Low end PIC families deprecated? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: tchicago
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 06:30:55 am
content: Hello, All,I was browsing the Microchip website, and I noticed that they don't mention the PIC10 and PIC12 families at all. The device list for all 8-bit PIC devices is also pretty small, yet it still includes only one PIC12 and two PIC10 devices. The rest are PIC16 and PIC18, and there aren't a lot of them either.Does that mean that they are deprecating those families and replacing them with the equivalents from AVR?Just curious. Probably I need to find some press release that would describe the roadmap.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 06:45:12 am
content: Click "Show ALL Products"https://www.microchip.com/ParamChartSearch/Chart.aspx?branchID=30048

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 10:11:39 am
content: QuoteIt means that their product-browser sucks...

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 10:45:44 am
content: Although they tend not to list old products. You can find a product page for almost anything they ever released but for the old and deprecated stuff it won't appear in the product selectore.g.: PIC16F84, PIC32MZ1024ECG064, PIC17C766 and so on

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 11:17:01 am
content: @westfw has the answer.Yes, there are ways around their lousy browser, but why should that be necessary to do? Is Microchip planning for its own obsolescence?

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 12:25:30 pm
content: QuoteNo. I use the 10F actively in a small project and it is readily available, as others have said, check all products in the selector.

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 12:39:47 pm
content: notice the default is 'new and popular' then 10/12 are not new and I suppose not as popular as the ones its showing.

author: NorthGuy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 02:04:46 pm
content: 10F320 is relatively new. They don't have any 6-pin replacements.PIC12 used to refer to 8-pin PICs, but now they're called PIC16, such as PIC16F15313.

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 06:03:19 pm
content: Quote from: NorthGuy on November 09, 2018, 02:04:46 pmThe PIC12 and most PIC10 parts use the 12bit core with a two level stack and no interrupts (some enhanced 12bit cores have interrupts and 4 level stack). The PIC16 parts use the 14bit or enhanced 14bit cores.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 07:27:06 pm
content: Nope. 8 bit PIC part numbers were a mess even before the PIC16F1xxxx range was introduced.Back in 2011, I posted a rough 'rule of thumb' guide to them over at Microchip's forum:https://www.microchip.com/forums/FindPost/617290The 12 bit baseline core and the 12 bit'enhanced'baseline core (+ interrupts) devices all have a part number with the second numeric part starting with '5'.The 14 bit'classic'midrange core has the second part starting with anything except '1' or '5'.The 14 bit enhanced midrange core has the second part starting with '1'.Note:'italics'- unofficial name to describe a core variant.PIC10 were 6 pin, PIC12 were 8 pin and PIC16 had 14 or more pins, until, as Northguy pointed out Microchip broke this numbering convention by creating some 8 pin parts with part numbers in the format PIC16F1xxxx.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 08:37:37 pm
content: Quote from: westfw on November 09, 2018, 10:11:39 amNot at all. It means they are not actively promoting these devices for use in new designs! That is the first step of making a part obsolete.

author: NorthGuy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2018, 08:52:24 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on November 09, 2018, 08:37:37 pmEveryone wants to sell expensive high-margin parts