PIC18F45K42-E/P - 8-Bit 64MHz 32KB Flash MCU | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F45K42-E/P ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.1 | $3.10 |
| 10 | $2.83 | $28.30 |
| 100 | $2.42 | $242.00 |
| 500 | $2.1 | $1,050.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.85 | $1,850.00 |
PIC18F45K42-E/P Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a programmable integrated circuit that combines a CPU, memory, and I/O peripherals on a single die, optimized for cost-sensitive embedded control. PIC18F devices sit in the PIC mid-range hierarchy: PIC10/12/16/18 -> PIC18 (8-bit) -> PIC18F K-series (enhanced mid-range with CIPs) -> PIC18F K42 sub-family (newest generation with DMA and 12-bit ADC). They are typically used where deterministic real-time behavior, low power, and rich on-chip peripherals outweigh the throughput of 32-bit ARM cores.
Key features include 32KB Flash, 2KB RAM, 256B EEPROM, a 12-bit differential ADC with computation, multiple UART/SPI/I2C, 5 CCP/PWM modules, and the peripheral DMA controller that moves data between memory and peripherals without CPU intervention. Operating voltage spans 2.3V to 5.5V, with XLP (eXtreme Low Power) modes drawing under 100nA in sleep. The DMA engine significantly reduces CPU overhead for ADC-to-memory, memory-to-UART, and PWM-update transfers.
Typical applications include industrial sensor signal conditioning with DMA-driven ADC pipelines, low-power IoT battery nodes, USB-free human-interface panels, motor control (PWM + ADC), and general-purpose logic replacement where 32KB Flash and 64MHz clock provide ample headroom. The Extended temperature grade (-40C to +125C) suits automotive under-hood and factory-automation environments.
Design tip: route the DMA channel priorities explicitly in MPLAB X IDE to avoid ADC-to-UART transfers starving other real-time tasks; use the on-chip 32kHz low-power oscillator for sleep-mode RTC counting rather than the 64MHz primary clock.
This page synthesizes verified distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and practical design notes not aggregated on the manufacturer product page or any single distributor listing.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F45K42-E/P — 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 PIC18F45K42-E/P (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Program Memory (Flash), Package, Operating Temperature, ADC, Timers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F45K42-I/P
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$1.68 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F46K42-E/P
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View Datasheet →PIC18F45K22-E/P
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.78 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F44K22-E/P
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$2.32 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F458-I/P
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View Datasheet →PIC18F4585-E/P
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View Datasheet →PIC18F45K42-E/P Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core | PIC 8-bit RISC |
| Family | PIC18F K42 |
| Core Size | 8-bit |
| Max CPU Speed | 64 MHz |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 32 KB (16K x 16) |
| RAM | 2 KB |
| EEPROM | 256 B |
| Package | PDIP-40 (0.600", 15.24 mm) |
| Pin Count | 40 |
| Supply Voltage | 2.3 V to 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +125 C (Extended, "-E") |
| ADC | 12-bit differential with computation |
| DMA Channels | Yes (peripheral DMA controller) |
| I/O Pins | 36 |
| Communication | UART, SPI, I2C |
| PWM / CCP | 5 CCP modules |
| Low-Power Feature | XLP (eXtreme Low Power), <100 nA in sleep |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Mounting Type | Through-Hole (THT) |
PIC18F45K42-E/P Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RE3/MCLR — Digital I/O / Master Clear (reset) input |
| Pin 2 | RA0 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 3 | RA1 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 4 | RA2 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 5 | RA3 — Digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 6 | RA4 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 7 | RA5 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 8 | RA6 — Digital I/O / oscillator output |
| Pin 9 | RA7 — Digital I/O / oscillator input |
| Pin 10 | RB0 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 11 | VDD — Positive supply voltage |
| Pin 12 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 13 | RB1 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 14 | RB2 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 15 | RB3 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 16 | RB4 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 17 | RB5 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 18 | RB6 — Digital I/O / ICDCLK |
| Pin 19 | RB7 — Digital I/O / ICDDATA |
| Pin 20 | RC0 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 21 | RC1 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 22 | RC2 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 23 | RC3 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 24 | RC4 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 25 | RC5 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 26 | RC6 — Digital I/O / UART TX |
| Pin 27 | RC7 — Digital I/O / UART RX |
| Pin 28 | RE0 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 29 | RE1 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 30 | RE2 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 31 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 32 | VDD — Positive supply voltage |
| Pin 33 | RD0 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 34 | RD1 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 35 | RD2 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 36 | RD3 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 37 | RD4 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 38 | RD5 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 39 | RD6 — Digital I/O |
| Pin 40 | RD7 — Digital I/O |
Typical Applications
PIC18F45K42-E/P is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Sensor Signal Conditioning, Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes, Automotive Body and HMI Modules, Small Motor and Fan Control, Home Appliance User Interface Panels, Medical Point-of-Care Diagnostics, General-Purpose Logic Replacement and Glue.
Industrial Sensor Signal Conditioning
The PIC18F45K42-E/P fits industrial analog sensor conditioning because its 12-bit differential ADC with computation oversamples and averages in hardware while the on-chip DMA streams conversions directly to a memory buffer without CPU intervention. At 64 MHz the core reads the buffer, applies calibration, and forwards readings via UART or CAN every 4 ms. Its Extended -40C to +125C temperature range tolerates factory-floor thermal swings, and the CIP peripherals (CLC, SCCP) handle threshold logic and PWM excitation in parallel with the CPU.
Recommended
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes
For low-power IoT nodes, the PIC18F45K42-E/P's XLP sleep current under 100 nA combined with a 32 kHz LFINTOSC for RTC counting enables multi-year battery life on a coin cell. The device wakes on a sensor interrupt, runs a 64 MHz acquisition burst for a few milliseconds, transmits via UART to an external radio module, and returns to sleep. The DMA engine accelerates the burst phase so the active duty cycle stays minimal - critical for energy budget in solar- or battery-harvested designs where every milliampere-second is rationed.
