PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO - 8-bit MCU, 64KB Flash, 28-QFN | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.85 | $2.85 |
| 10 | $2.58 | $25.80 |
| 100 | $2.21 | $221.00 |
| 500 | $1.95 | $975.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.74 | $1,740.00 |
PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO Overview
What is an 8-bit microcontroller? An MCU (microcontroller unit) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, non-volatile program memory, working RAM, I/O peripherals, and often analog blocks onto one die. Within the broader taxonomy: 8-bit MCU -> microcontroller -> embedded processor -> semiconductor -> IC. The PIC18 family is Microchip's high-performance 8-bit line, sitting above the PIC16/PIC12 in peripheral richness and instruction throughput while remaining code-compatible with the legacy PIC16 instruction set.
Key features include Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) such as CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator), the configurable WWDT, CRC/Scan, the Hardware Limit Timer (HLT) and 10-bit ADC2 with averaging, oversampling and automated threshold comparison. Together these allow closed-loop control, signal conditioning, and safety monitoring without CPU intervention. The device supports up to 36 MHz internal or external clock and includes 25 I/O pins with interrupt-on-change.
Architecture: an enhanced Harvard RISC core with 16-bit opcodes, 8-bit data path, hardware multiply, and a 31-level interrupt vector table. The on-chip FVR (Fixed Voltage Reference) and bandgap provide stable references for the ADC2 and comparators, and nanoWatt XLP modes enable <50 nA sleep currents for battery-powered designs.
Typical applications: industrial sensor nodes, automotive body and HVAC modules, low-power IoT edge devices, small appliances with touch and PWM drive, and consumer products that need 5V-tolerant I/O. Designers pick this part when they want the 28-pin QFN footprint, 5V tolerance and rich analog/mixed-signal peripherals on a low-power core.
Design consideration: route the AVSS/VDD pairs with separate analog and digital decoupling (100 nF + 1 uF each), use a low-ESR 1 uF on VDD and place it within 3 mm of the pin, and select the correct ICSP PGECx/PGEDx pair when designing for in-circuit programming or debugging.
This page synthesizes verified distributor pricing, drop-in alternative MPNs and practical design notes that complement - and go beyond - the manufacturer datasheet, helping engineers pick the right part faster.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO — 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 PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, Package, DAC, Program Memory (Flash), Comparators.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F26K40-E/ML
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$2.49 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F46K40-I/ML
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$2.55 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F26K22-E/ML
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F25K42-E/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.79 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F26Q43-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Product Type | 8-bit Microcontroller (MCU) |
| Family | PIC18 (K40 series) |
| Core Architecture | PIC18 Enhanced Harvard RISC |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 64 KB |
| Data Memory (SRAM) | 4 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB |
| Operating Voltage (VDD) | 2.3 V to 5.5 V |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz (16 MIPS) |
| ADC | 10-bit ADC2 with Computation |
| DAC | 5-bit DAC |
| Comparators | Yes |
| PWM Channels | Yes (CCP, PWM) |
| CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) | Yes |
| Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT) | Yes |
| CRC/Scan | Yes |
| I/O Pins | 25 |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (extended) |
| Package | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA5 — General purpose I/O / ADC / segment drive |
| Pin 2 | RA4 — General purpose I/O / ADC |
| Pin 3 | RA3 — General purpose I/O / ADC / VREF+ |
| Pin 4 | RA2 — General purpose I/O / ADC / VREF- |
| Pin 5 | RA1 — General purpose I/O / ADC / comparator input |
| Pin 6 | RA0 — General purpose I/O / ADC / ICSPDAT |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | RA7 — General purpose I/O / oscillator / ADC |
| Pin 9 | RA6 — General purpose I/O / oscillator / ADC |
| Pin 10 | RC0 — General purpose I/O / PWM |
| Pin 11 | RC1 — General purpose I/O / PWM |
| Pin 12 | RC2 — General purpose I/O / PWM / comparator |
| Pin 13 | RC3 — General purpose I/O / PWM / SCL |
| Pin 14 | RC4 — General purpose I/O / PWM / SDA |
| Pin 15 | RC5 — General purpose I/O / PWM |
| Pin 16 | RC6 — General purpose I/O / TX |
| Pin 17 | RC7 — General purpose I/O / RX |
| Pin 18 | VSS — Ground reference (digital) |
| Pin 19 | VDD — Positive supply (digital) |
| Pin 20 | RB0 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PWM |
| Pin 21 | RB1 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PWM |
| Pin 22 | RB2 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PWM |
| Pin 23 | RB3 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PWM |
| Pin 24 | RB4 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PWM |
| Pin 25 | RB5 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PWM |
| Pin 26 | RB6 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PGC |
| Pin 27 | RB7 — General purpose I/O / interrupt / PGD |
| Pin 28 | AVDD — Positive supply (analog) |
| Pin EP | EP — Exposed thermal/ground pad - solder to PCB ground plane |
Typical Applications
PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Sensor Node, Automotive Body and HVAC Module, Low-Power IoT Edge Device, Small Appliance Control, Consumer Remote Control with Touch, Battery Charger / Power Management Front-End, Security and Access Control Panel.
