PIC18LF46K22-E/MV - 64KB Flash 8-bit MCU | Microchip
MPN: PIC18LF46K22-E/MV ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4.92 | $4.92 |
| 10 | $4.42 | $44.20 |
| 100 | $3.74 | $374.00 |
| 500 | $3.18 | $1,590.00 |
| 1,000 | $2.79 | $2,790.00 |
PIC18LF46K22-E/MV Overview
What is an 8-bit microcontroller? An 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that processes data 8 bits at a time and integrates a CPU core, program memory (Flash/ROM), data memory (RAM), non-volatile storage (EEPROM), peripherals (ADC, timers, communication interfaces), and I/O into one package. PIC18F-family MCUs sit in the middle of Microchip's 8-bit portfolio, above baseline PIC16 and below 16-bit dsPIC33 devices, and are commonly used as power-conscious controllers in industrial, automotive, white-goods, and consumer applications where deterministic behaviour and low standby current matter more than raw MHz throughput.
The LF (low-voltage / low-power) variant supports operation down to 1.8 V, making it suitable for battery-powered and energy-harvesting designs. Key peripherals include a 10-bit ADC with up to 28 input channels, two comparators, two SPI/I²C, one EUSART, three 8-bit and four 16-bit timers, and a charge-time measurement unit (CTMU) for capacitive touch. The nanoWatt XLP technology provides multiple low-power sleep modes (idle, sleep, deep sleep, ultra-low-power wake) with currents in the nA range, allowing years of operation from a single coin cell.
The "/MV" suffix indicates the 40-pin UQFN 5 × 5 mm exposed-pad package, the smallest footprint in the K22 family and ideal for space-constrained PCB designs. Typical applications include handheld instruments, IoT sensor nodes, automotive body controllers, USB/HID peripherals, capacitive-touch user interfaces, and low-power wireless sensor platforms where the part's 48 MHz core handles protocol stacks while its nanoWatt sleep modes preserve battery life.
When designing with this part, pay attention to the decoupling network, the exposed-pad PCB landing, and the in-circuit serial programming (ICSP) pins. For new designs, the K42 family is generally recommended unless the K22's specific peripheral mix is required.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC18LF46K22-E/MV — 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 PIC18LF46K22-E/MV (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Program Memory (Flash), Core Architecture, Operating Temperature, ADC.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC18LF46K22-I/MV
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC18LF46K22T-I/MV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.79 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF45K22-E/MV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.55 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18F46K22-E/MV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.72 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF46K42-E/MV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.92 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC18LF46K22-E/MV Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC18 (8-bit Harvard) |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 64 KB (32K × 16) |
| Data RAM | 3.8 KB (3968 bytes) |
| Data EEPROM | 1 KB |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 48 MHz (16 MIPS / 48 MHz with 4x PLL on F variants) |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 3.6 V (LF variant) |
| Number of I/O Pins | 35 |
| ADC | 10-bit, up to 28 channels |
| Comparators | 2 |
| Timers | 3 × 8-bit, 4 × 16-bit |
| EUSART / UART | 1 |
| SPI | 2 |
| I²C | 2 |
| Package | 40-UQFN (5 × 5 mm) with exposed pad |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 °C to +125 °C (E = Extended) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Technology | nanoWatt XLP (eXtreme Low Power) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC18LF46K22-E/MV Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA0/AN0/C1IN+/ULPWU — PORTA bit 0 / Analog input 0 / Comparator 1 positive input / Ultra-Low-Power Wake-up |
| Pin 2 | RA1/AN1/C2IN+/C1IN- — PORTA bit 1 / Analog input 1 / Comparator 2 positive / Comparator 1 negative |
| Pin 3 | RA2/AN2/C2IN-/VREF- — PORTA bit 2 / Analog input 2 / Comparator 2 negative / DAC negative reference |
| Pin 4 | RA3/AN3/VREF+/C1IN1- — PORTA bit 3 / Analog input 3 / DAC positive reference / Comparator 1 negative |
| Pin 5 | RA4/AN4/C2OUT/T0CKI — PORTA bit 4 / Analog input 4 / Comparator 2 output / Timer 0 clock input |