Recommended
Automotive Body and HMI Modules
The PIC18F45K42-E/P's Extended temperature range (E suffix, -40C to +125C) and 32 KB Flash make it a strong fit for automotive body controllers, HMI keypads, and HVAC actuators where deterministic real-time control matters more than USB or CAN-FD bandwidth. The 5 CCP modules drive PWM-controlled lighting or motor loads, while DMA keeps ADC scans of multiplexed knob positions running independently. Designers can implement capacitive touch via the on-chip CVD module and CLCs without an external touch IC.
Recommended
Small Motor and Fan Control
Brushless DC and stepper motor control loops fit comfortably in the PIC18F45K42-E/P's 32 KB Flash with the DMA engine offloading encoder-timer capture to RAM and the 12-bit ADC sampling back-EMF in parallel. The 5 CCP/PWM modules generate complementary PWM outputs with programmable dead time, eliminating the external gate-driver logic that 8-bit MCUs typically need. The Extended temperature grade supports under-hood or appliance-integrated fan controllers where ambient air reaches 105C routinely.
Recommended
Home Appliance User Interface Panels
User-interface panels in washing machines, dishwashers, and ovens need a quiet MCU with capacitive touch, segmented LCD driving, and rotary encoder inputs. The PIC18F45K42-E/P handles all three via its CLCs, CRC peripheral, and DMA-driven periodic ADC scans. The XLP mode allows the panel to stay in standby between button presses, drawing microamps while the front-panel LEDs are off, which is essential for white goods that meet Energy Star standby budgets.
Recommended
Medical Point-of-Care Diagnostics
Point-of-care diagnostic cartridges - glucose meters, INR strips, hemoglobin analyzers - benefit from the PIC18F45K42-E/P's 12-bit ADC accuracy, DMA-accelerated photodiode sampling, and low sleep current that together deliver precise readings on a single coin cell across thousands of measurements. The Extended temperature range covers cold-chain pharmacy storage down to -20C and tropical clinical environments up to +50C. On-chip EEPROM stores calibration coefficients for the life of the device.
Recommended
General-Purpose Logic Replacement and Glue
When discrete logic and analog components crowd a board, the PIC18F45K42-E/P consolidates timers, PWMs, UART bridges, I2C expanders, and watchdog supervision into one 32 KB device. Designers can replace dozens of 74-series gates with the CLC peripheral - a hardware-configurable logic block that runs without CPU intervention - while the main core focuses on supervisory tasks. This shrinks BOM cost and PCB area for industrial controllers and test fixtures.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F45K42-E/P — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F45K42-I/P | PIC18F46K42-E/P | PIC18F45K22-E/P | PIC18F4585-E/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | PDIP-40 | PDIP-40 (same) | PDIP-40 (same) | PDIP-40 (same) | PDIP-40 (same) |
| Flash | 32 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 16 KB | 48 KB |
| Max CPU Speed | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 40 MHz |
| DMA Controller | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| ADC Resolution | 12-bit differential | 12-bit differential | 12-bit differential | 10-bit | 10-bit |
| USB | No | No | No | No | USB 2.0 FS |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +125C (Extended) |
Key Differentiators
- On-chip DMA controller reduces CPU interrupt load (vs PIC18F45K22-E/P)
- 12-bit differential ADC vs 10-bit single-ended (vs PIC18F45K22-E/P)
- Extended temperature range covers automotive under-hood (vs PIC18F45K42-I/P)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 64 MHz active and 3.3V VDD, the PIC18F45K42-E/P core draws roughly 15 mA. Add 5 mA for ADC + DMA continuous operation. With a 600 mAh CR2450 coin cell, that yields ~30 hours of continuous 64 MHz activity. For battery budgets of one year or more, drive the MCU into XLP sleep between events and wake via interrupt-on-change or RTCC alarm. Bulk-decouple VDD/VSS pairs (pins 11/12 and 31/32) with 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 5 mm of each pin pair.
Estimated: worst-case dissipation in a sealed industrial enclosure at +85C ambient occurs at maximum active current (~20 mA) at 5.5V VDD, yielding roughly 110 mW and a junction temperature rise of about 6-8 C above ambient (theta_JA for PDIP-40 is approximately 50 C/W). Below 100 MHz equivalent power, no heatsink is required. Above 50C ambient, validate via temperature chamber testing - the Extended -E grade survives +125C junction but thermal aging of surrounding passives may dominate lifetime.
Place ICSP header (PGEC2/PGED2 on RB6/RB7) near the MCU for in-circuit programming. Keep the MCLR pull-up (typically 10 kohm to VDD) within 5 mm of pin 1 to ensure clean reset transitions during power-up and brown-out. For DMA-driven ADC pipelines, route analog inputs away from PWM outputs and switching rails to avoid digital crosstalk into the 12-bit ADC result. Use a guarded analog ground island if the PCB mixes high-current motor traces.
Do not assume PIC18F45K22 firmware runs unchanged on the PIC18F45K42-E/P - the K42 added new SFRs (DMA, CLC, 12-bit ADC control) and changed several register bit positions. Start from the K42 peripheral library or MCC Melody generated code rather than porting K22 registers directly. Also note that the K42 datasheet documents both LF and F variants; PIC18F45K42 supports 2.3-5.5V while PIC18LF45K42 supports 1.8-3.6V - mixing them on a 5V rail will damage the LF part.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Microchip product page. The -E suffix denotes Extended temperature range, not AEC-Q100 automotive qualification; confirm automotive suitability with Microchip FAE for vehicle programs.
