PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO - 64KB Flash, 28-QFN 8-bit MCU | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.92 | $3.92 |
| 10 | $3.65 | $36.50 |
| 100 | $3.21 | $321.00 |
| 500 | $2.85 | $1,425.00 |
| 1,000 | $2.49 | $2,490.00 |
PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a programmable integrated circuit that combines a CPU, memory (Flash for program storage, SRAM for data, EEPROM for non-volatile data), and peripherals (ADC, timers, communication interfaces) on a single silicon die. MCUs belong to the broader category of microcontrollers, which are a sub-category of embedded processors within the semiconductor device hierarchy. PIC18F-series MCUs use a modified Harvard architecture with 16-bit instructions and 8-bit data paths, optimized for deterministic real-time control and low-power operation.
Key features include 64 MHz internal oscillator operation, 36 instruction cycles per ADC conversion, peripheral pin select (PPS) for flexible I/O mapping, and zero-cross detection capability. The device offers eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology with sub-µA sleep currents, making it suitable for battery-powered applications. It also provides hardware CRC with memory scan, Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT), and 2x CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) for power conversion control.
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO belongs to the K40 sub-family of PIC18F devices, which emphasizes Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that can operate without CPU intervention, offloading tasks like signal generation, motion control, and safety monitoring. CIPs reduce firmware complexity and enable deterministic real-time responses. The device uses a 5V-tolerant I/O structure and supports a wide operating voltage range from 1.8V to 5.5V, accommodating both 3.3V and 5V system designs.
Typical applications include IoT sensor nodes, industrial control systems, motor control, LED lighting controllers, and consumer electronics. In IoT nodes, the XLP sleep current below 50 nA enables multi-year battery life on a single coin cell. For motor control, the CWG and PWM peripherals can drive half-bridges with dead-band control without CPU intervention, reducing firmware overhead.
Design consideration: The exposed pad (EP) on the QFN package must be soldered to the PCB ground plane to achieve the rated thermal performance. Improper soldering of the EP can lead to junction temperature rise and premature device failure under load. PPS reassignment should be carefully managed to avoid conflicts with default peripheral mappings.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F26K40T-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 PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Core Architecture, Operating Temperature, Program Memory (Flash), Comparators.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.74 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F26K40-I/ML
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$1.78 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F26K40-I/MV
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$1.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F25K40-I/ML
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC 8-bit (modified Harvard) |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 64 KB (32K x 16 words) |
| Data Memory (SRAM) | 4 KB |
| Non-volatile Memory (EEPROM) | 1 KB |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| ADC | 10-bit ADC2 (Computation) |
| DAC | 5-bit DAC |
| Comparators | Yes |
| PWM Channels | Yes (multiple channels) |
| CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) | Yes |
| Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT) | Yes |
| CRC/Memory Scan | Yes |
| Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) | Yes |
| Package | 28-pin QFN (6x6 mm) with Exposed Pad |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +125C (Extended, -E suffix) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| XLP (eXtreme Low Power) | Yes |
| Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) | Yes |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO 28-pin qfn (6x6 mm) with exposed pad Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO (28-pin qfn (6x6 mm) with exposed pad package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes, Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor Control, LED Lighting and Dimming Controllers, Industrial Sensor and Process Control, Consumer Appliance Control Boards, Automotive Body Electronics.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO is ideal for battery-powered IoT sensor nodes due to its XLP (eXtreme Low Power) technology with sleep current below 50 nA. The 64 KB Flash accommodates BLE/Zigbee/LoRa stack libraries plus application logic, while 4 KB SRAM buffers sensor data. The 10-bit ADC2 with Computation enables autonomous sensor sampling (temperature, humidity, motion) without CPU wake-up, extending coin-cell battery life to multiple years. Operating from 1.8V-5.5V supports direct connection to single-cell Li-ion or 3V coin cells without additional regulation.
Recommended
Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor Control
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO's 2x CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) with dead-band control makes it well-suited for sensorless BLDC motor control. The CWG drives half-bridges with hardware-managed dead-time, eliminating CPU timing jitter and reducing firmware complexity. PWM, comparators, and ADC2 coordinate back-EMF zero-cross detection, while WWDT provides safety monitoring. With 64 MHz operation and Core Independent Peripherals handling real-time motor tasks, the CPU is freed for application logic and communication.
