Best PIC MCU

Thread Starter

craigfoo

Joined May 16, 2013
22
I'm looking for a PIC MCU that is easy to integrate into a design.

Some requirements:
- I need it to have at least 6 I/Os
- It needs to have internal memory, internal oscillator, and internal regulator if possible.
- Small form factor.

Basically, I would like to minimize external components but still be able to program the MCU in circuit. I'm set on PIC because I already wrote the program. Any recommendations?
 

Meixner

Joined Sep 26, 2011
117
With the requirements you provided I would suggest either the 12F629 (6 i/o pins) or the 16F630 (12 i/o pins). No PICs have an internal regulator but if you use a regulated 5 Volts to supply your board and have good bypassing at the PIC you should not have any problems.
 

Thread Starter

craigfoo

Joined May 16, 2013
22
128KB range will be enough. A 2V to 15V range would be nice and it seems it's possible with the internal regulator on some of these chips.
 

Thread Starter

craigfoo

Joined May 16, 2013
22
Looking at the ones that Meixner has suggested, I don't think I'll need 128KB of memory; one of these could work. I'm not super familiar with selecting microcontrollers, what are some specs that I should look for? Should I pick something overkill?
 

Thread Starter

craigfoo

Joined May 16, 2013
22
In order to program "in-circuit" I'll need to utilize the ICSP, correct? I wouldn't be able to program "in-circuit" with the 12F629, right? Sorry, a little new to this.
 

Meixner

Joined Sep 26, 2011
117
In order to program "in-circuit" I'll need to utilize the ICSP, correct? I wouldn't be able to program "in-circuit" with the 12F629, right? Sorry, a little new to this.
You could do it with the 12F629, you have to use the ICSP pins for both functions. Microchip has an appnote on how to do this. Or you could just use the 16F630 with more I/O pins and not be bothered with reusing the pins. The 16F630 only costs 30 cents more than the 12F629 from my supplier.
 

BobTPH

Joined Jun 5, 2013
8,813
128KB? The suggested PIC12F629 has 128 bytes of RAM, only off by a factor of 1024. If you need 128KB, you would have to use a 32-bit PIC.


Bob
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Oshonsoft (Google it) sells a very inexpensive Basic compiler for the PIC. That needs minimal code tweaking to get your code up and running, if the built in functions duplicate what the Stamp has.

No PICs have an internal regulator
PIC12HV615 for one. The "HV" designates an internal 5V shunt regulator.
 
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