PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS - 16KB Flash 32MHz 16-bit MCU XLP | Microchip
MPN: PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.85 | $2.85 |
| 10 | $2.55 | $25.50 |
| 100 | $2.18 | $218.00 |
| 500 | $1.92 | $960.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.68 | $1,680.00 |
PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS Overview
A 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) is a microprocessor-on-a-chip that combines a CPU core, non-volatile program memory, volatile data memory, and peripheral subsystems (ADC, timers, communication interfaces) on a single die. Within the embedded taxonomy, the PIC24F sits between 8-bit PIC MCUs and 32-bit ARM Cortex-M devices, offering a C-friendly modified Harvard architecture with deterministic interrupt response - a class commonly chosen when 8-bit performance is insufficient but 32-bit cost or power is overkill.
Key features of the PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS include XLP technology with Deep Sleep current under 100 nA, an integrated 12-bit ADC with up to 12 channels, dual I2C / SPI / UART communication interfaces, a Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU) for capacitive touch and accurate time measurement, and three PWM channels with seven timers. The 17 I/O pins support peripheral pin select (PPS) for flexible signal routing.
The device uses a modified Harvard RISC architecture with a 16-bit instruction word and a hardware multiplier that performs 17-bit x 17-bit single-cycle operations. On-chip peripherals include DSBOR (Deep Sleep Brown-Out Reset), DSWDT (Deep Sleep Watchdog Timer), and a Real-Time Clock Calendar (RTCC) that continue to operate in Deep Sleep mode - unique among mid-range 16-bit MCUs and enabling decade-long battery life on a single coin cell.
Typical applications include battery-powered sensor nodes, wearable health monitors, remote controls, low-energy wireless sensor hubs, e-metering, and IoT edge devices. The CTMU peripheral enables capacitive touch buttons and sliders without an external controller, while the RTCC eliminates external RTC chips in time-stamped data loggers.
When designing with this part, choose Deep Sleep mode for quiescent periods where average current dominates lifetime, and use the DSWDT to wake the device periodically for sensor polling. Place a 100 nF decoupling capacitor within 3 mm of each VDD/AVDD pin, and route the analog reference traces away from switching nodes.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-brand and cross-brand drop-in alternatives, and practical XLP design notes not consolidated in any single manufacturer document.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS — 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 PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, ADC, Core Architecture, Program Memory (Flash).
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC24F16KA301-I/SS
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC24F16KA101-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.74 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC24F16KA101T-I/SS
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1.38 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC24F16KA301T-E/SS
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC24F16KA102T-I/SS
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC24F (modified Harvard, 16-bit RISC) |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 16 KB (5.5K x 24 words) |
| Data SRAM | 2 KB |
| Data EEPROM | 512 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) |
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | 1.8 V to 3.6 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial, 'I') |
| I/O Pins | 17 |
| ADC | 12-bit, up to 12 channels |
| Communication Interfaces | 2x I2C, SPI, UART |
| PWM Channels | 3 |
| Timers | 7 (5 x 16-bit, 2 x 32-bit) |
| CTMU | Yes (Charge Time Measurement Unit) |
| Deep Sleep Current | < 100 nA typical (XLP) |
| RTCC | Yes (Real-Time Clock Calendar in Deep Sleep) |
| Package | 20-pin SSOP (0.209", 5.30 mm width) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 1 (unlimited floor life) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | MCLR — Master Clear (Reset) input, active low |
| Pin 2 | RA0 — Port A bit 0 / AN0 / CVref+ / ICGCLK |
| Pin 3 | RA1 — Port A bit 1 / AN1 / CVref- |
| Pin 4 | RB0 — Port B bit 0 / AN2 |
| Pin 5 | RB1 — Port B bit 1 / AN3 |
| Pin 6 | RB2 — Port B bit 2 / AN4 |
| Pin 7 | RB3 — Port B bit 3 / AN5 |
| Pin 8 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 9 | OSC1 — Oscillator input / CLKI |
| Pin 10 | OSC2 — Oscillator output / CLKO |
| Pin 11 | RA2 — Port A bit 2 / AN6 |
| Pin 12 | RA3 — Port A bit 3 / AN7 |
| Pin 13 | RA4 — Port A bit 4 / AN8 |
| Pin 14 | RA5 — Port A bit 5 / AN9 |
| Pin 15 | RB4 — Port B bit 4 / AN10 |
| Pin 16 | RB5 — Port B bit 5 / AN11 |
| Pin 17 | RB6 — Port B bit 6 |
| Pin 18 | RB7 — Port B bit 7 |
| Pin 19 | VSS — Ground reference (second VSS pin) |
| Pin 20 | VDD — Positive supply voltage (1.8V to 3.6V) |
Typical Applications
PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS is suitable for 7 applications: Battery-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes, Wearable Health Monitoring Devices, Industrial IoT Edge Sensor Hubs, Capacitive Touch Control Panels, Smart Meters and e-Metering Endpoints, Remote Controls and RF Key Fobs, Smart Home Sensor Hubs.
