These new microcontrollers expand Microchip's Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) offering, which offload time-critical, core-intensive tasks from the CPU, allowing it to focus on other application tasks. This family also integrates hardware fault detection features to help engineers develop safety-critical applications.
The PIC16(L)F161X family offers a variety of key functions, such as the Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT), which monitors software operation within predefined limits, thus improving reliability. Cyclic Redundancy Check with Memory Scan (CRC/SCAN) detects and scans memory for corrupted data. This family also includes a Hardware Limit Timer (HLT) that detects hardware failures such as locking and stopping, simplifying closed-loop control applications. These peripherals make it easier for designers to implement safety standards such as UL and Class B, or fail-safe operation.
In addition to the HLT, the PIC16(L)F161X incorporates the unique 24-bit Single-Mode Timer (SMT). SMT performs high-resolution measurements of any digital signal in hardware, resulting in more accurate measurements. It is ideal for speed control, range calculation, and RPM indicators. Both timers are designed to reduce design complexity by eliminating the need to add external code and components.
This high level of integration makes these microcontrollers attractive for a wide range of applications, including fail-safe and supervisory systems for industrial machinery and power supplies, as well as variable-speed motor control products such as fans and household appliances. They are also the first PIC microcontrollers to offer hardware Zero Cross Detect (ZCD), which is essential for designers seeking to simplify TRIAC control and increase system robustness by minimizing EMI generated by switching transients. They also integrate a Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG), comparators, a 10-bit A/D converter, an 8-bit D/A converter, and capture/compare PWM to provide design flexibility and reduce overall cost. The CWG can generate complementary waveforms with precise control of key parameters such as polarity, deadband, and emergency shutdown states. It provides a cost-effective solution that saves board space and component costs for controlling half-bridge and full-bridge drives by driving FETs in motor control and power conversion applications. All these features are supplied in compact 8- to 14-pin packages.
Implementing security and control in an embedded system often requires extensive code and additional components; the PIC16F161X family helps alleviate this complexity by integrating specialized and flexible functions that accelerate design and reduce system cost.
The PIC16(L)F161X family is supported by Microchip's standard suite of premium development tools, including the MPLAB® ICD 3 (DV164035) and PICkit™ 3 (PG164130) programmers/debuggers priced at $189.99 and $44.95 respectively, and the PICkit™ 3 (DM164130-9) reduced-pin demo board priced at $25.99.
The PIC12(L)F1612 microcontrollers are now available for sampling and volume production in 8-pin PDIP, SOIC, and 3 mm x 3 mm DFN and UDFN packages. The PIC16(L)F1613 microcontrollers are now available in 14-pin PDIP, SOIC, and TSSOP packages, and 4 mm x 4 mm UQFN and QFN packages.
