PIC18LF27K42-E/ML - 64MHz 8-bit XLP MCU, 128KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: PIC18LF27K42-E/ML ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.92 | $2.92 |
| 10 | $2.62 | $26.20 |
| 100 | $2.18 | $218.00 |
| 500 | $1.84 | $920.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.59 | $1,590.00 |
PIC18LF27K42-E/ML Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU, non-volatile program memory (Flash), volatile data memory (SRAM), EEPROM for parameter retention, and a rich set of peripherals such as timers, ADCs, communication interfaces and GPIOs. Within the broader taxonomy, this part sits as: PIC18 (8-bit CISC core) -> PIC microcontroller -> microcontroller -> embedded processor -> semiconductor. PIC18F devices are widely adopted for their deterministic instruction set, mature toolchain, and extensive peripheral integration for cost-sensitive embedded designs.
Key features include the ADC2 (12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter with Computation) supporting up to 35 external channels with automated post-processing, a 12-bit DAC, high-speed comparators, PWM modules, vector interrupts, DMA, the Memory Access Partition (MAP), the Device Information Area (DIA), and Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that offload tasks from the CPU. The XLP (eXtreme Low Power) technology enables sub-uA sleep currents suitable for battery-powered and energy-harvesting products. The 28-QFN package occupies only 36mm² of board area while providing an exposed thermal pad for improved heat dissipation at elevated ambient temperatures.
Architecturally, the PIC18LF27K42 uses Microchip's enhanced Harvard 8-bit core with a 16-bit instruction word, 31-level hardware stack, and a vectored interrupt controller supporting prioritized interrupts and on-chip hardware DMA between peripherals and RAM. The ADC2's automated hardware oversampling, averaging, and threshold comparisons lower CPU overhead, while dedicated CIPs such as the CLC, NCO and PWM allow autonomous analog and timing operations even in Sleep mode.
Typical applications include IoT sensor nodes, low-power wireless sensor networks, home automation controllers, portable medical monitors, industrial sensor interfaces, automotive interior lighting, and battery-powered instrumentation. The wide operating voltage and temperature ranges also suit industrial control and harsh-environment edge nodes.
Designers should use the MPLAB X IDE with the MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) for graphical peripheral setup, and select the PIC18F27K42 (F-series, 2.3V-5.5V) if the application must run from a 5V rail. Adequate decoupling on VDD and a solid ground plane beneath the exposed pad are recommended to maintain ADC accuracy and reduce EMI.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, comparison parameters, and practical design notes not found in isolation on the manufacturer datasheet, providing a single-source reference for component evaluation and sourcing.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18LF27K42-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 PIC18LF27K42-E/ML (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, Package, DAC, Program Memory (Flash), Comparators.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18F27K42-E/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.92 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF27K42-I/ML
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18F27K42-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.85 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF27K42-E/SP
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.32 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF26K42-E/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.94 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF25K42-E/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.52 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF27K40-I/ML
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF27K42-E/ML Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core | PIC18 8-bit CISC |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 128 KB (64K x 16) |
| SRAM | 8 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 64 MHz |
| Supply Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 3.6 V (LF grade) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +125 C (Extended) |
| ADC | 12-bit ADC2, up to 35 channels, automated post-processing |
| DAC | 12-bit |
| Comparators | Yes (high-speed) |
| PWM Channels | Multiple (peripheral dependent) |
| DMA | Yes |
| Vector Interrupts | Yes |
| Memory Access Partition (MAP) | Yes |
| XLP (eXtreme Low Power) | Yes |
| Package | 28-QFN (6x6 mm) with exposed pad |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC18LF27K42-E/ML Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA2 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 2 | RA3 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 3 | RA4 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 4 | RA5 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 5 | RA6 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 6 | RA7 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 7 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V-3.6V) |
