PIC18F27Q83-E/SS - 8-bit 64MHz 128KB Flash MCU with CAN | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F27Q83-E/SS ✓ ActivePIC18F27Q83-E/SS Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a programmable computing engine built around an 8-bit data path, an ALU, on-chip Flash for code, SRAM for variables, and EEPROM for non-volatile data, plus a rich set of mixed-signal peripherals. In the broader IC taxonomy, PIC MCUs sit under PIC18 -> 8-bit PIC -> microcontroller -> embedded processor -> semiconductor. The 'Q83 family' combines CAN connectivity with high-density Flash and CIPs, making it a mid-range choice between PIC16 baseline and PIC32 32-bit devices.
Key differentiating features include 128 KB self-programmable Flash with Device Information Area (DIA) and Device Configuration Information (DCI), 1024 bytes EEPROM rated for 100k erase/write endurance, the 12-bit ADC3 with automated Accumulate, Average, Burst Average, and Low-Pass Filter modes, plus CLC, CWG, DSM, NCO, and SMT peripherals. The on-board DMA controller offloads memory-to-peripheral transfers, freeing the CPU for application logic.
From an architectural standpoint, the PIC18-Q83 uses an enhanced Harvard bus with a 16-bit instruction word and an 8-bit data path, dual-clock LP/IRC oscillator options, and nanoWatt XLP power management. The integrated CIP block, including Configurable Logic Cells (CLC), enables hardware-state-machine functions without firmware intervention - useful for deterministic sensor conditioning or motor commutation timing. The CAN module supports CAN 2.0B active with bit rates up to 1 Mb/s.
Typical applications include industrial sensor conditioning, automotive body and lighting control, LIN/CAN node ECUs, BLDC/PMSM low-power motor commutation, and LED lighting controllers. The wide 1.8V-5.5V VDD range (extended industrial -40C to +125C) supports battery-powered and 5V industrial bus systems. A key design consideration is mapping high-utilization peripherals onto DMA channels and using CIPs to handle bit-banged protocols in hardware rather than firmware, which is the main architectural advantage of the PIC18-Q83 over older PIC18F-K42 designs.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F27Q83-E/SS — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
PIC18F27Q84-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F27Q43-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F27Q83-E/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC18 8-bit Harvard, enhanced instruction set |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 128 KB |
| Data SRAM | 13 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 1024 bytes (1 KB) |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz |
| Operating Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +125 C (Extended) |
| Package | 28-pin SSOP |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| ADC | 12-bit ADC3 with Computation |
| DAC | 5-bit DAC |
| CAN | CAN 2.0B active, up to 1 Mb/s |
| Communication Peripherals | 1x UART, 1x SPI, 1x I2C |
| Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) | CLC, CWG, DSM, NCO, SMT, CCP/PWM, DMA |
| Timers | Multiple 8/16-bit timers, UTMR, WWDT |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC18F27Q83-E/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA2/IOCCM2 — I/O port A bit 2 / ICSP clock |
| Pin 2 | RA3 — I/O port A bit 3 |
| Pin 3 | RA4 — I/O port A bit 4 |
| Pin 4 | RA5 — I/O port A bit 5 |
| Pin 5 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 6 | RA7 — I/O port A bit 7 |
| Pin 7 | RA6 — I/O port A bit 6 |
| Pin 8 | RC0 — I/O port C bit 0 |
| Pin 9 | RC1 — I/O port C bit 1 |
| Pin 10 | RC2 — I/O port C bit 2 |
| Pin 11 | RC3 — I/O port C bit 3 |
| Pin 12 | RC4 — I/O port C bit 4 |
| Pin 13 | RC5 — I/O port C bit 5 |
| Pin 14 | RC6 — I/O port C bit 6 |
| Pin 15 | RC7 — I/O port C bit 7 |
| Pin 16 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 17 | RB7 — I/O port B bit 7 / ICSPDAT |
| Pin 18 | RB6 — I/O port B bit 6 / ICSPCLK |
| Pin 19 | RB5 — I/O port B bit 5 |
| Pin 20 | RB4 — I/O port B bit 4 |
| Pin 21 | RB3 — I/O port B bit 3 |
| Pin 22 | RB2 — I/O port B bit 2 |
| Pin 23 | RB1 — I/O port B bit 1 |
| Pin 24 | RB0 — I/O port B bit 0 |
| Pin 25 | VDD — Positive supply voltage |
| Pin 26 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 27 | RA1 — I/O port A bit 1 |
| Pin 28 | RA0 — I/O port A bit 0 |
Typical Applications
PIC18F27Q83-E/SS is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial CAN Sensor Node, Automotive Body & Lighting Control, BLDC / PMSM Low-Power Motor Commutation, Smart Sensor Hub with LIN/CAN Bridging, LED Lighting Controller with DMX / CAN Backbone, Battery-Powered IoT Sensor with Sleep Modes.
