differing in I/O Pins, Package, Mounting Type, Operating Voltage Range, Program Memory (Flash).
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16LF18876-E/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.38 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18877-E/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18875-E/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.82 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18875-E/SP
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F18875-E/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18875-E/ML Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC 8-bit RISC (Harvard) |
| CPU Speed | 32 MHz (4x PLL from 8 MHz internal) |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 14 KB (8K x 14 words) |
| Data RAM | 1 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 256 B |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 3.6 V (LF variant) |
| I/O Pins | Up to 36 |
| ADC | 10-bit, multiple channels |
| Package | 44-pin QFN (8x8 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +125 C (E suffix) |
| Low-Power Technology | XLP (eXtreme Low Power) |
| Communication Interfaces | I2C, SPI, EUSART (UART) |
| Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) | CLC, CWG, NCO, ZCD, CRC/SCAN, HLT |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| MSL Level | 1 (unlimited floor life at <30 C / 85% RH) |
PIC16LF18875-E/ML Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 2 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 3 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 4 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 5 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 6 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 7 | RA6 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 8 | RA7 — Bidirectional I/O with analog input, change notification, and PPS |
| Pin 9 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V-3.6V) |
| Pin 10 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 11 | RB0 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 12 | RB1 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 13 | RB2 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 14 | RB3 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 15 | RB4 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 16 | RB5 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 17 | RB6 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change; ICDCLK |
| Pin 18 | RB7 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and interrupt-on-change; ICPDAT |
| Pin 19 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 20 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 21 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 22 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 23 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 24 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 25 | RC6 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 26 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS and analog input |
| Pin 27 | RD0 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 28 | RD1 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 29 | RD2 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 30 | RD3 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 31 | RD4 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 32 | RD5 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 33 | RD6 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 34 | RD7 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 35 | RE0 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 36 | RE1 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 37 | RE2 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 38 | RE3 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 39 | MCLR — Master Clear (reset) input, active low |
| Pin 40 | OSC1 — External oscillator input or crystal connection |
| Pin 41 | OSC2 — External oscillator output or crystal connection |
| Pin 42 | RF0 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 43 | RF1 — Bidirectional I/O with PPS |
| Pin 44 | EP — Exposed thermal pad - must be soldered to PCB ground plane |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF18875-E/ML is suitable for 7 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes, Home Automation Controllers, Industrial Sensor Transmitters, Consumer Electronics with LED Display, Low-Power Wireless Remote Controls, Automotive Body Electronics (Non-Safety), Smart Agriculture Sensor Nodes.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes
The PIC16LF18875-E/ML's XLP technology with sub-uA sleep current and 1.8V-3.6V wide-voltage operation makes it ideal for battery-powered IoT sensor nodes running on single-cell Li-ion or two-AA batteries. The 32MHz CPU provides sufficient throughput for sensor sampling and wireless protocol handling, while Core Independent Peripherals (CLC, NCO) handle timing-critical events without waking the CPU, extending battery life to years. The 14KB Flash supports over-the-air firmware update routines and protocol stacks. Use it with sub-GHz transceivers via SPI, and configure the ADC with the Peripheral Pin Select for flexible analog channel mapping. Compared to MSP430 or STM8 equivalents, the PIC16LF18875-E/ML offers a better price-per-feature ratio with Microchip's free MPLAB X toolchain.
Recommended
Home Automation Controllers
In home automation hubs controlling lighting, blinds, and HVAC, the PIC16LF18875-E/ML provides the deterministic 8-bit processing and 36 I/O pins needed to coordinate multiple actuators and user interfaces. The Enhanced PWM modules drive LED dimmers and motor control signals directly, while the CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) handles half-bridge driver timing for FET switches. UART/SPI/I2C interfaces connect to wireless modules (Wi-Fi, BLE, LoRa) and sensor peripherals. XLP idle current below 1uA keeps standby power consumption minimal in always-on wall-powered controllers. The 256B EEPROM stores user calibration settings and network credentials without external memory.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Transmitters
The PIC16LF18875-E/ML's -40C to +125C industrial temperature range and 10-bit ADC with multiple input channels suit 4-20mA loop-powered sensor transmitters and field instrumentation. The integrated ZCD (Zero-Cross Detect) module synchronizes AC line-voltage measurements for power-quality monitoring, while the CRC/SCAN peripheral ensures data integrity in noisy industrial environments. The wide 1.8V-3.6V supply tolerates loosely-regulated 24V industrial rails after buck conversion. CIP peripherals offload waveform generation and fault detection from the CPU, reducing firmware complexity and improving response time for safety-critical signaling.
Recommended
Consumer Electronics with LED Display
For consumer products like small appliances, toys, and wearable indicators with LED arrays, the PIC16LF18875-E/ML drives multiple LEDs directly via PWM and integrates capacitive touch sensing via the ADC's CTMU (Charge Time Measurement Unit). The 32MHz CPU refreshes 7-segment or RGB LED matrices smoothly while running user-interface logic. XLP sleep modes drop current to sub-uA between user interactions, extending battery life in handheld devices. The 44-QFN package's small 8x8mm footprint fits space-constrained consumer product designs.
