PIC16LF1936T-I/ML - 8-bit XLP MCU, 14KB Flash, 28-QFN | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF1936T-I/ML ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.45 | $3.45 |
| 10 | $3.18 | $31.80 |
| 100 | $2.85 | $285.00 |
| 500 | $2.58 | $1,290.00 |
| 1,000 | $2.32 | $2,320.00 |
| 3,000 | $2.05 | $6,150.00 |
PIC16LF1936T-I/ML Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer built around an 8-bit data bus and a Harvard RISC architecture that fetches each instruction in a single clock cycle. Within the broader taxonomy, the PIC16LF1936 belongs to the PIC16 family (mid-range 8-bit MCUs) under the PIC microcontroller line, which sits under the microcontroller category (integrated circuit -> digital IC -> microcontroller). The "LF" suffix denotes the low-voltage (1.8 V to 3.6 V typical, 5.5 V extended) F-variant process node, while XLP technology delivers nanoWatt sleep currents below 50 nA.
Key differentiating features include the integrated LCD driver with charge pump, multiple communication peripherals (I2C, SPI, EUSART), a 10-bit ADC with up to 17 channels, 5-bit DAC, four 8-bit timers plus two CCP/ECCP modules, and nanoWatt XLP sleep modes. The 32 MHz internal oscillator eliminates the need for an external crystal in many designs. The 28-QFN package provides a compact footprint for space-constrained applications.
Architecturally, the PIC16LF1936 uses an enhanced mid-range 14-bit instruction set with 200 ns instruction execution at 20 MHz (or 125 ns at 32 MHz). The device supports C and assembly development with MPLAB X IDE and XC8 compiler, and is programmable via In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP). Hardware-level features such as a configurable brown-out reset (BOR) and watchdog timer (WDT) provide robust fault recovery.
Typical applications include battery-powered LCD-based consumer products, low-power sensor nodes, household appliances with segment displays, medical monitoring devices, and industrial control panels. Its nanoWatt XLP technology makes it ideal for any application where extended battery life is critical.
When designing with this part, evaluate the LCD driver requirements (number of segments, COM/SEG pin count) carefully against the package variant, and place the 0.1 uF Vdd decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of the supply pin. The internal 32 MHz oscillator accuracy (~2%) may require periodic calibration or an external crystal for timing-critical UART communication.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet alone, helping engineers select the right variant for volume production.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF1936T-I/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 PIC16LF1936T-I/ML (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Core Architecture, LCD Driver, ADC, Package, Timers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16LF1936-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16F1936-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.15 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF1937T-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF1933T-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF1938T-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.73 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF1936T-I/MV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.89 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF1936T-I/ML Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 (8-bit, 14-bit instruction) |
| Core Size | 8-bit |
| Max CPU Frequency | 32 MHz |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 14 KB (8K x 14) |
| RAM | 512 bytes |
| EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| I/O Pins | 36 |
| LCD Driver | Yes (up to 36 segments, integrated charge pump) |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 17 channels |
| DAC | 5-bit |
| Timers | 4 x 8-bit + 2 CCP/ECCP |
| Communication | 1x I2C, 1x SPI, 1x EUSART (UART) |
| Package | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial) |
| Low-Power Technology | nanoWatt XLP |
| Programming | ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) |
PIC16LF1936T-I/ML Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA3/AN3 — GPIO / Analog input 3 |
| Pin 2 | RA4 — GPIO / Timer0 clock input |
| Pin 3 | RA5 — GPIO |
| Pin 4 | RA6 — GPIO |
| Pin 5 | RA7 — GPIO |
| Pin 6 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 7 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 5.5V) |
| Pin 8 | RB0 — GPIO / External interrupt |
| Pin 9 | RB1 — GPIO |
| Pin 10 | RB2 — GPIO |
| Pin 11 | RB3 — GPIO |
| Pin 12 | RB4 — GPIO |
| Pin 13 | RB5 — GPIO |
| Pin 14 | RB6/ICSPCLK — GPIO / ICSP clock |
| Pin 15 | RB7/ICSPDAT — GPIO / ICSP data |
| Pin 16 | RC0 — GPIO |
| Pin 17 | RC1 — GPIO |
| Pin 18 | RC2 — GPIO |
| Pin 19 | RC3 — GPIO |
| Pin 20 | RC4 — GPIO |
| Pin 21 | RC5 — GPIO |
| Pin 22 | RC6 — GPIO |
| Pin 23 | RC7 — GPIO |
| Pin 24 | RE3/MCLR — Master Clear (reset, active low) |
| Pin 25 | RA0/AN0 — GPIO / Analog input 0 |
| Pin 26 | RA1/AN1 — GPIO / Analog input 1 |
| Pin 27 | RA2/AN2 — GPIO / Analog input 2 |
| Pin 28 | GND — Exposed pad thermal ground (must be soldered) |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF1936T-I/ML is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered LCD Thermostat, Wireless Sensor Node with Coin-Cell Battery, Household Appliance Front Panel, Portable Medical Monitoring Device, Industrial Control Panel with Segment Display, Smart Meter with LCD Readout.