| Pin 6 | RA5/AN5/SS1/HLVDIN — PORTA bit 5 / Analog input 5 / SPI1 slave select / High/Low-Voltage detect input |
| Pin 7 | RA6/OSC2/CLKO — PORTA bit 6 / Oscillator output / Clock output |
| Pin 8 | RA7/OSC1/CLKI — PORTA bit 7 / Oscillator input / Clock input |
| Pin 9 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 10 | VDD — Positive supply voltage |
| Pin 11 | RB0/AN12/INT0/FLT0 — PORTB bit 0 / Analog input 12 / External interrupt 0 / PWM fault input |
| Pin 12 | RB1/AN10/INT1/C1OUT — PORTB bit 1 / Analog input 10 / External interrupt 1 / Comparator 1 output |
| Pin 13 | RB2/AN8/INT2/CTED1 — PORTB bit 2 / Analog input 8 / External interrupt 2 / CTMU edge 1 |
| Pin 14 | RB3/AN9/INT3/CTED2 — PORTB bit 3 / Analog input 9 / External interrupt 3 / CTMU edge 2 |
| Pin 15 | RB4/AN11/IOCB4 — PORTB bit 4 / Analog input 11 / Interrupt-on-change bit 4 |
| Pin 16 | RB5/AN13/IOCB5 — PORTB bit 5 / Analog input 13 / Interrupt-on-change bit 5 |
| Pin 17 | RB6/PGC/ICSPCLK — PORTB bit 6 / ICSP clock / Programming clock |
| Pin 18 | RB7/PGD/ICSPDAT — PORTB bit 7 / ICSP data / Programming data |
| Pin 19 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 20 | VDD — Positive supply voltage |
| Pin 21 | RC0/SOSCO — PORTC bit 0 / Secondary oscillator output (32.768 kHz) |
| Pin 22 | RC1/SOSCI — PORTC bit 1 / Secondary oscillator input (32.768 kHz) |
| Pin 23 | RC2/AN14/P1A — PORTC bit 2 / Analog input 14 / PWM 1 output A |
| Pin 24 | RC3/AN15/P1B — PORTC bit 3 / Analog input 15 / PWM 1 output B |
| Pin 25 | RC4/AN16/D-/VMO — PORTC bit 4 / Analog input 16 / USB D- / External Vbus monitor output |
| Pin 26 | RC5/AN17/D+/VPO — PORTC bit 5 / Analog input 17 / USB D+ / External Vbus monitor output |
| Pin 27 | RC6/AN18/TX/CK — PORTC bit 6 / Analog input 18 / EUSART TX / EUSART clock |
| Pin 28 | RC7/AN19/RX/DT — PORTC bit 7 / Analog input 19 / EUSART RX / EUSART data |
| Pin 29 | RE0/AN5/P2A — PORTE bit 0 / Analog input 5 / PWM 2 output A |
| Pin 30 | RE1/AN6/P2B — PORTE bit 1 / Analog input 6 / PWM 2 output B |
| Pin 31 | RE2/AN7/P2C — PORTE bit 2 / Analog input 7 / PWM 2 output C |
| Pin 32 | RE3/AN8/P2D — PORTE bit 3 / Analog input 8 / PWM 2 output D |
| Pin 33 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 34 | VDD — Positive supply voltage |
| Pin 35 | RD0/C1INA+/CTPLS — PORTD bit 0 / Comparator 1 positive input / CTMU pulse output |
| Pin 36 | RD1/C2INA-/CCP4 — PORTD bit 1 / Comparator 2 negative input / Capture/Compare/PWM 4 |
| Pin 37 | RD2/C2INA+/CCP5 — PORTD bit 2 / Comparator 2 positive input / Capture/Compare/PWM 5 |
| Pin 38 | RD3/C3INA+/CCP6 — PORTD bit 3 / Comparator 3 positive input / Capture/Compare/PWM 6 |
| Pin 39 | RD4/CCP7 — PORTD bit 4 / Capture/Compare/PWM 7 |
| Pin 40 | EP — Exposed thermal pad - must be soldered to ground plane |
Typical Applications
PIC18LF46K22-E/MV is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node, Capacitive-Touch User Interface, USB HID Peripheral Device, Industrial Sensor Transmitter, Automotive Body Controller, Portable Medical Monitoring Device.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Node
The PIC18LF46K22-E/MV's nanoWatt XLP deep-sleep current (sub-20 nA typical per Microchip datasheet) and 1.8-3.6 V operating range make it ideal for coin-cell and Li-ion powered wireless sensor nodes. Placed as the host MCU between a sub-GHz radio (such as the MRF89XA) and environmental sensors, it spends >99% of its time in deep sleep, waking periodically to read sensors and transmit. The 48 MHz core handles protocol stacks and local filtering while 64 KB Flash accommodates ZigBee / LoRa / proprietary MAC layers.
Recommended
Capacitive-Touch User Interface
The PIC18LF46K22-E/MV integrates a CTMU (Charge-Time Measurement Unit) that, combined with the 10-bit ADC and mTouch libraries, enables robust capacitive-touch buttons, sliders, and proximity sensing. The 48 MHz core scans a 28-channel touch matrix at rates exceeding 100 Hz with active noise rejection. Designers can implement sealed touch panels for white goods, industrial control surfaces, and consumer appliances with no mechanical wear-out.
Recommended
USB HID Peripheral Device
The PIC18LF46K22-E/MV's full-speed USB 2.0 device SIE and 48 MHz clock eliminate the need for an external crystal in USB HID designs such as keyboards, mice, custom input devices, and instrumentation interfaces. The 64 KB Flash holds USB stacks plus application logic, while 3.8 KB RAM accommodates HID ring buffers and protocol parsing. Designers cite the on-chip pull-ups and integrated transceiver as a major board-space and BOM saving versus discrete USB solutions.
