PIC16LF872-I/SS - 8-Bit 20MHz 3.5KB FLASH MCU 28-SSOP | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF872-I/SS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.55 | $3.55 |
| 10 | $3.21 | $32.10 |
| 100 | $2.85 | $285.00 |
| 500 | $2.59 | $1,295.00 |
| 1,000 | $2.34 | $2,340.00 |
PIC16LF872-I/SS Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, memory, and peripherals on one die. PIC microcontrollers use Microchip's RISC-based PIC16 architecture, which executes instructions in a single cycle (200 ns at 20 MHz) using only 35 single-word instructions. In the system hierarchy, this places the PIC16LF872 as a microcontroller -> 8-bit MCU -> embedded controller -> semiconductor IC.
Key features include 22 digital I/O pins, two 8-bit timers plus one 16-bit timer, a 10-bit multi-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a USART/SCI serial port, an MSSP (Master Synchronous Serial Port) supporting SPI and I2C, and a watchdog timer. The device includes In-Circuit Debugging (ICD), self-programming support, and a 10 MHz internal oscillator option, allowing reduced component count and BOM cost. The 28-SSOP package has a body size of 5.30 mm x 10.20 mm with 0.65 mm pitch.
The PIC16LF872 architecture implements a Harvard-style bus with separate program and data paths, enabling deterministic instruction execution and predictable interrupt latency. Brown's-out Reset (BOR) and Power-on Reset (POR) are integrated, plus code protection to safeguard embedded firmware. The device consumes less than 1 µA in sleep mode at 3V, supporting long-life battery applications.
Typical applications include consumer appliances, automotive body electronics, industrial control panels, sensor signal conditioning, and low-cost motor control. The wide 2.2V-5.5V range also suits single-cell Li-ion or two-cell alkaline battery-powered designs. The compact 28-SSOP footprint enables high-density PCB layouts.
When designing, configure unused I/O pins as outputs to minimize current consumption and use the internal oscillator to reduce external component count. Confirm that the chosen programmer (e.g., PICkit 3/4 or ICD) supports the device family, and budget ADC acquisition time based on source impedance.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing across 13 sources, drop-in 28-SSOP alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF872-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 PIC16LF872-I/SS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Timers, Operating Temperature, Core Architecture, ADC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16LF872-I/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.07 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16F872-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF870-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF871-I/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.12 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF873A-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.05 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF872-I/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 (8-bit RISC) |
| CPU Clock Frequency (max) | 20 MHz |
| Instruction Execution Time | 200 ns |
| Program Memory (FLASH) | 3.5 KB (2K x 14) |
| Data RAM | 128 bytes (128 x 8) |
| Data EEPROM | 64 bytes (64 x 8) |
| I/O Pins | 22 |
| ADC | 10-bit, 5 channels |
| Timers | 2 x 8-bit, 1 x 16-bit |
| Serial Interfaces | USART/SCI, MSSP (SPI / I2C) |
| Supply Voltage Range | 2.2 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) |
| Package | 28-SSOP (5.30 mm x 10.20 mm, 0.65 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Internal Oscillator | 10 MHz (selectable) |
| Watchdog Timer | Yes (with on-chip RC oscillator) |
| In-Circuit Debug | ICD support |
| Self-Programming | Yes |
| Brown-out Reset / Power-on Reset | Yes |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC16LF872-I/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA0/AN0 — Digital I/O / Analog input channel 0 |
| Pin 2 | RA1/AN1 — Digital I/O / Analog input channel 1 |
| Pin 3 | RA2/AN2/VREF- — Digital I/O / Analog input channel 2 / ADC negative reference |
| Pin 4 | RA3/AN3/VREF+ — Digital I/O / Analog input channel 3 / ADC positive reference |
| Pin 5 | RA4/T0CKI — Digital I/O / Timer0 clock input (open-drain) |
| Pin 6 | RA5/SS/AN4 — Digital I/O / SPI slave select / Analog input channel 4 |
| Pin 7 | OSC1/CLKIN — Crystal oscillator input / external clock input |
| Pin 8 | OSC2/CLKOUT — Crystal oscillator output / clock output |
| Pin 9 | RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI — Digital I/O / Timer1 oscillator output / Timer1 clock input |
| Pin 10 | RC1/T1OSI/CCP2 — Digital I/O / Timer1 oscillator input / Capture/Compare/PWM 2 |
| Pin 11 | RC2/CCP1 — Digital I/O / Capture/Compare/PWM 1 |
| Pin 12 | RC3/SCK/SCL — Digital I/O / SPI clock / I2C clock |
| Pin 13 | RC4/SDI/SDA — Digital I/O / SPI data in / I2C data |
| Pin 14 | RC5/SDO — Digital I/O / SPI data out |
| Pin 15 | RC6/TX/CK — Digital I/O / USART TX / USART clock |
| Pin 16 | RC7/RX/DT — Digital I/O / USART RX / USART data |
| Pin 17 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 18 | VDD — Positive supply (2.2V to 5.5V) |
| Pin 19 | RB0/INT — Digital I/O / External interrupt 0 |
| Pin 20 | RB1 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 21 | RB2 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 22 | RB3/PGM — Digital I/O / Low-voltage programming input |
| Pin 23 | RB4 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 24 | RB5 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 25 | RB6/PGC — Digital I/O / In-circuit debugger clock |
| Pin 26 | RB7/PGD — Digital I/O / In-circuit debugger data |
| Pin 27 | MCLR/VPP — Master clear reset / programming voltage input |
| Pin 28 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF872-I/SS is suitable for 7 applications: Consumer Appliance Control, Battery-Powered Sensor Node, Industrial Control Panel, Automotive Body Electronics, Small DC Motor / Fan Speed Controller, Educational / Hobby Development Board, Smart Card / RFID Reader Slave.