Industrial CAN Sensor Node
The PIC18F27Q83-E/SS is well suited for industrial CAN sensor nodes because its on-chip CAN 2.0B controller supports up to 1 Mb/s bit rates with hardware acceptance filtering and a dedicated DMA channel. The 12-bit ADC3 with computation (Accumulate, Average, Burst Average, Low-Pass Filter) runs automated signal conditioning without CPU intervention, freeing the 64 MHz PIC18 core for application-level protocol logic. With 128 KB Flash, 13 KB SRAM, and 1 KB EEPROM rated for 100k erase/write cycles, the device holds calibration constants and device IDs locally, eliminating external EEPROM. The 1.8 V-5.5 V VDD range supports 3.3 V and 5 V industrial bus transceivers (e.g., MCP2562) directly. Designers should map heavy ADC-to-CAN traffic onto DMA channels to keep CPU utilization below 30% for deterministic bus latency.
Recommended
Automotive Body & Lighting Control
The PIC18F27Q83-E/SS fits automotive body-control and LED-lighting modules thanks to its extended -40 C to +125 C temperature rating and on-chip CIPs (CLC, CWG, DSM, NCO, SMT) that implement PWM dimming and current-feedback loops in hardware rather than firmware. The 5-bit DAC drives LED current references while the 12-bit ADC3 samples feedback across the full operating voltage range (1.8 V to 5.5 V). The CWG (Complementary Waveform Generator) and DSM (Data Signal Modulator) enable dead-band control and synchronized complementary drive signals without CPU overhead. With 128 KB Flash and 1 KB EEPROM, designers can store CANopen or J1939 lookup tables locally. For AEC-Q100 requirements, consider the 'VAO' or 'Q1' ordering codes rather than the base 'E/SS' industrial grade.
Recommended
BLDC / PMSM Low-Power Motor Commutation
The PIC18F27Q83-E/SS is a strong fit for sensorless or Hall-sensor BLDC/PMSM motor commutation because its CLC, CWG, DSM, and NCO peripherals generate complementary PWM, dead-band, and commutation timing in hardware. The 64 MHz CPU provides 16 MIPS of throughput for state-machine-based Field-Oriented Control (FOC) loops, while the 12-bit ADC3 with computation samples phase currents and back-EMF at high rate. With DMA, ADC-to-PWM register updates occur without CPU cycle stealing, lowering interrupt latency. The 28-SSOP footprint and 1.8 V-5.5 V operating range support compact, battery-friendly driver boards. Pair the MCU with a gate driver (e.g., MCP8024 or MIC4606) for the high-side/low-side half-bridge stages.
Recommended
Smart Sensor Hub with LIN/CAN Bridging
The PIC18F27Q83-E/SS serves as a smart sensor hub where its UART (LIN-capable), SPI, I2C, and CAN peripherals coexist to bridge multi-protocol sensor data into a single CAN frame. The on-chip DMA channels route ADC3 conversion results and incoming SPI sensor data into CAN transmit buffers autonomously, keeping the CPU available for protocol translation. The 13 KB SRAM buffers bursts of incoming frames while the 1 KB EEPROM stores node IDs and calibration. CLC peripherals glue different frame formats in hardware logic without code overhead, and the 1.8 V-5.5 V VDD range allows direct connection to 3.3 V sensor rails. The 64 MHz CPU is more than enough for protocol framing and 1 ms CAN scheduler loops.
