PIC18F23K20-I/SO - 8-bit PIC18 MCU, 8KB Flash, 64MHz | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F23K20-I/SO ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.85 | $2.85 |
| 10 | $2.56 | $25.60 |
| 100 | $2.13 | $213.00 |
| 500 | $1.78 | $890.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.55 | $1,550.00 |
PIC18F23K20-I/SO Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer containing a CPU, non-volatile program memory, RAM, and configurable peripherals. The PIC18 series uses an enhanced 8-bit RISC Harvard architecture with 16-bit instructions, and the F23K20 sits in the K20 sub-family optimized for low-power and mixed-signal applications with on-chip 10-bit ADC, multiple timers, and nanoWatt power management. This places it in the hierarchy: microcontroller -> embedded controller -> semiconductor IC.
Key features include 25 digital I/O pins, a 10-bit A/D converter with up to 11 input channels, two analog comparators, an enhanced USART, MSSP (SPI/I2C), two capture/compare/PWM modules, and a 16-bit timer/counter. The nanoWatt XLP technology delivers typical sleep currents below 100 nA, suiting battery-powered and energy-harvesting designs.
The F23K20's enhanced mid-range core supports C-compiler-friendly architecture with linear program memory and an 8-deep hardware stack. Multiple oscillator modes (HFINTOSC 16 MHz with PLL, EC, HS, XT, LP) enable flexible clocking without external crystals. Hardware multiplier and priority interrupts accelerate real-time control loops.
Typical applications include industrial sensor interfaces, low-power IoT edge nodes, consumer appliance control, HVAC subsystems, battery chargers, and small motor or fan controllers. The wide SOIC package eases hand-soldering and visual inspection, making the -I/SO variant especially popular in prototyping and small-batch production. AEC-Q100 grade 1 variants are available separately for automotive.
When designing, plan the I/O budget around 25 pins (3 are shared with programming/debug), allocate one analog channel reference per ADC group, and ensure VDD decoupling follows Microchip's guidance (typically 0.1 uF plus bulk) placed within 6 mm of the pins. For new designs, the -I/SP (SPDIP) variant is easier for breadboard prototyping.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in 28-SOIC alternatives, and practical design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F23K20-I/SO — 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 PIC18F23K20-I/SO (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Timers, ADC, Communication, Core Architecture.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F24K20-I/SO
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F25K20-I/SO
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F23K20-E/SO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.94 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F43K20-I/SO
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F23K20-I/MV
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$1.72 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F23K20-I/SO Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8-bit PIC18 RISC (Harvard) |
| Family | PIC18FxxK20 (nanoWatt XLP) |
| Program Flash Memory | 8 KB (4K x 16 words) |
| SRAM | 768 bytes |
| EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz |
| Throughput | 16 MIPS |
| Instruction Cycle | 200 ns at 64 MHz |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| Digital I/O Pins | 25 |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 11 channels |
| Analog Comparators | 2 |
| Timers | 1x 8-bit, 3x 16-bit |
| CCP Modules | 2 (Capture/Compare/PWM) |
| Communication | EUSART, MSSP (SPI / I2C) |
| Package | 28-pin SOIC wide (SO) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Pb-Free compliant |
| MSL Level | 1 |
PIC18F23K20-I/SO Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA3/AN3/VREF+ — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 3 / ADC positive voltage reference |
| Pin 2 | RA4/T0CKI/C1OUT — Bidirectional I/O / Timer0 clock input / Comparator 1 output |
| Pin 3 | RA5/AN4/SS/HLVDIN/C2OUT — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 4 / SPI slave select / HLVD input / Comparator 2 output |
| Pin 4 | RA6/OSC2/CLKO — Bidirectional I/O / Oscillator crystal output / Clock output |
| Pin 5 | RA7/OSC1/CLKI — Bidirectional I/O / Oscillator crystal input / Clock input |
| Pin 6 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 3.6V) |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | RB0/AN12/INT0 — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 12 / External interrupt 0 |