Consumer Appliance Control
The PIC16LF872-I/SS fits consumer appliance control boards because its 22 I/O pins directly drive segment LCDs, keypads, relays, and triac interfaces without external mux ICs. The 2.2V-5.5V supply accommodates both 3.3V logic-level sensor chains and legacy 5V relay drivers on the same PCB. With 5-channel 10-bit ADC, the MCU samples NTC thermistors for temperature regulation, while the MSSP SPI/I2C port drives EEPROM for user presets and an external RTC. FLASH self-programming supports field firmware updates via the appliance's service port. Per Microchip AN1229 reference design patterns, configure INT0 for zero-crossing detection to synchronize TRIAC firing and minimize EMI.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Sensor Node
The PIC16LF872-I/SS is well matched to wireless sensor nodes powered by 2x AA alkaline or single-cell Li-coin cells because its 2.2V minimum VDD covers the full battery discharge curve down to near-end-of-life. Sleep current below 1 µA at 3V (per Microchip datasheet DS30210F) lets a duty-cycled sensor node run years on one battery. The 10 MHz internal oscillator eliminates an external crystal, saving $0.20-$0.40 BOM and reducing parasitic leakage. Five 10-bit ADC channels read temperature, humidity, and battery voltage; the USART handles UART-linked radios; MSSP I2C drives low-power sensor ICs. Use the watchdog timer with internal RC (~18 ms nominal) to recover from firmware lockups during RF brown-out.
Recommended
Industrial Control Panel
The PIC16LF872-I/SS suits industrial control panels where its -40 to +85 C industrial temperature range and wide 2.2V-5.5V supply tolerate factory-floor power transients. The 22 I/O lines handle 7-segment LED or character-LCD displays, optocoupler-isolated inputs, and 24V logic-level interfaces via external resistors. Its Brown-out Reset and Power-on Reset features ensure deterministic startup under noisy 24V->5V buck converter rails. The MSSP SPI drives MAX7219 LED drivers or external EEPROMs for parameter logging, while the USART links to RS-485 transceivers like MAX3485 for Modbus RTU. The 10-bit ADC (5 channels, ~10 µs conversion) reads 4-20 mA loopback resistors for analog sensor inputs.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics
Although the PIC16LF872-I/SS is the standard -40 to +85 C industrial grade (not AEC-Q100), its wide supply range and PIC16 robustness make it useful for non-safety automotive body modules such as interior lighting controllers, seat heaters, and accessory switches. The 22 I/O pins drive LED drivers, MOSFET half-bridges for seat motors, and LIN bus transceivers like TJA1027 via the USART. The 10-bit ADC samples NTC seat temperature sensors and current shunts; the MSSP I2C port reads ambient light sensors. Brown-out Reset prevents EEPROM corruption during cranking transients. For AEC-Q100-qualified versions of the same pinout, look at PIC16F1936-I/SS in the enhanced midrange family.
Recommended
Small DC Motor / Fan Speed Controller
The PIC16LF872-I/SS is well suited for closed-loop DC motor or fan speed controllers because its 16-bit timer (Timer1) with capture/compare can be triggered by Hall sensor pulses for accurate RPM measurement, while the 10-bit PWM output (CCP module) drives a MOSFET gate through a gate driver. The 5-channel ADC reads back EMF sensing resistors for sensorless applications. The MSSP SPI port drives external gate drivers like MCP14A0901 or communicates with a host controller. Watchdog timer and BOR ensure safe restart after motor stall events. Per Microchip AN894 reference design, use Timer0 overflow as a timebase for PID calculation and the ADC in sleep-idle mode to save power.
Recommended
Educational / Hobby Development Board
The PIC16LF872-I/SS is widely used in university curricula and hobbyist projects because of its simple 35-instruction RISC architecture and free MPLAB X IDE + XC8 toolchain support. The 28-SSOP breakout footprint pairs well with PICkit 3/4 and ICD headers for in-circuit debugging - students can single-step through code without external hardware. Per Microchip datasheet DS30210F, the 22 I/O and built-in peripherals (USART, ADC, I2C, SPI) let one chip implement a full lab exercise: UART terminal, ADC voltmeter, I2C EEPROM programmer, or SPI-controlled OLED. The 3.5KB FLASH is enough for several textbook exercises while still allowing the LF low-voltage variant to run from a single 3V coin cell.
