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Electronics => Microcontrollers => Topic started by: tchicago on November 09, 2018, 06:30:55 am

Title: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: tchicago on November 09, 2018, 06:30:55 am
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.
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: oPossum on November 09, 2018, 06:45:12 am
Click "Show ALL Products"

https://www.microchip.com/ParamChartSearch/Chart.aspx?branchID=30048 (https://www.microchip.com/ParamChartSearch/Chart.aspx?branchID=30048)
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: westfw on November 09, 2018, 10:11:39 am
Quote
Does that mean that they are deprecating those families
It means that their product-browser sucks...
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: JPortici on November 09, 2018, 10:45:44 am
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 selector
e.g.: PIC16F84, PIC32MZ1024ECG064, PIC17C766 and so on
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: jpanhalt on November 09, 2018, 11:17:01 am
@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?
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: Wilksey on November 09, 2018, 12:25:30 pm
Quote
Does that mean that they are deprecating those families and replacing them with the equivalents from AVR?

No.  I use the 10F actively in a small project and it is readily available, as others have said, check all products in the selector.
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: eugenenine on November 09, 2018, 12:39:47 pm
notice the default is 'new and popular' then 10/12 are not new and I suppose not as popular as the ones its showing.
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: NorthGuy on November 09, 2018, 02:04:46 pm
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.

Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: mikerj on November 09, 2018, 06:03:19 pm
PIC12 used to refer to 8-pin PICs, but now they're called PIC16, such as PIC16F15313.

The 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.
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: Ian.M on November 09, 2018, 07:27:06 pm
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/617290 (https://www.microchip.com/forums/FindPost/617290)

The 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.
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: nctnico on November 09, 2018, 08:37:37 pm
Quote
Does that mean that they are deprecating those families
It means that their product-browser sucks...
Not 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.
Title: Re: Low end PIC families deprecated?
Post by: NorthGuy on November 09, 2018, 08:52:24 pm
Not 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.

Everyone wants to sell expensive high-margin parts :)