Battery-Powered LCD Thermostat
The PIC16LF1936T-I/ML's integrated LCD driver supporting up to 36 segments and nanoWatt XLP sleep current below 50 nA make it an ideal core for wall-mounted thermostats. The 14 KB Flash holds menu logic, scheduling, and PID control while the LCD controller drives temperature, mode, and set-point readouts directly. Operating from 1.8 V to 5.5 V supports either 2-cell alkaline backup or 24 V AC-derived DC rails. The PIC16LF1936's 32 MHz core and 10-bit ADC handle thermistor sensing, with the EUSART driving a Wi-Fi daughter module. No external segment-driver IC is needed, which trims BOM cost by roughly $0.80 per unit. Use the 6x6 mm QFN to keep the PCB under 30 mm square.
Recommended
Wireless Sensor Node with Coin-Cell Battery
For duty-cycled LoRa or BLE sensor endpoints running from a CR2032 cell, the PIC16LF1936T-I/ML's XLP sleep below 50 nA extends battery life beyond 10 years. The 32 MHz internal oscillator and 14 KB Flash store protocol stacks and data logging, while the 10-bit ADC with 17 channels multiplexes multiple analog sensors. Wake-up from sleep is sub-microsecond, allowing aggressive duty-cycling of the radio companion. The QFN-28 6x6 mm footprint fits inside a coin-cell holder, and the 1.8 V minimum supply matches the CR2032's useful discharge range. ECCP and timer peripherals enable hardware PWM for driving status LEDs without CPU intervention during sleep.
Recommended
Household Appliance Front Panel
Front-panel controllers for washing machines, dishwashers, and microwave ovens need segment displays, capacitive touch, and AC-zero-crossing sensing. The PIC16LF1936T-I/ML drives the LCD via its integrated charge-pump, senses touch through the CTMU peripheral, and detects AC zero crossings via the EUSART and interrupt capture. Its 36 I/O accommodate keypad matrix scanning, LED driving through PWM, and relay control outputs. Operating up to 5.5 V allows direct interfacing to logic-level triac drivers. With industrial temperature grade of -40C to +85C, the same part covers garage and outdoor appliance use cases. The Flash endurance of 10,000 cycles supports field firmware updates via ICSP for bugfix retention.
Recommended
Portable Medical Monitoring Device
The PIC16LF1936T-I/ML's combination of nanoWatt XLP, integrated LCD, and reliable -40C to +85C industrial temperature range suits portable medical devices like glucose meters, pulse oximeters, and digital thermometers. Its 14 KB Flash holds calibration tables, conversion algorithms, and menu logic, while the 256-byte EEPROM stores patient records across battery swaps. The 1.8 V to 5.5 V operating range supports alkaline, NiMH, or Li-ion primaries. Hardware CRC and the configurable BOR protect against brown-out data corruption during battery end-of-life. The EUSART links to Bluetooth modules for smartphone data export. The QFN-28 6x6 mm helps shrink handheld designs.
Recommended
Industrial Control Panel with Segment Display
For industrial HMI panels requiring key input, segmented alphanumeric displays, and Modbus RTU over RS-485, the PIC16LF1936T-I/ML offers a cost-optimized solution. The 32 MHz core and EUSART deliver reliable 115200 baud Modbus, while the LCD driver displays machine state, alarms, and operator prompts. The 14 KB Flash holds protocol stacks and configuration, and the 10-bit ADC monitors analog sensors like pressure or level. The -40C to +85C industrial grade supports factory floor operation. Hardware PWM drives backlight dimming, and the high-current I/O pins drive LEDs directly without external buffers, keeping the design compact and affordable.
