PIC18F4610-E/ML - 8-bit MCU, 64KB Flash, 44-QFN | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F4610-E/ML ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $9.42 | $9.42 |
| 10 | $8.55 | $85.50 |
| 100 | $7.46 | $746.00 |
| 500 | $6.62 | $3,310.00 |
| 1,000 | $5.85 | $5,850.00 |
PIC18F4610-E/ML Overview
An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a self-contained processor core, program memory, data RAM, and on-chip peripherals integrated into a single IC; it executes instructions from embedded flash and interacts with the outside world through digital I/O, timers, ADC, and serial interfaces. The PIC18F4610 belongs to Microchip's PIC18F family, which sits between the legacy PIC16 mid-range family and the PIC24/dsPIC 16-bit families in the company's 8-bit and 16-bit MCU taxonomy. The 'E' temperature grade denotes an extended industrial range, while 'ML' identifies the 44-lead VQFN surface-mount package.
Key features include 64 KB flash program memory, 3,968 bytes of RAM, 1 KB of EEPROM, a 10-bit ADC with up to 13 input channels, two USART modules, an SPI/I2C MSSP port, two CCP/ECCP modules, and a parallel slave port. nanoWatt technology offers multiple power-managed modes (Run, Idle, Sleep, deep Sleep) plus a software-selectable oscillator and PLL options for flexible power/performance tuning across battery and mains-powered designs.
Architecturally, the PIC18F4610 uses an enhanced Harvard architecture with separate program and data buses and a hardware multiplier for 8x8 single-cycle operations. The high-endurance flash supports typical 10K erase/write cycles with self-programmability, enabling in-field firmware updates via ICSP and a dedicated bootloader region.
Typical applications include industrial control panels, HVAC thermostats, sensor conditioning front-ends, USB/serial bridges, automotive body modules (non-safety), small home appliances, and instrumentation. The 44-QFN exposed pad supports tight PCB layouts while still providing thermal headroom for sustained CPU activity at full 40 MHz.
Designers should note that the 44-pin QFN package has an exposed thermal pad that must be soldered to the PCB ground plane for electrical and thermal performance. Code development is supported by Microchip's MPLAB X IDE and the free XC8 compiler, with MPLAB PICkit 5 in-circuit debug/programming. This page synthesizes distributor stock, parametric alternatives, and practical design notes that complement the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F4610-E/ML — 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 PIC18F4610-E/ML (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Program Memory (Flash), Timers, ADC, Core Architecture.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F4610-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F4610T-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F4515-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F4520-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F4585-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F4610-E/ML Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC18 (8-bit, enhanced Harvard) |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 64 KB |
| RAM | 3,968 bytes |
| EEPROM | 1 KB |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 40 MHz (10 MIPS) |
| Operating Voltage Range | 2.0 V to 5.5 V |
| I/O Pins | 36 |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 13 channels |
| Timers | 4 (Timer0/1/2/3) |
| Capture/Compare/PWM | 2 CCP + 1 ECCP |
| Communication | 2x USART, 1x MSSP (SPI/I2C), 1x PSP |
| Package | 44-VQFN exposed pad (8x8 mm, HVQCCN) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Temperature Grade | Extended (-40C to +125C), 'E' suffix |
| Power-Saving Modes | nanoWatt: Run, Idle, Sleep, deep Sleep |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC18F4610-E/ML Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RE3/MCLR/VPP — Master Clear (reset) input or programming voltage |
| Pin 2 | RA0/AN0 — Digital I/O / analog input channel 0 |
| Pin 3 | RA1/AN1 — Digital I/O / analog input channel 1 |
