Microchip has expanded its 8-bit, eight-pin microcontroller offerings by upping the flash memory capacity and processor performance in its 8-MHz PIC12F617 (see the figure). Its 3.5 kbytes of flash provide 2k instructions in a 3- by 3-mm, dual flat no-lead (DFN) package.
The PIC12F617 incorporates a four-channel, 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a comparator with hysteresis support, and pulse-width modulation (PWM) and VREF for closed-loop-control applications. It also has a pair of 8-bit timers and a 16-bit timer, as well as 128 bytes of SRAM. And, the flash’s read/write capabilities eliminate the need for EEPROM support.
Application design has become more robust as chips like the PIC12F617 deliver more capabilities. The PIC12F617 targets low-power and power control applications such as LED lighting, system monitoring, and motor control.
Development tools include MPLAB, including a copy of the Hi-Tech Lite C Compiler for PIC12 MCUs. A range of programming and debug hardware such as the MPLAB ICD 3 in-circuit debugger (ICD) is also available. Pricing for the PIC12F617 starts at $0.56 and $0.49 in dual flat no-lead (DFN) and small-outline IC (SOIC) packages, respectively.
Microchip