| Pin 9 | RB0 — Bidirectional digital I/O with interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 10 | RB1 — Bidirectional digital I/O with interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 11 | RB2 — Bidirectional digital I/O with interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 12 | RB3 — Bidirectional digital I/O with interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 13 | RB4 — Bidirectional digital I/O with interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 14 | RB5 — Bidirectional digital I/O with interrupt-on-change |
| Pin 15 | RB6 — ICSPCLK / Bidirectional digital I/O |
| Pin 16 | RB7 — ICSPDAT / Bidirectional digital I/O |
| Pin 17 | VSS — Ground reference (additional pad) |
| Pin 18 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (additional pad) |
| Pin 19 | RC0 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 20 | RC1 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 21 | RC2 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 22 | RC3 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 23 | RC4 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 24 | RC5 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 25 | RC6 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 26 | RC7 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
| Pin 27 | RE3 — MCLR / Bidirectional digital I/O on 28-QFN |
| Pin 28 | RA0 — Bidirectional digital I/O / analog input |
Typical Applications
PIC18LF27K42-E/ML is suitable for 7 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node, Industrial Sensor Interface and Edge Controller, Home Automation Controller, Portable Medical Monitoring Device, Automotive Interior Lighting and HMI, Low-Power Wireless Sensor Network Node, General Purpose 8-bit Embedded Controller.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node
The PIC18LF27K42-E/ML fits battery-powered IoT sensor nodes thanks to its 1.8V-3.6V supply range, XLP sub-uA sleep currents, and ADC2 with hardware threshold-detect. Operating directly from two AA cells, the device can stay in Sleep for >99% of the duty cycle and wake the CPU only when the ADC2 hardware oversampling/detection flags a sensor event. The 128KB Flash and 8KB SRAM comfortably hold Wi-Fi/BLE co-processor command firmware plus small TCP/IP stacks, while 1KB EEPROM retains sensor calibration and node IDs even through battery swaps.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Interface and Edge Controller
In industrial sensor-interface boards the PIC18LF27K42-E/ML delivers adequate compute for filtering 4-20mA loops, RTD/thermocouple cold-junction compensation, and Modbus RTU framing on RS-485. The Extended -40C to +125C operating range tolerates unheated enclosure mounting, while ADC2's hardware averaging improves SNR on noisy factory-bus supplies. Built-in DMA moves ADC samples directly into RAM without CPU loading, freeing core bandwidth for protocol stacks and CIPs (CLC, PWM, NCO) that implement closed-loop control on-chip.
Recommended
Home Automation Controller
The PIC18LF27K42-E/ML fits home automation controllers (HVAC keypads, smart-room hubs, motorized-blind drivers) by combining capacitive-touch support via Hardware CVD, on-chip DMA, and vector interrupts on a single 5V-tolerant (via F-variant) or 3.3V-tolerant PIC. With 128KB Flash it can host a multi-protocol bridge (Zigbee-like UART bridging, BLE co-processor link, or proprietary sub-GHz SPI bridge). The 28-QFN 6x6 mm package and exposed thermal pad enable compact wall-switch form factors with PCB thermal management.
Recommended
Portable Medical Monitoring Device
For portable medical monitors (pulse-oximeters, glucose-meter dongles, nebulizer controls) the PIC18LF27K42-E/ML provides the low-noise 12-bit ADC2, on-chip op-amps via Hardware CVD, and ultra-low Sleep currents required for battery or coin-cell operation. According to the K42 datasheet, integrated charge-pump regulation ensures the ADC delivers full 12-bit accuracy down to 1.8V, supporting direct Li-ion cell operation. Map-region memory partitioning assists in isolating stack/heap for IEC-62304-aligned software architectures.
Recommended
Automotive Interior Lighting and HMI
The PIC18LF27K42-E/ML suits automotive interior lighting and HMI sub-modules (ambient LED drivers, capacitive-touch switch panels, door-zone controllers) because its 12-bit ADC, multiple PWM channels, and CIPs implement autonomous color/brightness loops without CPU load. For vehicles requiring AEC-Q100 qualification an automotive-grade PIC18F27K42-E/MMAEC etc. would be required; the Extended temperature range of the 'E' grade handles behind-glove-box and headliner environments. The 28-QFN footprint integrates cleanly under redundant-driver LED puck modules.
Recommended
Low-Power Wireless Sensor Network Node
For LoRa/Sub-GHz and BLE mesh wireless sensor networks the PIC18LF27K42-E/ML acts as the host controller next to a separate radio module, offering 128KB Flash for mesh-routing tables and time-synchronized scheduled listening. DMA-driven UART/SPI exchanges offload radio-frame buffering; ADC2 hardware threshold-detect eliminates the need to wake the CPU on every sensor sample. With XLP Sleep currents in the sub-uA regime the node can survive 5-10 years on two alkaline AA cells, making it ideal for agricultural and smart-city deployments.
