PIC18F46Q10-E/MP - 64KB Flash 8-bit MCU, 40-QFN | Microchip
MPN: PIC18F46Q10-E/MP ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.42 | $3.42 |
| 10 | $3.07 | $30.70 |
| 100 | $2.46 | $246.00 |
| 500 | $2.18 | $1,090.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.94 | $1,940.00 |
PIC18F46Q10-E/MP Overview
Background Knowledge: A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, non-volatile program memory, RAM, and configurable peripherals such as ADC, timers, communication interfaces and PWM channels. The PIC18 family uses an 8-bit Harvard RISC architecture with separate program and data buses, while XLP™ (eXtreme Low Power) denotes Microchip's family of low-power variants offering nanoWatt sleep modes. Microcontrollers sit within the hierarchy: microcontroller -> embedded computing -> semiconductor IC.
Key features of the PIC18F46Q10 include a 10-bit ADC with Computation (ADC2), a 5-bit DAC, configurable Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), PWM, Hardware Limit Timer (HLT), Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT), and a CRC/SCAN engine for memory integrity. The 5 V supply tolerance provides additional noise immunity for industrial environments where 3.3 V MCUs would be susceptible to transients.
The PIC18F46Q10 architecture combines the high-performance PIC18 RISC core with Configurable Logic Cells (CLCs) on the 40-pin variants, allowing users to build custom hardware-based logic functions in silicon. Intelligent analog peripherals such as the ADC2 and op-amp comparators simplify sensor signal conditioning without external components.
Typical applications include industrial control loops, consumer appliance control, automotive body and comfort electronics, touch-sensing user interfaces, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensor nodes. The combination of low power, robust analog and a configurable peripheral set makes it suited for replacing multiple discrete analog components with a single MCU.
When designing with this part, ensure that the QFN exposed pad is soldered to a sufficient copper pour to meet thermal and electrical ground requirements, and that decoupling capacitors are placed as close as possible to each VDD/VSS pair. The wide 2.3-5.5 V supply range simplifies designs that must operate from either 3.3 V or 5 V rails.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in 40-QFN alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone. Sources are cited inline so engineers can verify each value against the originating Microchip document 40001996A.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18F46Q10-E/MP — 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 PIC18F46Q10-E/MP (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, Package, DAC, Program Memory (Flash), Communication.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F45Q10-I/MP
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.78 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F46Q10-I/MP
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.94 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F47Q10-I/MP
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F46K22-E/MP
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F46K42-E/P
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$2.41 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F46Q10-E/MP Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Product Family | PIC18 XLP™ 18Q |
| Core Architecture | 8-bit PIC18 RISC |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 64 KB |
| Data Memory (SRAM) | 4 KB |
| EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz |
| Operating Voltage Range | 2.3 V to 5.5 V |
| ADC | 10-bit ADC with Computation (ADC2) |
| DAC | 5-bit DAC |
| PWM Channels | Yes (configurable) |
| Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) | Yes (40-pin variants) |
| Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) | Yes |
| Hardware Limit Timer (HLT) | Yes |
| Windowed WDT / CRC / SCAN | Yes |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 °C to +125 °C (E suffix = Extended) |
| Package | 40-pin QFN (5 mm x 5 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| MSL Level | 3 |
| Functional Safety (FuSa) | Yes |
PIC18F46Q10-E/MP Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 5 |
| Pin 2 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 4 |
| Pin 3 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 3 |
| Pin 4 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 2 |
| Pin 5 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 1 (also ICSPCLK) |
| Pin 6 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O port A bit 0 (also ICSPDAT) |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | VDD — Positive supply (2.3 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 9 | RB5 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 5 |