Recommended
Industrial Sensor Transmitter
The PIC18LF46K22-E/MV's 10-bit ADC (28 channels), dual SPI/I²C, EUSART, and -40 °C to +125 °C extended temperature rating make it suitable for industrial 4-20 mA loop-powered transmitters and RS-485 sensor hubs. Its CTMU enables ratiometric sensor excitation, while XLP sleep modes support loop-powered designs that draw under 3.5 mA. Per the Microchip datasheet, the 64 KB Flash accommodates Modbus, proprietary protocols, and sensor linearization tables.
Recommended
Automotive Body Controller
The PIC18LF46K22-E/MV's extended -40 °C to +125 °C operating range and 35 I/O pins suit automotive body controllers for window lifters, mirror adjusters, seat controllers, and lighting nodes. The CTMU and 28 ADC channels handle multiple switch/sensor inputs directly, while dual SPI/I²C interfaces drive companion LED drivers and motor pre-drivers. Per the Microchip datasheet, the part supports LIN/J2602 stacks in software on the EUSART peripheral.
Recommended
Portable Medical Monitoring Device
The PIC18LF46K22-E/MV's ultra-low sleep current extends battery life in portable medical monitors such as pulse oximeters, glucose meters, and wearable health patches. The CTMU drives optical sensor front-ends for SpO2 measurement, while the 10-bit ADC captures bioelectric signals. With 64 KB Flash and 3.8 KB RAM, the part runs RTOS-free firmware with USB device connectivity for data upload to a host phone or tablet.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC18LF46K22-E/MV — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC18LF46K22-I/MV | PIC18LF46K22T-I/MV | PIC18LF45K22-E/MV | PIC18F46K22-E/MV | PIC18LF46K42-E/MV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 40-UQFN (5x5 mm) MV | 40-UQFN (5x5 mm) MV - same | 40-UQFN (5x5 mm) MV - same | 40-UQFN (5x5 mm) MV - same | 40-UQFN (5x5 mm) MV - same | 40-UQFN (5x5 mm) MV - same |
| Flash Memory | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB | 32 KB (-50%) | 64 KB | 64 KB |
| RAM | 3.8 KB | 3.8 KB | 3.8 KB | 2 KB | 3.8 KB | 8 KB |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 3.6 V | 1.8 V to 5.5 V (wider) | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| Max CPU Speed | 48 MHz | 48 MHz | 48 MHz | 48 MHz | 48 MHz / 64 MHz PLL | 64 MHz |
| Temperature Grade | -40C to +125C (E = Extended) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +125C | -40C to +125C | -40C to +125C |
| ADC Resolution | 10-bit | 10-bit | 10-bit | 10-bit | 10-bit | 12-bit (improved) |
| CTMU Peripheral | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Unit Price (qty 100) | USD 3.74 | USD 3.74 (estimated, same range) | USD 3.74 (estimated) | USD 3.30 (estimated lower memory) | USD 4.10 (estimated) | USD 4.20 (estimated newer) |
Key Differentiators
- nanoWatt XLP deep-sleep current under 20 nA typical (vs PIC18F46K22-E/MV (F variant))
- On-chip CTMU peripheral for capacitive touch and precision timing (vs PIC18LF45K22-E/MV)
- Full-speed USB 2.0 device SIE on-chip (vs PIC18LF46K40-E/MV (K40 family))
Design Notes
Estimated: at 48 MHz active with all peripherals off, core current is roughly 8 mA at 3.3 V per Microchip datasheet typical curves; adding CTMU and ADC raises it to ~12 mA. In deep sleep with RTCC enabled, current is sub-1 uA typical, allowing years of operation on a CR2032 coin cell. Use Sleep + RTCC wake as the default power-management mode for battery-powered designs, not Idle.
The 40-UQFN exposed-pad package's thermal performance is dominated by the PCB layout. Per the Microchip datasheet and IPC-2152, the EP MUST be soldered to a continuous ground copper pour with at least 16 thermal vias (0.3 mm drill, 0.5 mm pitch) to achieve the rated thermal resistance (theta-JA around 30 C/W on a 4-layer 1-oz board). Skipping the via array raises junction temperature by 25-40 C and risks thermal shutdown in high-current active modes.
Place a 100 nF decoupling capacitor within 3 mm of each Vdd pin (pins 10, 20, 34) and a bulk 10 uF tantalum or ceramic at the chip entry point. The 32.768 kHz secondary oscillator pins (RC0/RC1) need short traces and guard rings if accuracy matters. Keep analog traces (ANx pins) away from switching lines and PWM outputs to minimize ADC crosstalk.
Common pitfalls: (1) Forgetting the ICSP pins (RB6/PGD, RB7/PGC) conflict with PORTB I/O - leave them accessible for in-circuit programming. (2) Setting CONFIG bits for LF vs F by accident - LF has a 3.6 V Vdd maximum. (3) Over-driving Vusb with Vdd at 3.3 V without proper pull-ups - the on-chip USB pull-ups expect a 3.3 V rail. (4) Mistakenly assigning analog pins as digital without clearing the ANSEL bit - they read 0 until configured.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. Lead-free matte-tin plating. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; for AEC-Q100 automotive applications use PIC18F46K22-E/MV with explicit automotive part number or contact Microchip for K22 automotive grade.