Industrial Sensor Node
The PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO fits industrial sensor nodes because its XLP nanoWatt modes drop quiescent current below 50 nA in sleep, while 64 KB Flash and 4 KB SRAM host protocol stacks such as Modbus RTU or IO-Link. Its 10-bit ADC2 with computation performs on-chip averaging, oversampling and threshold comparison without waking the CPU, reducing firmware complexity for thermocouple, pressure and flow sensors. The 28-QFN (ML) package keeps node PCBs under 15 mm x 15 mm, and -40C to +125C operation tolerates factory-floor temperature swings.
Recommended
Automotive Body and HVAC Module
In automotive body and HVAC ECUs the PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO delivers 5 V-tolerant I/O that interfaces directly with 12 V battery rails through external resistors, while CWG drives half-bridges for fan and damper control. The Hardware Limit Timer (HLT) and PWM/CCP provide fail-safe actuation, and CRC/Scan verifies Flash integrity at power-on for functional-safety awareness. The -E extended temperature grade handles under-dash thermal loads, and the 28-QFN (ML) footprint simplifies layout under tight packaging constraints in HVAC housings.
Recommended
Low-Power IoT Edge Device
The PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO is well-suited to battery-powered IoT edge nodes because XLP technology achieves sub-uA sleep currents and 64 KB Flash accommodates TLS-style stacks and OTA bootloaders. The integrated 10-bit ADC2 and 5-bit DAC allow direct interface with analog sensors and piezo buzzer/MEMS microphone front-ends, while the 25 I/O pins drive indicator LEDs, user buttons and SPI/I2C peripherals. Its 2.3-5.5 V VDD range simplifies designs powered by 3.6 V Li-SOCl2 or rechargeable Li-ion cells, with the 28-QFN (ML) helping keep the BOM small.
Recommended
Small Appliance Control
Coffee machines, blenders and washing appliances benefit from the PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO's CWG and PWM channels that directly drive TRIACs, MOSFETs and brushless DC actuators with dead-band control. ADC2 with computation reads NTC temperature probes and pressure sensors in real time, while the comparator and HLT timer implement safety shutoff without software overhead. The 28-QFN (ML) and 5 V I/O tolerance eliminate level shifters against 5 V sensor bridges, reducing BOM cost in volume production.
Recommended
Consumer Remote Control with Touch
Remotes for set-top boxes and smart TVs run for years on two AA cells when built around the PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO, thanks to XLP sleep currents and the integrated ADC2 that scans capacitive touch buttons with <2 uA active current. The 64 KB Flash stores IR/RF protocols (RC5, NEC, BLE-HID bridge code), and 4 KB SRAM buffers scanned touch data. The 5 V-tolerant I/O and PWM drive an indicator LED and IR emitter directly, while the 28-QFN keeps the remote slim and lightweight.