Recommended
General Purpose 8-bit Embedded Controller
The PIC18LF27K42-E/ML works equally well as a general-purpose embedded controller across consumer appliance, hobbyist, and educational markets, where an 8-bit CISC architecture with 16 MIPS instruction execution is sufficient. The Microchip MPLAB X IDE + XC8 toolchain produces compact code, and the generous 128KB Flash supports rich feature sets in mass-market products such as small appliances, e-bike dashboards, and toy robots. The 28-QFN package supports fine-pitch PCB layouts, and the LF supply range allows direct Li-Po battery operation.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18LF27K42-E/ML — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18F27K42-E/ML | PIC18LF27K42-I/ML | PIC18F27K42-I/ML | PIC18LF26K42-E/ML | PIC18LF25K42-E/ML | PIC18LF27K40-I/ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 28-QFN (6x6) | 28-QFN (6x6) - same | 28-QFN (6x6) - same | 28-QFN (6x6) - same | 28-QFN (6x6) - same | 28-QFN (6x6) - same | 28-QFN (6x6) - same |
| Supply Voltage | 1.8V - 3.6V (LF) | 2.3V - 5.5V (F) | 1.8V - 3.6V (LF) | 2.3V - 5.5V (F) | 1.8V - 3.6V (LF) | 1.8V - 3.6V (LF) | 1.8V - 3.6V (LF) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +125C (Extended) | -40C to +125C | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C | -40C to +125C | -40C to +125C | -40C to +85C |
| Flash Memory | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 64 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB |
| SRAM | 8 KB | 8 KB | 8 KB | 8 KB | 8 KB | 8 KB | 3 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB |
| DMA / ADC2 / MAP | Yes (K42 family) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (K40 family) |
| Lifecycle Status | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active (predecessor) |
Key Differentiators
- Largest Flash in the K42 28-pin QFN family (vs PIC18LF26K42-E/ML)
- Extended -40C to +125C temperature grade same-package option (vs PIC18LF27K42-I/ML)
- Newer K42 architecture with ADC2 and DMA (vs PIC18LF27K40-I/ML)
Design Notes
Place a 0.1uF ceramic decoupling capacitor on each VDD pin and a single bulk capacitor (4.7uF to 10uF X5R) close to the package exposed pad connection on the 28-QFN. The K42 family's XLP mode reduces Sleep current to sub-uA; according to Microchip datasheet 40001919B, the device enters Sleep when the SLEEP instruction executes with IDLEN=0. Ensure that AVDD/AVSS pins are properly decoupled on the LF (1.8V) variant to maintain ADC2 full-scale accuracy at low supply voltages; the integrated charge pump requires a 1uF capacitor on the charge-pump output pin if used.
For the 28-QFN (6x6 mm) package, solder the exposed thermal pad to a top-layer ground copper pour with multiple stitching vias to inner ground planes for the highest thermal performance. Estimate: with theta_JA of approximately 30-40 C/W and a quiescent + I/O-pin current budget of ~30 mA at 64MHz, package self-heating remains under 1C for typical industrial workloads. Keep clock traces short, place crystal within 8-10 mm of the OSC1/OSC2 pins, and route high-current digital traces away from analog ADC inputs to minimize crosstalk.
Do not confuse the PIC18LF27K42 family (1.8V-3.6V LF grade) with the PIC18F27K42 family (2.3V-5.5V F grade): they are pin-compatible but neither is fully interchangeable across all supply rails. The 'E' suffix means Extended -40C to +125C temperature; the 'I' suffix means Industrial -40C to +85C. If your design uses 5V rails anywhere on the board, select the 'F' variant or risk unspecified Flash/ADC behavior below 2.3V. Also verify that Code Configurator (MCC) version 3+ is installed in MPLAB X IDE for ADC2, DMA and MAP configuration support.
Estimated: for the 28-QFN land pattern, follow IPC-7351 nominal guidelines with 0.5mm pitch pads. Provide a thermal-via array (typically 5-9 filled or capped vias at 0.3mm drill) under the exposed pad to dissipate QFN-level self-heating during peak 64MHz continuous-operation workloads. The PCB layout should isolate analog and digital grounds by using a single-point bridge under the AVSS pin rather than flooding the entire plane with mixed domains, preserving ADC2 SNR across full 12-bit range.
At 64MHz and 3.3V supply the PIC18LF27K42-E/ML draws approximately 8-15 mA of core current depending on peripheral usage. Estimated: total power dissipation stays well below 50 mW, so active-mode self-heating remains negligible (<2C junction temperature rise). Special attention is needed only when driving heavy DC loads through I/O pins (e.g. PWM at 20 mA per pin with multiple pins active), in which case the QFN exposed pad's copper area should be maximized on the top layer.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH compliance per Microchip product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified — the standard 'E' grade is Extended industrial temp but lacks automotive qualification. The 28-QFN /ML is MSL-3 per JEDEC J-STD-020 typical for Microchip QFN parts.