| Pin 4 | RA2/AN2/VREF- — Digital I/O / analog input 2 / ADC negative reference |
| Pin 5 | RA3/AN3/VREF+ — Digital I/O / analog input 3 / ADC positive reference |
| Pin 6 | RA4/T0CKI — Digital I/O / Timer0 clock input |
| Pin 7 | RA5/AN4/SS — Digital I/O / analog input 4 / SPI slave select |
| Pin 8 | RE0/RD/AN5 — Digital I/O / PSP read / analog input 5 |
| Pin 9 | RE1/WR/AN6 — Digital I/O / PSP write / analog input 6 |
| Pin 10 | RE2/CS/AN7 — Digital I/O / PSP chip select / analog input 7 |
| Pin 11 | VDD — Positive power supply (2.0 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 12 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 13 | OSC1/CLKI/RA7 — Crystal/clock input / digital I/O |
| Pin 14 | OSC2/CLKO/RA6 — Crystal output / clock output / digital I/O |
| Pin 15 | RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI — Digital I/O / Timer1 oscillator output / clock input |
| Pin 16 | RC1/T1OSI/CCP2 — Digital I/O / Timer1 oscillator input / CCP2 output |
| Pin 17 | RC2/CCP1 — Digital I/O / CCP1 PWM output |
| Pin 18 | RC3/SCK/SCL — Digital I/O / SPI clock / I2C clock |
| Pin 19 | RD0/PSP0 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 0 |
| Pin 20 | RD1/PSP1 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 1 |
| Pin 21 | RD2/PSP2 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 2 |
| Pin 22 | RD3/PSP3 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 3 |
| Pin 23 | RC4/SDI/SDA — Digital I/O / SPI data in / I2C data |
| Pin 24 | RC5/SDO — Digital I/O / SPI data out |
| Pin 25 | RC6/TX/CK — Digital I/O / USART TX / USART clock |
| Pin 26 | RC7/RX/DT — Digital I/O / USART RX / USART data |
| Pin 27 | RD4/PSP4 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 4 |
| Pin 28 | RD5/PSP5 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 5 |
| Pin 29 | RD6/PSP6 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 6 |
| Pin 30 | RD7/PSP7 — Digital I/O / Parallel Slave Port bit 7 |
| Pin 31 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 32 | VDD — Positive power supply (2.0 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 33 | RB0/INT0/FLT0 — Digital I/O / external interrupt 0 / ECCP fault input |
| Pin 34 | RB1/INT1 — Digital I/O / external interrupt 1 |
| Pin 35 | RB2/INT2 — Digital I/O / external interrupt 2 |
| Pin 36 | RB3/INT3/CCP2 — Digital I/O / external interrupt 3 / CCP2 alternate |
| Pin 37 | RB4/KBI0 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change bit 0 |
| Pin 38 | RB5/KBI1 — Digital I/O / interrupt-on-change bit 1 |
| Pin 39 | RB6/KBI2/PGC — Digital I/O / KBI2 / ICSP clock |
| Pin 40 | RB7/KBI3/PGD — Digital I/O / KBI3 / ICSP data |
| Pin 41 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 42 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 43 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 44 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
Typical Applications
PIC18F4610-E/ML is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Control Panels, HVAC Thermostats and Environmental Controllers, Automotive Body and Convenience Modules, Sensor Conditioning and Data Acquisition Front-Ends, Small Home Appliance Controllers, USB/Serial Bridge and Communication Gateways, Medical and Wellness Monitoring Devices.
Industrial Control Panels
The PIC18F4610-E/ML is well suited to industrial control panel applications where its 40 MHz / 10 MIPS core, 64 KB flash, and 36 I/O pins can drive keypads, LED indicators, character LCDs, and relay or SSR outputs from a single chip. The 10-bit ADC with up to 13 input channels handles 4-20 mA loop back-signals, potentiometer feedback, and thermistor interfaces directly, while the two USARTs bridge to RS-232/RS-485 transceivers for HMI or PLC links. nanoWatt power-managed modes let the MCU enter Sleep between operator interactions, dropping quiescent current to the microamp range on 24 V loop-powered installations. Compared with the PIC18F4520 the F4610 doubles program flash to 64 KB, fitting larger protocol stacks (Modbus RTU, proprietary fieldbus) without an external memory.