| Pin 9 | RB1/AN10/INT1 — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 10 / External interrupt 1 |
| Pin 10 | RB2/AN8/INT2 — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 8 / External interrupt 2 |
| Pin 11 | RB3/AN9/CCP2 — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 9 / CCP2 output |
| Pin 12 | RB4/AN11/KBI0 — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 11 / Keyboard interrupt 0 |
| Pin 13 | RB5/KBI1/PGM — Bidirectional I/O / Keyboard interrupt 1 / LVP programming |
| Pin 14 | RB6/KBI2/PGC — Bidirectional I/O / Keyboard interrupt 2 / ICSP clock |
| Pin 15 | RB7/KBI3/PGD — Bidirectional I/O / Keyboard interrupt 3 / ICSP data |
| Pin 16 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 17 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 3.6V) |
| Pin 18 | RC0/SOSCO/T1CKI — Bidirectional I/O / Secondary oscillator output / Timer1 clock input |
| Pin 19 | RC1/SOSCI/CCP2 — Bidirectional I/O / Secondary oscillator input / CCP2 alt |
| Pin 20 | RC2/CCP1 — Bidirectional I/O / CCP1 output |
| Pin 21 | RC3/SCK/SCL — Bidirectional I/O / SPI clock / I2C clock |
| Pin 22 | RC4/SDI/SDA — Bidirectional I/O / SPI data in / I2C data |
| Pin 23 | RC5/SDO — Bidirectional I/O / SPI data out |
| Pin 24 | RC6/TX/CK — Bidirectional I/O / EUSART TX / EUSART clock |
| Pin 25 | RC7/RX/DT — Bidirectional I/O / EUSART RX / EUSART data |
| Pin 26 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 27 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 3.6V) |
| Pin 28 | RA0/AN0/ULPWU — Bidirectional I/O / Analog input 0 / Ultra-low-power wake-up |
Typical Applications
PIC18F23K20-I/SO is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Sensor Interface Node, Low-Power IoT Edge Node, Consumer Appliance Control, HVAC Fan and Damper Controller, Battery Charger Management, Smart Home Lighting Controller, Small DC Motor Speed Controller.
Industrial Sensor Interface Node
The PIC18F23K20-I/SO's 11-channel 10-bit ADC and nanoWatt XLP sleep under 100 nA suit remote sensor interfaces where 4-20 mA loops or thermocouple inputs require precise A/D sampling with battery endurance of years. Its 64 MHz / 16 MIPS core runs FFT pre-processing on vibration or temperature data before UART transmission, while the wide 1.8-3.6 V VDD tolerates unregulated solar or harvested supplies. Design tip: pair with a precision op-amp front end and use the on-chip comparators for threshold-based wake-up to maximize duty-cycled sleep time.
Recommended
Low-Power IoT Edge Node
The PIC18F23K20-I/SO is a strong fit for battery-powered IoT endpoints where sub-100 nA sleep current and 1.8 V minimum VDD allow multi-year coin-cell operation. The MSSP peripheral drives SPI sensors (e.g., accelerometers, environmental sensors) while the EUSART connects to a sub-GHz or BLE module for uplink. Unlike Cortex-M0+ parts, the F23K20's PIC18 RISC core delivers deterministic interrupt latency, which is critical for time-slotted protocols like LoRaWAN class A.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control
In consumer white goods and small kitchen appliances, the PIC18F23K20-I/SO provides 25 I/O pins to drive relays, triacs, and LED indicators while its 16 MIPS throughput executes capacitive-touch firmware and PID loops. The 28-SOIC wide package survives wave soldering on consumer-grade SMT lines, and the 1.8-3.6 V range matches 3.3 V regulated supplies. Unlike discrete logic controllers, the F23K20 integrates brown-out reset and watchdog, cutting BOM cost and PCB area.
Recommended
HVAC Fan and Damper Controller
The PIC18F23K20-I/SO's two CCP modules generate PWM for BLDC or stepper fan control, while its analog comparators detect zero-cross for triac-based damper drives. The 16 MIPS core runs sensor-fusion algorithms for temperature and pressure feedback, and the nanoWatt XLP mode keeps standby power below regulatory limits. The -40 C to +85 C industrial grade supports unconditioned equipment rooms and outdoor HVAC enclosures.
Recommended
Battery Charger Management
The PIC18F23K20-I/SO controls CC/CV charge profiles for Li-ion, NiMH, and lead-acid packs using its 10-bit ADC to monitor voltage and current. The PIC18 core executes state-machine charging logic deterministically, while 256 B of EEPROM stores battery chemistry profiles without external memory. The 1.8 V minimum VDD lets the same firmware handle 1S Li-ion packs from 4.2 V down to undervoltage cutoff near 3.0 V.