Recommended
Smart Meter with LCD Readout
The PIC16LF1936T-I/ML is well-suited to electricity, water, and gas meters where its integrated LCD driver displays consumption and tariff information directly, while nanoWatt XLP technology sustains 20+ year battery life in remote-read meters. The 14 KB Flash stores calculation algorithms, anti-tamper logic, and wireless protocol stacks. The 10-bit ADC interfaces with current shunt sensors; the CTMU peripheral drives capacitive touch buttons without external components. Operating from 1.8 V to 5.5 V accommodates lithium thionyl chloride primary cells. The -40C to +85C industrial temperature range supports outdoor meter cabinets. Hardware EEPROM of 256 bytes stores calibration and tariff data persistently across battery swaps.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF1936T-I/ML — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16LF1936-I/ML | PIC16F1936-I/ML | PIC16LF1937T-I/ML | PIC16LF1933T-I/ML | PIC16LF1938T-I/ML | PIC16LF1936T-I/MV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-UQFN (4x4 mm) - smaller |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Flash Memory | 14 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB | 14 KB | 7 KB | 28 KB | 14 KB |
| RAM | 512 bytes | 512 bytes | 512 bytes | 1 KB | 512 bytes | 1 KB | 512 bytes |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| XLP nanoWatt | Yes (<50 nA sleep) | Yes (<50 nA sleep) | No | Yes (<50 nA sleep) | Yes (<50 nA sleep) | Yes (<50 nA sleep) | Yes (<50 nA sleep) |
| LCD Driver | Yes (36 segments) | Yes (36 segments) | Yes (36 segments) | Yes (96 segments) | Yes (28 segments) | Yes (96 segments) | Yes (36 segments) |
| ADC | 10-bit, 17 channels | 10-bit, 17 channels | 10-bit, 17 channels | 10-bit, 17 channels | 10-bit, 11 channels | 10-bit, 17 channels | 10-bit, 17 channels |
| Qty-1 Price (USD, as of 2026-09-25) | $3.45 | $3.20 | $3.35 | $3.85 | $2.95 | $4.10 | $3.55 |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated LCD driver with charge pump eliminates external segment driver IC (vs PIC16LF1933T-I/ML)
- 1.8 V minimum operating voltage supports single Li-ion or 2x alkaline cells (vs PIC16F1936-I/ML)
- XLP nanoWatt sleep current below 50 nA enables 10+ year battery life (vs PIC16F1936-I/ML)
- 14 KB Flash doubles the code space of the smaller 1933 family member (vs PIC16LF1933T-I/ML)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 32 MHz active and 3.3 V Vdd, the PIC16LF1936T-I/ML draws approximately 4 mA core current plus peripheral leakage. In XLP sleep mode (no peripherals, RTC disabled) the part consumes under 50 nA typical per the datasheet, enabling 10+ year coin-cell operation in duty-cycled sensor applications. Decoupling requires a single 0.1 uF ceramic within 5 mm of pin 7 (VDD). For battery designs, do not omit the bulk decoupling; even sub-microsecond load steps during ADC sampling can ripple the supply without it. Use BOR enabled in software to prevent undefined-state behavior during Vdd droop below 1.8 V.
The 28-QFN exposed pad (pin 28) is the primary thermal path. Solder it to a copper pour of at least 25 mm^2 connected to VSS. Estimated theta_JA with this pad lands around 40 C/W, allowing the part to operate at full 32 MHz across -40C to +85C ambient. Without proper thermal pad soldering, junction temperature may rise above the 150C absolute maximum during sustained heavy I/O switching. The part's low current draw means thermal issues are rare; nonetheless, always expose a thermal copper pad as part of the design.
Three frequent PIC16LF1936T-I/ML design pitfalls: (1) The MCLR pin (24) requires a 10 kohm pull-up to VDD if not used for ICSP - leaving it floating causes spurious resets. (2) The ICSPDAT and ICSPCLK pins (15 and 14) must not be pulled low at power-up, or the device enters a debug state instead of running user code. (3) Always set the configuration bits via #pragma config in the XC8 source rather than relying on defaults - the default oscillator configuration may not match your hardware. Failure to set the BOR voltage correctly can cause erratic operation below 3.0 V.
Keep the 0.1 uF Vdd decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of pin 7 (VDD) and route the trace at least 0.25 mm wide. Place a 10 uF bulk capacitor near any analog reference (AVdd) source. For the 28-QFN footprint, use a non-solder-mask-defined (NSMD) pad with 0.3 mm copper pad extension beyond the package land for reliable soldering. Maintain a continuous ground plane on the bottom layer to support the thermal pad connection, and avoid routing signal traces under the QFN. Place crystal or oscillator components close to pins RA6/RA7 (OSC2/OSC1) if used.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. /ML suffix confirms lead-free QFN. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive designs use PIC16F1936-I/ML automotive-grade equivalents.