Recommended
LED Lighting Controller with DMX / CAN Backbone
Architectural and entertainment LED controllers benefit from the PIC18F27Q83-E/SS's 16-bit PWM (via CCP/PWM peripherals and CWG) for high-resolution dimming across multiple RGBW channels. The CLC peripherals encode DMX512 or CANopen LED protocols in hardware state machines, freeing the 64 MHz CPU for color-mixing math. The 5-bit DAC can drive white-balance bias currents, while the 12-bit ADC3 reads ambient-light or thermal feedback to compensate LED brightness. With 128 KB Flash, full DMX personality tables fit without external memory. The 28-SSOP package and extended temperature rating suit outdoor and stage lighting enclosures.
Recommended
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor with Sleep Modes
The PIC18F27Q83-E/SS is an excellent choice for battery-powered IoT sensors thanks to its nanoWatt XLP technology, which offers sub-uA sleep currents (typical 50-100 nA in deep sleep with WDT) and fast wake-up from the internal LF oscillator. The 1.8 V minimum VDD allows direct operation from single-cell Li-coin cells (2.0-3.0 V), while the 12-bit ADC3 reads low-power sensor channels efficiently with the integrated Low-Pass Filter mode. CLC peripherals implement event-driven sensor wake-ups without CPU intervention, and DMA allows peripheral-to-peripheral transfers during sleep. The 128 KB Flash holds OTA-ready firmware images, and 1 KB EEPROM stores unique node IDs and security keys. Choose this MCU over PIC18F25Q43-I/SS when CAN bus networking is required alongside battery operation.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F27Q83-E/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F27Q84-I/SS | PIC18F27Q43-I/SS | PIC18F26Q84-I/SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 28-SSOP | 28-SSOP - same | 28-SSOP - same | 28-SOIC - same pinout, different footprint |
| Flash Memory | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 64 KB |
| SRAM | 13 KB | 13 KB | 13 KB | 8 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
| CAN Module | CAN 2.0B | CAN-FD | None (CAN removed) | CAN-FD |
| CPU Frequency | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz |
| ADC | 12-bit ADC3 | 12-bit ADC3 | 12-bit ADC3 | 12-bit ADC3 |
| Operating Voltage | 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 |
Key Differentiators
- Classical CAN 2.0B with hardware acceptance filtering (vs PIC18F27Q43-I/SS)
- Higher 128 KB Flash density vs lower-pin variants (vs PIC18F26Q84-I/SO)
- Extended temperature rating as standard (vs PIC18F26Q84-I/SO)
Design Notes
The PIC18F27Q83-E/SS draws approximately 50-100 nA in deep sleep with the WDT running, but 4-8 mA active at 64 MHz with all peripherals on. Use the nanoWatt XLP Idle and Sleep modes aggressively for battery-powered designs. Decouple VDD (pins 7, 20) with a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 5 mm of the pin; add a 10 uF bulk capacitor for transient handling during ADC conversion bursts.
Place the external 16 MHz or 4 MHz primary oscillator crystal within 5 mm of OSC1/OSC2 pins (typically RA1/RA0 or RC0/RC1 per configuration). Keep CAN bus traces short, length-matched, and routed as differential pair with 120-ohm characteristic impedance; route CAN_H and CAN_L away from switching power and PWM signals. Add a 4.7 nF-100 nF safety capacitor on the MCP2562 VCC pin when used with the CAN bus.
Configuration bits must be programmed before Flash operations are permitted - the default unprogrammed state may lock specific pins. The ICSPCLK/ICSPDAT pins (RB6/RB7) are required for in-circuit serial programming; do not place them on net-tied shared paths that interfere with debugger access. When migrating between Q83, Q84, and Q43 variants, verify the CAN module instance count and DMA channel mapping in the device header file because pin assignments for CAN RX/TX differ across the family.
Estimated: with ADC3 sampling at 200 ksps while the CPU runs at 64 MHz, expect approximately 2 mV RMS of digital switching noise on the analog VDD line unless a ferrite bead (e.g., BLM18AG601SN1) separates AVDD from DVDD. Route analog signal traces on a separate layer from the 16 MHz oscillator traces to avoid coupling. Decouple AVSS/AVDD pins with 100 nF X7R + 10 uF tantalum bulk capacitors per the datasheet analog supply section.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per JRH Electronics distributor listing. Not AEC-Q100 qualified at the base 'E/SS' industrial ordering code. Lead-free and halogen-free per Microchip environmental compliance documentation.