Battery-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes
The PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS is ideally suited for wireless sensor nodes thanks to its eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology. Deep Sleep current under 100 nA with RTCC running lets the MCU wake only briefly every few minutes to read a sensor and transmit - achieving 10+ year battery life on a CR2032. The 32 MHz/16 MIPS performance handles LoRaWAN or Zigbee stack processing, while the 12-bit ADC with 12 channels interfaces directly with temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors. Designers pair this MCU with sub-GHz transceivers like the Microchip ATA8520D or Texas Instruments CC1101 over SPI. Compared to 8-bit alternatives, the 16-bit core processes sensor data faster, returning the CPU to Deep Sleep more quickly and saving tens of microamps of active current per cycle.
Recommended
Wearable Health Monitoring Devices
Wearable fitness bands and medical patches benefit from the PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS's CTMU peripheral, which enables direct capacitive touch sensing for buttons and sliders without an external touch controller. The CTMU combined with 12-bit ADC supports up to 12 touch electrodes in a single chip, simplifying BOM. Deep Sleep mode under 100 nA is critical for multi-week wear time, while the RTCC maintains accurate timestamps on health data even during sleep. The 1.8 V to 3.6 V supply range is compatible with Li-Ion and Li-Poly rechargeable cells as well as coin cells. The 20-pin SSOP package is small enough for wristband form factors, and the 17 I/O pins drive haptic motors, OLED displays, and BLE modules concurrently.
Recommended
Industrial IoT Edge Sensor Hubs
Industrial IIoT edge devices require robust operation and flexible communication. The PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS supports dual I2C / SPI / UART interfaces, enabling simultaneous connection to multiple sensors (temperature, pressure, flow meters) and a wired network like RS-485 or CAN. The 32 MHz core runs Modbus, IO-Link, or proprietary protocols without offloading to a host, and the 16 KB Flash accommodates full protocol stacks with room for application logic. The industrial -40 C to +85 C temperature range and integrated DSBOR / DSWDT ensure operation in electrically noisy factory environments. The 12-bit ADC with selectable voltage reference provides the accuracy needed for process control feedback loops.
Recommended
Capacitive Touch Control Panels
The CTMU (Charge Time Measurement Unit) on the PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS enables robust capacitive touch button and slider implementation without any external touch IC. The mTouch software library supports up to 12 touch channels on the 12-bit ADC, providing sub-pF resolution that allows the use of thick overlay materials (glass up to 5 mm). The Deep Sleep current under 100 nA is critical for always-on touch panels in white goods and consumer appliances. The 32 MHz CPU handles proximity detection algorithms and noise filtering in real time, while the 16 KB Flash supports mTouch reference code plus custom UI logic. The 17 GPIOs easily drive LED backlighting and piezo buzzer feedback.
Recommended
Smart Meters and e-Metering Endpoints
Smart electricity, gas, and water meters benefit from the PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS combination of low power, accurate ADC, and on-chip RTCC. The 12-bit ADC with selectable reference meets IEC 62053-21 Class 1 accuracy requirements when paired with appropriate current shunts. The RTCC provides time-stamped usage data with backup from a coin cell, surviving main power outages. Deep Sleep current under 100 nA extends battery life to 15+ years in gas and water meters without main power. The 16 KB Flash and 2 KB RAM accommodate Metrology and Communication stack separation, and the UART/SPI interfaces connect to wireless M-Bus, LoRaWAN, or NB-IoT modules.
Recommended
Remote Controls and RF Key Fobs
Battery-powered remote controls and key fobs require absolute minimum standby current to deliver years of standby life from a CR2032. The PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS Deep Sleep current under 100 nA combined with wake-on-pin-change is ideal: the MCU sits in Deep Sleep until a button is pressed, then wakes in microseconds, processes the keypress, transmits over an external RF IC, and returns to sleep. The CTMU can replace mechanical buttons with capacitive touch, improving reliability and industrial design. The 1.8 V to 3.6 V range accommodates coin cells directly, eliminating the need for boost regulators. The 17 I/Os support matrix keypads up to 4x4 plus status LEDs.