Recommended
Smart Card / RFID Reader Slave
The PIC16LF872-I/SS fits as a slave MCU in dual-MCU RFID reader designs, where it handles low-level ISO 14443 or 15693 protocol framing while a host processor runs the application stack. The MSSP SPI port connects to a CRYPTO or NFC frontend IC at up to 10 MHz; the USART bridges to the host. The 10-bit ADC monitors antenna tuning voltage; the 16-bit Timer1 provides microsecond-accurate timing for bit-period sampling. The 128-byte RAM is sufficient for protocol buffers, and the 64-byte EEPROM stores per-card keys. The 2.2V-5.5V supply lets the same board run from 3.3V regulators commonly used in NFC frontend designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF872-I/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16LF872-I/SO | PIC16F872-I/SS | PIC16LF870-I/SS | PIC16LF873A-I/SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 28-SSOP (0.65 mm pitch) | 28-SOIC (1.27 mm pitch) - different footprint | 28-SSOP - same footprint | 28-SSOP - same footprint | 28-SSOP - same footprint |
| Core | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 8-bit RISC | PIC16 enhanced midrange 8-bit |
| Max CPU Clock | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz | 20 MHz |
| FLASH Program Memory | 3.5 KB (2K x 14) | 3.5 KB | 3.5 KB | 2 KB (-43%) | 7 KB (+100%) |
| RAM | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 128 bytes | 192 bytes (+50%) |
| EEPROM | 64 bytes | 64 bytes | 64 bytes | 64 bytes | 128 bytes (+100%) |
| I/O Pins | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Supply Voltage | 2.2 V to 5.5 V (LF) | 2.2 V to 5.5 V (LF) | 4.0 V to 5.5 V (standard) | 2.2 V to 5.5 V (LF) | 2.0 V to 5.5 V (LF) |
| ADC | 10-bit, 5 channels | 10-bit, 5 ch | 10-bit, 5 ch | 10-bit, 5 ch | 10-bit, 5 ch |
| Serial Interfaces | USART + MSSP (SPI/I2C) | USART + MSSP | USART + MSSP | USART + MSSP | USART + MSSP + 2nd USART |
| Pinout Compatibility | Reference | Drop-in except package | Drop-in (check VDD) | Pin-compatible per chart 00148J2 | Pin-compatible per PIC16F87x family |
Key Differentiators
- Wider voltage range than non-LF variant (vs PIC16F872-I/SS)
- Smaller pitch than 28-SOIC (vs PIC16LF872-I/SO)
- Pin-compatible upgrade path to more memory (vs PIC16LF873A-I/SS)
- More FLASH than PIC16LF870 (vs PIC16LF870-I/SS)
Design Notes
Power supply design: Place a 100 nF decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of VDD (pin 18) and a 10 µF bulk capacitor near the regulator. The PIC16LF872-I/SS BOR (Brown-out Reset) trip is factory-set around 4.0V (F-version) or 2.0V (LF-version). For designs that must operate across 2.5-5.5V, configure BOR in software via PCON register per Microchip datasheet DS30210F. The /MCLR pin (pin 27) requires a 10 kohm pull-up to VDD and a 100 nF cap to ground for in-circuit debugging; omit the cap if you only need reset (not ICD).
PCB layout: For the 28-SSOP variant, keep clock traces short (<25 mm) and away from switching nodes. Use a guard ring around the OSC1/OSC2 crystal pins and connect the crystal case to ground. Per Microchip AN1229 EMC guidelines, place the analog AVSS/AVDD (here shared with VDD/GND) away from digital switching currents - if analog accuracy is critical, add ferrite beads and a separate analog LDO. Keep the ADC input traces short and use a 100 ohm series resistor with 100 nF cap to limit current injection during ADC channel switching.
Common pitfalls: (1) Selecting configuration bits - the watchdog timer is enabled by default in some configurations and can lock up the firmware; disable WDTE in CONFIG1 if not needed. (2) The 10-bit ADC needs minimum acquisition time; for 10 kohm source impedance, TACQ must be at least ~13 µs per datasheet DS30210F. (3) Reading EEPROM - allow ~4 ms typical write time and clear EEIF in interrupt service. (4) Brown-out detection is not the same as low-voltage detect; use BOR + sleep mode for lowest quiescent current.
Thermal considerations: The PIC16LF872-I/SS in 28-SSOP is rated for -40 C to +85 C industrial operation. Typical supply current is 2-10 mA at 5V/20 MHz (active) and <1 µA in sleep. Estimated: at 5V/20 MHz active with 5 mA, dissipation is ~25 mW - no heatsink needed. Junction-to-ambient thermal resistance theta_JA for 28-SSOP is approximately 100 C/W per Microchip packaging specs, yielding a self-heating rise of only ~2.5 C above ambient. No thermal management is required for normal operation.
Compliance Information
Standard -40C to +85C industrial grade; not AEC-Q100 qualified. For automotive safety applications use PIC16F1936-I/SS (enhanced midrange, AEC-Q100).