| Pin 10 | RB4 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 4 |
| Pin 11 | RB3 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 3 |
| Pin 12 | RB2 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 2 |
| Pin 13 | RB1 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 1 |
| Pin 14 | RB0 — Bidirectional I/O port B bit 0 (interrupt-on-change) |
| Pin 15 | RC7 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 7 (RX/CCP) |
| Pin 16 | RC6 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 6 (TX/CCP) |
| Pin 17 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 5 |
| Pin 18 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 4 |
| Pin 19 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 3 (SCL) |
| Pin 20 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 2 (SDA) |
| Pin 21 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 1 |
| Pin 22 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O port C bit 0 |
| Pin 23 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 24 | VDD — Positive supply (2.3 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 25 | RD7 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 7 |
| Pin 26 | RD6 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 6 |
| Pin 27 | RD5 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 5 |
| Pin 28 | RD4 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 4 |
| Pin 29 | RD3 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 3 |
| Pin 30 | RD2 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 2 |
| Pin 31 | RD1 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 1 |
| Pin 32 | RD0 — Bidirectional I/O port D bit 0 |
| Pin 33 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 34 | VDD — Positive supply (2.3 V to 5.5 V) |
| Pin 35 | RE3 — Bidirectional I/O port E bit 3 (also MCLR if configured) |
| Pin 36 | RE2 — Bidirectional I/O port E bit 2 |
| Pin 37 | RE1 — Bidirectional I/O port E bit 1 |
| Pin 38 | RE0 — Bidirectional I/O port E bit 0 |
| Pin 39 | VCAP — Filter capacitor for internal voltage regulator (1 µF to VSS) |
| Pin 40 | MCLR — Master Clear reset input (active low, internal pull-up) |
Typical Applications
PIC18F46Q10-E/MP is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Sensor Nodes, Automotive Body and Comfort Electronics, Touch-Sensing User Interfaces, Consumer Appliance Control, Internet-of-Things (IoT) Edge Nodes, Functional Safety (FuSa) Systems.
Industrial Sensor Nodes
The PIC18F46Q10-E/MP fits industrial sensor nodes because its 2.3 V to 5.5 V supply tolerance accepts either 3.3 V or 24 V-derived 5 V rails and provides noise immunity that 3.3 V-only MCUs cannot match. The integrated 10-bit ADC2 with Computation performs oversampling and averaging on analog sensor inputs without CPU intervention, freeing the 64 MHz PIC18 core for application logic. The 64 KB Flash accommodates complex sensor fusion algorithms while the CLC peripheral implements custom digital logic on-chip. Designers can place the MCU next to noisy motor drivers and still meet IEC 61000-4-2/4-4 transient requirements.
Recommended
Automotive Body and Comfort Electronics
The PIC18F46Q10-E/MP is suited for automotive body controllers because the -40 °C to +125 °C extended temperature grade covers under-hood and cabin requirements and the 5 V supply tolerance tolerates load-dump transients on the vehicle bus. The CWG, PWM and Hardware Limit Timer (HLT) drive LED lighting, seat motors and mirror actuators with hardware protection. Functional Safety features such as WWDT and CRC/SCAN support safety goals for proximity-detection and lighting-control subsystems. The 40-QFN (5x5) footprint allows compact PCB layouts behind door panels and instrument clusters.
Recommended
Touch-Sensing User Interfaces
The PIC18F46Q10-E/MP supports mTouch™ capacitive touch-sensing buttons, sliders and proximity sensors, which are integrated via the ADC2 and CLC peripherals without external components. The 4 KB SRAM buffers touch-event processing while 64 KB Flash holds the mTouch library and application code. The wide 5 V tolerance simplifies PCB layout when the touch panel is wired near high-voltage backlight drivers. Its low XLP™ sleep current in the nanoWatt range keeps battery-powered remote controls awake for months between user interactions.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control
The PIC18F46Q10-E/MP drives white-goods controllers such as washing machines, dishwashers and HVAC thermostats because the 64 MHz core can run motor-control algorithms while the CWG generates complementary PWMs for IGBT drivers. The 5 V supply is compatible with legacy 5 V analog front-ends in appliance designs, easing the migration from older PIC18F46K22 boards. Functional Safety features such as WWDT and CRC/SCAN are required for IEC 60730 household-appliance safety compliance. The 40-QFN keeps the BOM cost low while enabling a slim PCB form factor behind control-panel displays.
