PIC16C55A

The PIC16C55X(A) are 18 and 20-Pin EPROM-based members of the versatile PIC16CXX family of low-cost, high-performance, CMOS, fully-static, 8-bit
microcontrollers.

All PICmicro™ microcontrollers employ an advanced RISC architecture. The PIC16C55X(A) have enhanced core features, eight-level deep stack, and multiple internal and external interrupt sources. The separate instruction and data buses of the Harvard architecture allow a 14-bit wide instruction word with the separate 8-bit wide data. The two-stage instruction pipeline allows all instructions to execute in a single-cycle, except for program branches (which require two cycles). A total of 35 instructions (reduced instruction set) are available. Additionally, a large register set gives some of the architectural innovations used to achieve a very high performance.

PIC16C55X(A) microcontrollers typically achieve a 2:1 code compression and a 4:1 speed improvement over other 8-bit microcontrollers in their class.

The PIC16C554(A) and PIC16C556A have 80 bytes of RAM. The PIC16C558(A) has 128 bytes of RAM. Each device has 13 I/O pins and an 8-bit timer/counter with an 8-bit programmable prescaler.

PIC16C55X(A) devices have special features to reduce external components, thus reducing cost, enhancing system reliability and reducing power consumption. There are four oscillator options, of which the single pin RC oscillator provides a low-cost solution, the LP oscillator minimizes power consumption, XT is a standard crystal, and the HS is for High Speed crystals. The SLEEP (power-down) mode offers power saving. The user can wake up the chip from SLEEP through several external and internal interrupts and reset.

A highly reliable Watchdog Timer with its own on-chip RC oscillator provides protection against software lock- up.

A UV-erasable CERDIP-packaged version is ideal for code development while the cost-effective One-Time Programmable (OTP) version is suitable for production in any volume.

Table 1-1 shows the features of the PIC16C55X(A) mid-range microcontroller families.

A simplified block diagram of the PIC16C55X(A) is shown in Figure 3-1.

The PIC16C55X(A) series fit perfectly in applications ranging from motor control to low-power remote sensors. The EPROM technology makes customization of application programs (detection levels, pulse generation, timers, etc.) extremely fast and convenient. The small footprint packages make this microcontroller series perfect for all applications with space limitations. Low-cost, low-power, high-performance, ease of use and I/O flexibility make the PIC16C55X(A) very versatile.