Recommended
Smart Home Sensor Hubs
Smart home door/window sensors, leak detectors, and motion sensors rely on coin-cell battery life exceeding 5 years. The PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS delivers this through Deep Sleep under 100 nA and periodic wake via RTCC or external interrupt. The integrated 12-bit ADC with up to 12 channels interfaces with PIR motion sensors, gas sensors, and reed switches directly. The on-chip CTMU enables touch-capable control surfaces on premium sensor models. The 16 KB Flash supports Zigbee or Thread stack fragments when paired with an external radio module. The 20-pin SSOP package with 17 I/Os leaves headroom for status LEDs, piezo buzzers, and tamper-detection switches.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC24F16KA301-I/SS | PIC24F16KA101-I/SS | PIC24F16KA101T-I/SS | PIC24F16KA301T-E/SS | PIC24F16KA102T-I/SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 20-pin SSOP | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same | 20-pin SSOP - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB |
| Data SRAM | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB | 2 KB |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) | 32 MHz (16 MIPS) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) | -40 C to +125 C (Extended) | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial) |
| I/O Pins | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
| Packaging Format | Tape & Reel | Tray | Tray | Tape & Reel | Tape & Reel | Tape & Reel |
| AEC-Q100 Automotive Grade | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade with extended Flash endurance and XLP Deep Sleep mode (vs Generic 8-bit PIC MCUs)
- Tape & Reel packaging format for high-volume assembly (vs PIC24F16KA301-I/SS (tray))
- On-chip CTMU for capacitive touch without external controller (vs Microcontrollers without CTMU)
- 16-bit modified Harvard architecture with hardware 17x17 multiplier (vs Lower-end 16-bit competitors)
Design Notes
Estimated: Average current for a sensor node reading once per minute on a CR2032 cell is dominated by Deep Sleep current (100 nA typical) plus brief active wake. With 16 MIPS active execution during wake, assuming 5 mA active for 10 ms every 60 s, average current = 100 nA + (5 mA x 0.010/60) = 100 nA + 833 nA = 933 nA average. A 220 mAh CR2032 cell at 90% usable capacity yields ~198 mAh / 0.000933 mA = ~212,000 hours = ~24 years theoretical standby life (excluding self-discharge, which dominates after ~10 years). Verify actual figures against Microchip XLP demo firmware.
Place a 100 nF decoupling capacitor within 3 mm of each VDD pin (pin 20 and any AVdd if used), with a low-impedance trace directly to the nearest VSS pin. Add a 10 uF bulk capacitor near the regulator output if powered from a switching supply. For noise-sensitive ADC measurements, place a small ferrite bead on the analog supply line (AVDD) and use a separate analog ground island connected to digital ground at one point only (star-ground topology). Keep the 32 MHz crystal or resonator within 5 mm of OSC1/OSC2 with short traces and ground guard ring.
Do not omit the MCLR pull-up resistor (typically 10 kOhm to VDD) even though the device has an internal weak pull-up - external pull-up ensures reliable reset in noisy environments. When using Deep Sleep, ensure unused I/O pins are configured as outputs driving low (not inputs floating) to eliminate current leakage through input protection diodes. Avoid using peripheral pin select (PPS) functions on the same physical pin as default peripheral remapping without consulting the PPS input/output mapping tables - some combinations are illegal and silently disable the function.
For I2C communication at 400 kHz or 1 MHz over long traces (>5 cm), add 4.7 kOhm pull-ups (not 10 kOhm default) to meet rise-time specifications and place the MCU as close as possible to the bus master or slave. For SPI bus running at the MCU's 16 MHz peripheral clock, route clock and data signals in parallel with ground traces between them to reduce crosstalk. When using the ADC with high-impedance sources (>10 kOhm), add an external buffer op-amp to prevent charge-sharing errors from degrading conversion accuracy.
The PIC24F16KA301T-I/SS in 20-pin SSOP has a thermal resistance (theta JA) of approximately 100 C/W on a standard JEDEC 2-layer test board. At maximum active current consumption of approximately 10 mA at 3.6 V (36 mW), the self-heating temperature rise is only ~3.6 C - well within the -40 C to +85 C operating range. However, in enclosed designs with restricted airflow or elevated ambient temperatures (>60 C), consider thermal relief on the package or switching to the SSOP-28 package variant for improved heat spreading.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Microchip product specifications. SSOP-20 package uses matte-tin plating. MSL-1 rated per JEDEC J-STD-020 (no bake-out required). Not AEC-Q100 qualified - select AEC-Q100 grade parts for automotive applications. Conflict minerals compliance documented in Microchip's annual CMRT filing.