Recommended
Battery Charger / Power Management Front-End
The PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO monitors voltage, current and temperature in multi-chemistry chargers through ADC2 with hardware averaging and the on-chip comparator for current-sense trip events. CRC/Scan periodically verifies that the charge algorithm in Flash is intact, and PWM controls a synchronous buck or flyback converter with CWG providing complementary gate drive. The -40C to +125C temperature rating and 5 V-tolerant I/O let the same design work for Li-ion packs, lead-acid backup units and super-cap modules without redesign.
Recommended
Security and Access Control Panel
Security keypads, magnetic-door controllers and access panels use the PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO's 5 V-tolerant I/O to read 4x4 keypad matrices and Wiegand card readers directly. CRC/Scan and the Windowed WWDT meet basic functional-safety expectations for alarm panels, and the 1 KB EEPROM stores encrypted credential records without an external memory IC. The 28-QFN (ML) keeps the PCB compact for in-wall enclosures, and XLP allows battery-backed operation during AC power loss.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F26K40-E/ML | PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO | PIC18F46K40-I/ML | PIC18F26K22-E/ML | PIC18F25K42-E/ML | PIC18F26Q43-I/ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) - same | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) - same | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) - same | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) - same | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) - same | 28-pin QFN (ML, 6x6 mm) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same |
| Program Flash | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB |
| SRAM | 4 KB | 4 KB | 4 KB | 4 KB | 4 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 256 B | 1 KB |
| ADC | 10-bit ADC2 (Computation) | 10-bit ADC2 | 10-bit ADC2 | 10-bit ADC2 | 10-bit ADC (no computation) | 12-bit ADC2 | 12-bit ADC2 |
| CWG / HLT / CRC-Scan | Yes / Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes / Yes | No / No / No | Yes / Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes / Yes |
| Temperature Range | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +125C | -40C to +125C | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C | -40C to +125C | -40C to +85C |
| Unit Price (USD, qty 1) | 2.85 | 2.80 | 2.85 | 3.10 | 2.70 | 2.60 | 2.75 |
Key Differentiators
- Full CIP peripheral integration at the lowest power (vs PIC18F26K22-E/ML)
- Extended -40C to +125C temperature grade (vs PIC18F46K40-I/ML)
- Drop-in footprint compatibility with newer Q43 family (vs PIC18F26Q43-I/ML)
Design Notes
Decouple VDD and AVDD separately with a 100 nF ceramic cap placed within 3 mm of each supply pin and a bulk 1 uF low-ESR ceramic shared with the digital rail. Tie AVSS to VSS at a single point under the IC to avoid ground-loop noise coupling into the 10-bit ADC2 - per the Microchip K40 family PCB guidelines. For battery designs, leverage the XLP sleep modes (DTM/doze/idle) and gate the ADC2 sample rate with the FVR-ready interrupt to drop average current below 50 nA between measurements.
Estimated: the QFN ML package theta_JA is approximately 35 C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC test board. At maximum CPU activity at 64 MHz the part dissipates well under 100 mW, so the thermal rise is below 5 C in normal use. The exposed pad (EP) must be soldered to a continuous ground copper pour with thermal vias to keep junction temperature inside the -40C to +125C window at high ambient.
The 28-pin QFN (ML) land pattern requires a 0.4 mm pitch with a center pad of roughly 4.5 mm x 4.5 mm per Microchip package drawings. Use NSMD pads with solder mask defined openings for the side leads and a windowed solder-mask opening over the EP for reliable reflow. Keep the ICSP PGECx/PGEDx pair (RB6/RB7) routed with no series resistors and within 100 mm of the programming header for clean ICD debug operation.
Do not leave unused I/O floating - configure them as outputs low or enable the internal weak pull-up to avoid parasitic current paths. Remember that the K40's ADC2 channel mapping differs slightly from older K22 parts; cross-check ANSEL and ADPCH registers when migrating legacy code. Finally, the WWDT must be enabled in software and configured with a window to gain functional-safety benefit - enabling it without a window defeats most of its diagnostic value.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status confirmed by Microchip product page. AEC-Q100 status not explicitly listed for the -E/-MLVAO variant on the public product page; confirm with Microchip for automotive qualification needs.