Recommended
Low-Power Wireless Remote Controls
In battery-powered RF remote controls for garage doors, ceiling fans, and security systems, the PIC16LF18875-E/ML's sub-uA XLP sleep current combined with rapid wake-up from interrupt enables multi-year battery life on a coin cell. The integrated NCO (Numerically Controlled Oscillator) generates accurate timing for RF protocol encoding, while EUSART handles bidirectional communication with transceivers. The 14KB Flash accommodates rolling-code encryption libraries and protocol stacks. The 256B EEPROM stores user settings and pairing information. Compared to discrete remote control designs using 555 timers, this MCU-based approach adds flexibility for firmware updates and multi-protocol support.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics (Non-Safety)
The PIC16LF18875-E/ML's industrial temperature rating and robust peripheral set suit non-safety automotive body electronics like interior lighting controllers, seat adjusters, and mirror controllers. For safety-critical applications (airbag, ABS, steering), select AEC-Q100-qualified automotive MCUs like dsPIC33EP family. The CIP peripherals handle LIN bus communication via UART plus timer, and the CWG module generates motor driver timing for seat positioners. The 44-QFN package withstands automotive vibration profiles when properly soldered with the exposed pad providing mechanical reinforcement.
Recommended
Smart Agriculture Sensor Nodes
For agricultural IoT deployments (soil moisture, climate monitoring, livestock tracking), the PIC16LF18875-E/ML operates from solar or battery power with XLP sleep currents below 1uA, enabling multi-year unattended operation. The ADC scans soil moisture, temperature, and humidity sensors periodically, while the integrated CLC compares sensor values against thresholds to trigger wireless transmission only when needed - drastically reducing radio on-time and total energy consumption. The wide operating voltage (1.8V-3.6V) accepts variable solar panel output and battery state-of-charge swings without brownout. The peripheral pin select simplifies PCB routing when sensor channels are added or changed during field deployment.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF18875-E/ML — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16LF18876-E/ML | PIC16LF18877-E/ML | PIC16LF18875-E/P | PIC16LF18875-E/SP | PIC16F18875-E/ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 44-QFN (8x8 mm) | 44-QFN (8x8 mm) - same | 44-QFN (8x8 mm) - same | 40-PDIP - same die, different footprint | 40-SPDIP - same die, different footprint | 44-QFN (8x8 mm) - same |
| Flash Memory | 14 KB | 28 KB | 56 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB |
| RAM | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
| 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 |
| CPU Speed | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| XLP Low Power | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Core Independent Peripherals | CLC, CWG, NCO, ZCD, CRC/SCAN, HLT | Same set | Same set | Same set | Same set | Same set |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +125 C | -40 C to +125 C |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible upgrade to larger Flash variants (vs PIC16LF18876-E/ML)
- Wide-voltage LF variant for battery systems (vs PIC16F18875-E/ML)
- Core Independent Peripherals reduce firmware load (vs PIC16F18855-I/ML (older generation))
Design Notes
Estimated: The PIC16LF18875-E/ML's 44-QFN package has a theta_JA of approximately 28 C/W on a standard 4-layer JEDEC test PCB. At maximum CPU activity (32MHz, 3.6V, all peripherals active) the device draws about 8 mA, dissipating ~29 mW - negligible thermal rise (about 1 C). Even at industrial temperature extremes (-40C to +125C ambient) the silicon remains within spec without explicit heatsinking. The exposed pad (EP) MUST be soldered to the PCB ground plane to maintain the rated thermal performance and provide a low-impedance ground reference.
Decouple VDD with a 100nF ceramic capacitor placed within 5mm of the VDD pin, and add a bulk 10uF capacitor (tantalum or ceramic) on the same supply rail near the IC. The QFN exposed pad must connect to a continuous ground pour on the top layer, with at least 8 thermal vias (0.3mm drill, 0.5mm pitch) stitching to inner ground planes. Keep clock traces (OSC1/OSC2) short and surrounded by ground to reduce EMI susceptibility. Route analog signals (ADC inputs) away from digital switching traces to minimize crosstalk.
Do not omit the MCLR pull-up resistor (typically 10kOhm to VDD) - leaving MCLR floating can cause spurious resets. Verify that the CONFIG words are programmed correctly, especially the WDTE (watchdog timer enable), BOR (brownout reset), and LVP (low-voltage programming) settings, since factory defaults may not match application needs. When migrating from PIC16LF18875 (LF) to PIC16F18875 (F) variants, confirm peripheral pin mapping remains valid - PPS register assignments are family-consistent but absolute pin numbers may differ between packages.
The PIC16LF18875-E/ML's 32 MHz internal oscillator with 4x PLL provides 8 MIPS performance with +/- 1% accuracy across temperature and voltage. For UART communication requiring tight baud-rate matching (e.g., LIN bus at 19200 bps), calibrate the OSCTUNE register at production or use an external crystal. The ADC's 10-bit resolution is sufficient for most sensor applications, but for >10-bit accuracy at high source impedances (>10kOhm) add an external buffer op-amp or increase acquisition time beyond the minimum.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +125C E suffix) - not AEC-Q100 automotive qualified; for automotive safety applications choose AEC-Q100-qualified PIC MCUs.