Recommended
HVAC Thermostats and Environmental Controllers
HVAC thermostat designs use the PIC18F4610-E/ML to read temperature/humidity sensors via its 10-bit ADC, drive triac-fired outputs for compressor and fan control through the ECCP PWM module, and maintain set-point schedules in its 1 KB EEPROM. The 64 KB flash accommodates complex scheduling, adaptive algorithms, and user-interface state machines, while 3,968 bytes of RAM is enough for graphical LCD frame buffers in mid-tier designs. The 'E' extended -40C to +125C temperature grade survives attic and equipment-room environments without derating. nanoWatt Sleep current below 1 uA extends battery life in wireless thermostat variants, and the two USARTs support simultaneous connections to a local expansion board and an external Wi-Fi/BLE module for cloud-linked HVAC systems.
Recommended
Automotive Body and Convenience Modules
The PIC18F4610-E/ML is a strong fit for non-safety automotive body modules such as seat controllers, mirror adjusters, lighting controllers, and aftermarket accessories. Its extended -40C to +125C temperature grade and 5 V native I/O tolerance simplify direct drive of automotive relay coils and LED strings, while the ECCP module generates the PWM signals used for mirror positioning and dimming. Two USARTs handle LIN-bus masters (via UART + external LIN transceiver) and diagnostic communication simultaneously. Although the part lacks CAN, designs requiring CAN can move to the pin-compatible PIC18F4585-I/ML which adds CAN 2.0B without changing the PCB footprint - a useful drop-in upgrade path documented in our alternatives table.
Recommended
Sensor Conditioning and Data Acquisition Front-Ends
Sensor-conditioning front-ends and standalone data loggers leverage the PIC18F4610-E/ML for its 10-bit ADC, 1 KB EEPROM for calibration storage, and large flash for sample buffering or light DSP. With 13 analog channels the device can scan a multi-sensor PCB directly, while the MSSP SPI port streams data to external 16/24-bit ADCs or FRAM for higher-resolution captures. The 1 KB EEPROM stores calibration constants and serial numbers with 1M-cycle endurance, ideal for field-replaceable sensor modules. Real-time clock support via Timer1 with external 32.768 kHz crystal enables accurate timestamping for unattended loggers, and the deep-Sleep nanoWatt mode drops current to a few microamps for battery-powered environmental monitoring over multi-year deployments.
Recommended
Small Home Appliance Controllers
Microwave ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, and coffee makers use the PIC18F4610-E/ML to manage user interfaces (matrix keypads, 7-segment or TFT displays via SPI), sensor inputs (water level, temperature, door switch), and motor/valve actuation. The ECCP module drives triac phase-angle control or PWM to brushless DC motor pre-drivers, while two CCP channels manage timing-critical valves and pumps. With 64 KB flash the firmware can include multilingual UI tables, diagnostic logs, and over-the-air update stubs, and the EEPROM retains user preferences through power cycles. The wide 2.0-5.5 V supply tolerance accommodates rectified 12 V mains input plus linear or switching regulator dropouts during brownouts.
Recommended
USB/Serial Bridge and Communication Gateways
The PIC18F4610-E/ML works as a serial-to-parallel bridge or protocol converter by using its two USARTs plus MSSP SPI/I2C to translate between RS-232/RS-485, SPI peripherals, and I2C sensors or EEPROMs. The 64 KB flash fits gateway firmware stacks including Modbus RTU, DMX512, and simple TCP/IP-over-serial profiles, while the 40 MHz core keeps latency low for real-time protocol handling. The parallel slave port (PSP) interfaces to an external host CPU or FPGA for high-throughput data hand-off, and the 1 KB EEPROM stores configuration (baud rate, address) persistently. Engineers developing firmware can use Microchip's free MPLAB X IDE with the XC8 compiler and PICkit 5 for in-circuit debugging.