Recommended
Smart Home Lighting Controller
In dimmable LED drivers and Zigbee/Matter lighting nodes, the PIC18F23K20-I/SO delivers PWM at up to 16 MIPS to drive constant-current LED strings with smooth logarithmic dimming curves. The 25 I/O pins support multiple zones and capacitive touch, while the nanoWatt sleep keeps wall-switch retrofit modules under 0.5 W standby for energy compliance. The 28-SOIC footprint fits standard wall-box switch geometries.
Recommended
Small DC Motor Speed Controller
The PIC18F23K20-I/SO drives brushed DC motors via its CCP PWM output and a discrete H-bridge, with closed-loop speed regulation from a tachometer or back-EMF signal sampled by the 10-bit ADC. The 16 MIPS throughput handles PI control at 20 kHz without jitter, while the nanoWatt sleep mode saves power when the motor is idle. Compared with an analog LM555 timer design, the F23K20 adds soft-start, fault detection, and EEPROM-stored speed profiles.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F23K20-I/SO — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F24K20-I/SO | PIC18F25K20-I/SO | PIC18F23K20-E/SO | PIC18F43K20-I/SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 28-SOIC wide | 28-SOIC wide (same) | 28-SOIC wide (same) | 28-SOIC wide (same) | 28-SOIC wide (same) |
| Flash Memory | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 8 KB (same) | 8 KB (same) |
| SRAM | 768 B | 768 B (same) | 1536 B | 768 B (same) | 768 B (same) |
| CPU Frequency | 64 MHz / 16 MIPS | 64 MHz / 16 MIPS | 64 MHz / 16 MIPS | 64 MHz / 16 MIPS | 64 MHz / 16 MIPS |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (I) | -40C to +85C (I) | -40C to +85C (I) | -40C to +125C (E) | -40C to +85C (I) |
| 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 |
| Unit Price (qty 1) | $2.85 | $3.20 (approx) | $3.55 (approx) | $3.05 (approx) | $2.95 (approx) |
| ADC | 10-bit, 11 ch | 10-bit, 11 ch | 10-bit, 11 ch | 10-bit, 11 ch | 10-bit, 14 ch |
Key Differentiators
- Smaller flash footprint with cost advantage (vs PIC18F24K20-I/SO)
- Industrial vs extended temperature grade (vs PIC18F23K20-E/SO)
- NanoWatt XLP extreme low power (vs PIC18F2321-I/SO)
- Wider 28-SOIC for easier hand-soldering (vs PIC18F23K20-I/SS (SSOP-28))
Design Notes
Place a 0.1 uF ceramic decoupling capacitor within 6 mm of each VDD pin (pins 6, 17, 27) and a bulk 10 uF tantalum or aluminum-polymer capacitor on the main supply rail. For battery-powered designs, the F23K20's nanoWatt XLP sleep mode can drop quiescent current below 100 nA - put the ADC reference in low-power mode and disable unused peripherals (UART, MSSP) before SLEEP to achieve the lowest standby draw.
Keep analog (RA/AN) traces short and route them away from digital switching signals to minimize ADC crosstalk. The 10-bit ADC achieves its rated ENOB only with the recommended RC filter at AVREF and a quiet analog ground. If using a high-frequency oscillator on RA6/OSC2, place a guard ring around analog inputs to isolate injected noise. SPI/I2C traces to RB4-RB7 should be kept under 50 mm for signal integrity at 16 MHz core speeds.
Do not operate the F23K20 above 3.6 V - it is a 3.3 V part and 5 V signals will damage the I/O pins unless level-translated. When using ICSP programming on RB6/RB7, ensure no external circuitry actively drives these pins during reset or programming. The CONFIG words (fuses) must be set for the proper oscillator mode and watchdog configuration or the device may appear to lock up. Always verify the LVP (low-voltage programming) fuse matches your programmer's voltage.
Compliance Information
Pb-Free per Microchip product page. Standard -I/SO is industrial grade; for AEC-Q100 automotive, source the qualified PIC18F23K20-E/SP or Q-temp variants from Microchip.