Recommended
LED Lighting and Dimming Controllers
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO fits LED lighting controllers thanks to its multiple PWM channels, 10-bit DAC, and Core Independent Peripherals that offload color-mixing and dimming from the CPU. CWG generates complementary PWM outputs for high-power LED drivers, while the 5-bit DAC enables analog dimming control. Operating voltage up to 5.5V supports direct connection to 5V LED driver rails. The 64KB Flash stores complex dimming profiles, color-temperature curves, and DMX-512 or DALI protocol stacks.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor and Process Control
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO supports industrial sensor and process control applications with its 5V-tolerant I/O, 10-bit ADC2, and industrial temperature range (-40C to +125C). Hardware CRC and Memory Scan detect Flash corruption for functional safety, while WWDT provides system-level watchdog supervision. The 1.8V-5.5V supply accommodates 24V industrial buses with simple external regulation. Multiple UART, SPI, and I2C peripherals support Modbus, PROFIBUS, and other industrial protocols.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control Boards
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO is well-suited for consumer appliance control boards (washing machines, microwave ovens, coffee machines) due to its CWG for power control, ADC2 for temperature sensing, and 5V-tolerant I/O interfacing with mains-voltage isolation circuits. The 64KB Flash supports graphical UI libraries and motor control sequences. Compact QFN-28 (6x6 mm) enables small PCB layouts suitable for cost-sensitive consumer products. AEC-Q100 is not required for household appliances.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics
While the PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO itself is not AEC-Q100 qualified, the PIC18F26K40 family supports automotive body electronics applications such as interior lighting, window lifters, and seat controllers where full AEC-Q100 is not mandatory. The wide operating voltage range tolerates automotive load-dump transients with proper external protection. CWG and PWM control LED drivers and small DC motors, while ADC2 monitors current and temperature. For full AEC-Q100 qualified alternatives, Microchip offers dedicated automotive-grade PIC18F variants.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F26K40-E/MLVAO | PIC18F26K40-I/ML | PIC18F25K40-I/ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) - same |
| Flash Memory | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB | 32 KB |
| SRAM | 4 KB | 4 KB | 4 KB | 2 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +125C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
| CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) | Yes (2x) | Yes (2x) | Yes (2x) | Yes (2x) |
Key Differentiators
- Compact QFN-28 (6x6 mm) with industrial temperature range (vs PIC18F26K40-E/SO (SOIC-28))
- Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) including 2x CWG with dead-band control (vs PIC18F46K40 (40-pin DIP))
- 64KB Flash + 4KB SRAM + 1KB EEPROM (vs PIC18F25K40-I/ML (32KB Flash, 2KB SRAM))
Design Notes
Estimated: The QFN-28 (6x6 mm) exposed pad (EP) must be soldered to a PCB ground plane. According to the Microchip PIC18F26K40 datasheet, thermal resistance theta_JA for a properly soldered QFN-28 with EP is approximately 30 C/W on a standard 4-layer JEDEC test board. Without EP soldering, theta_JA can exceed 80 C/W, leading to junction temperature rise above 125C under sustained loads. Always verify EP soldering via X-ray or cross-section on production boards.
Estimated: For the 28-QFN package, Microchip recommends a 4-layer PCB with continuous ground plane beneath the device and at least 8 thermal vias in the EP land pattern to dissipate heat to inner ground layers. Place a 0.1 uF decoupling capacitor as close as possible to each VDD pin, and add a bulk 1-10 uF tantalum or ceramic capacitor near the IC. The exposed pad should have multiple vias (0.3 mm drill) connecting it to the ground plane for thermal and electrical performance.
The PIC18F26K40 family uses Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) for flexible I/O mapping. A common pitfall is configuring PPS without first unlocking the PPS register sequence - the device will silently ignore PPS writes if the IOLOCK bit is set. Always follow the unlock sequence in the datasheet section on PPS. Also, note that PPS input and output pins have separate mapping registers; a pin configured as PPS output cannot simultaneously be a PPS input.
The PIC18F26K40T-E/MLVAO supports operating voltage from 1.8V to 5.5V, but at voltages below 2.7V, the ADC2 accuracy degrades and maximum CPU frequency is limited. For 64 MHz operation, VDD must be at least 2.7V. XLP sleep mode below 50 nA is achieved only with all peripherals disabled and the device in Sleep mode with WDT disabled; enabling WWDT or ADC2 increases sleep current significantly. Always consult the 'DC and AC Characteristics' section of the datasheet for parametric values at your specific VDD and temperature.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Microchip product page. Standard K40 family is not AEC-Q100 qualified - Microchip offers dedicated automotive PIC18F variants for AEC-Q100 needs. Halogen-free per Microchip environmental compliance data.