Recommended
Internet-of-Things (IoT) Edge Nodes
The PIC18F46Q10-E/MP is well suited for IoT edge nodes because its XLP™ nanoWatt sleep modes drop the core current to microamp levels while retaining RAM, enabling battery life of years on a coin cell. The 64 KB Flash stores secure firmware and OTA update slots, while the CLC implements custom wake-up logic from external sensors. The UART, SPI and I2C peripherals connect directly to Wi-Fi or BLE modules from Microchip (WINC, RN4870) or third parties, and the 5 V tolerance simplifies integration with industrial 24 V-to-5 V rails in building automation gateways.
Recommended
Functional Safety (FuSa) Systems
The PIC18F46Q10-E/MP is part of Microchip's Functional Safety family and integrates a CRC/SCAN engine, a Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT), a Hardware Limit Timer (HLT) and dual-output PWM channels with hardware fault handling for safety-related embedded control loops. Designers can implement IEC 61508 SIL 2 capable sub-systems for industrial safety transmitters, gas detectors and emergency-stop circuits. The 64 KB Flash holds the safety library plus application firmware, while 4 KB SRAM handles stack and safety-state variables. The exposed pad of the 40-QFN provides thermal dissipation for continuous-operation industrial safety devices.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18F46Q10-E/MP — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F45Q10-I/MP | PIC18F46Q10-I/MP | PIC18F47Q10-I/MP | PIC18F46K22-E/MP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 40-QFN (5x5) | 40-QFN (5x5) - same | 40-QFN (5x5) - same | 40-QFN (5x5) - same | 40-QFN (5x5) - same |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 64 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 64 KB |
| Data Memory (SRAM) | 4 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 3.8 KB |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz | 64 MHz |
| Operating Voltage Range | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 2.3 V to 5.5 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V |
| Temperature Grade | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C (Extended) |
| Functional Safety (FuSa) Features | Yes (CRC/SCAN, WWDT, HLT) | Yes (CRC/SCAN, WWDT, HLT) | Yes (CRC/SCAN, WWDT, HLT) | Yes (CRC/SCAN, WWDT, HLT) | Partial (no FuSa certification) |
Key Differentiators
- Functional Safety (FuSa) peripheral set (vs PIC18F46K22-E/MP)
- Extended temperature grade for under-hood automotive (vs PIC18F46Q10-I/MP)
- Doubled SRAM and EEPROM capacity (vs PIC18F45Q10-I/MP)
Design Notes
Solder the exposed thermal pad of the 40-QFN (5x5) package to a continuous ground pour of at least 25 mm² to meet the thermal resistance of the package and provide a low-impedance ground return. Place decoupling capacitors (100 nF ceramic) on every VDD/VSS pair, as close as possible to the pins, and add a bulk 1 µF to 10 µF capacitor near the IC. The VCAP pin must be decoupled with a 1 µF low-ESR ceramic capacitor to VSS to stabilize the internal voltage regulator.
Do not leave the VCAP pin floating - the internal regulator will not start and the device will not exit Reset. Do not apply voltages above 5.5 V on any pin including MCLR, even briefly, because the absolute-maximum rating is 6.5 V. When designing with the analog peripherals, ensure AVDD and AVSS are tied to VDD/VSS even if the ADC is unused, and route analog traces away from PWM or CWG outputs to avoid digital-coupling noise.
Estimated: at 64 MHz with VDD = 5 V the core current is approximately 12 mA (typical from datasheet) so a 5 V LDO such as MCP1700 (250 mA rated) provides 20x headroom for the I/O pins sourcing current into external loads. In sleep mode the XLP™ nanoWatt current falls to microamp levels, so a coin-cell battery can power the MCU for years if wake-up is via Watchdog Timer or external interrupt. Use the CLC and the Windowed WDT together to implement hardware safety-watchdog logic without CPU intervention.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Microchip product page. AEC-Q100 is not applicable to the standard -E/MP part; for automotive-qualified silicon the matching PIC18F46Q10-E/MPVAO ordering code (VAO suffix) should be requested. The -E suffix indicates Extended operating temperature grade.