Recommended
Medical and Wellness Monitoring Devices
Non-critical medical and wellness devices such as blood-pressure monitors, digital thermometers, and nebulizers use the PIC18F4610-E/ML for its deterministic 8-bit core, on-chip 10-bit ADC, and reliable EEPROM storage of calibration and patient history. The extended temperature grade supports operation in close-to-body wearables and bedside instruments, while nanoWatt Sleep modes extend battery life in portable spirometers and pulse oximeters. The two USARTs support simultaneous Bluetooth module (via SPBT2632C2A) communication and wired PC link for data upload. The MSSP I2C port connects to clinical-grade sensors such as the MCP9808 temperature IC or to OLED displays for direct user feedback in handheld wellness products.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F4610-E/ML — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F4610-I/ML | PIC18F4610T-I/ML | PIC18F4515-I/ML | PIC18F4520-I/ML | PIC18F4585-I/ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 44-VQFN exposed pad | 44-VQFN exposed pad - same | 44-VQFN exposed pad - same | 44-VQFN exposed pad - same | 44-VQFN exposed pad - same | 44-VQFN exposed pad - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Flash Memory | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB | 32 KB (-50%) | 32 KB (-50%) | 64 KB |
| RAM | 3,968 bytes | 3,968 bytes | 3,968 bytes | 2,048 bytes | 1,536 bytes | 3,968 bytes |
| Temperature Grade | Extended -40C to +125C | Industrial -40C to +85C | Industrial -40C to +85C | Industrial -40C to +85C | Industrial -40C to +85C | Industrial -40C to +85C |
| CAN 2.0B Peripheral | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (adds CAN) |
| ADC Channels | 13 channels, 10-bit | 13 channels, 10-bit | 13 channels, 10-bit | 13 channels, 10-bit | 13 channels, 10-bit | 11 channels, 10-bit |
| Maximum Frequency | 40 MHz / 10 MIPS | 40 MHz / 10 MIPS | 40 MHz / 10 MIPS | 40 MHz / 10 MIPS | 40 MHz / 10 MIPS | 40 MHz / 10 MIPS |
| EEPROM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
Key Differentiators
- Largest flash density in the legacy PIC18F46xx 44-pin family (vs PIC18F4520-I/ML)
- Extended temperature grade option (vs PIC18F4610-I/ML)
- Code-compatible upgrade path to CAN-enabled PIC18F4585 (vs PIC18F4585-I/ML)
- Drop-in tape-and-reel variant for SMT production (vs PIC18F4610T-I/ML)
Design Notes
The 44-VQFN exposed-pad package has an EP (exposed pad) on the underside that must be soldered to a PCB ground pad with at least 8 thermal vias to the inner ground plane. Missing or weak solder joints on the EP cause electrical grounding issues and increased junction temperature. Follow IPC-7351 land pattern recommendations and use NSMD (non-solder mask defined) pads with a 1:1.2 ratio to the EP for optimal self-alignment during reflow.
Decouple VDD with a 100 nF X7R ceramic capacitor placed within 3 mm of each VDD pin (pins 11 and 32), plus a bulk 10 uF tantalum or ceramic near the supply entry point. The PIC18F4610 has two VDD/VSS pairs (pin 11/12 and pin 31/32) and BOTH must be connected even if only one set is required for functional operation; leaving either pair floating can cause ADC noise and code runaway. For battery-powered designs, use nanoWatt deep Sleep mode with Timer1 on a 32.768 kHz crystal for periodic wake-up, achieving sub-microamp average current.
Do not confuse the 'E' (extended) temperature grade with the 'I' (industrial) grade - E supports -40C to +125C while I supports -40C to +85C only. Firmware built for the PIC18F4610-E/ML will run unchanged on the PIC18F4610-I/ML (industrial) and the PIC18F4610T-I/ML (tape-and-reel packaging variant), but the opposite is not guaranteed for designs that depend on operation above +85C. When migrating to a 32 KB variant (PIC18F4515 or PIC18F4520) verify the linker script places all code within 32 KB of flash and that interrupt vectors fit the smaller device.
MCLR (pin 1) must have a 10 kohm pull-up to VDD; do not leave it floating. For ICSP programming connect PGC (RB6) and PGD (RB7) directly to the programming header with short traces - adding series resistors above 100 ohm causes programming failures. The 13 ADC input channels share digital I/O pins; configure TRIS appropriately before ADC reads, and add an anti-aliasing RC filter (typically 1 kohm + 100 pF) on analog signals to attenuate noise above the Nyquist frequency.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free confirmed per Microchip product page. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the verified data. AEC-Q100 not qualified at the part level - this is an industrial-grade MCU rather than an automotive-qualified device; for AEC-Q100 requirements consider the PIC18F K-series automotive variants.
