EVEN MORE Commandments for Using PICs

After seeing our post about Commandments for Using PICs, George Hadley wrote in with even more great tips. He writes:

7. The VDDCore/VDDCap and ENVREG/DISVREG pins must be connected

In addition to some of the other pins, many PIC microcontrollers (particularly the PIC24 and PIC32 product lines) contain pin called VDDCore/VDDCap and ENVREG/DISVREG. These pins are used to enable or disable internal voltage regulators to the core microcontroller logic. Depending on your application, there are a number of possible connections for these pins (Microchip provides a fairly good write-up here), but regardless of your application, these pins should not be left floating.

8. Read the Errata

The good people at Microchip technology work very hard to make low-cost, high-quality microcontrollers. That said, however, production PIC microcontrollers do not always perform to the ideal specification that their datasheets detail. Batches occasionally come off the line in which flaws in the design are discovered later. In these situations, reading the errata before you order your PCB can be a life-saving experience. The errata can be found on the main page for a given microcontroller or device on microchip’s website, and can tip you off to flaws. For an example of what can happen when you don’t read the silicon errata for a microcontroller before moving forward with a design, talk to Dave Jones.

(this video contains some rare footage of Dave getting upset. RARE. srsly.) 😉

9. Do not use an LF part in place of an F part

For most of microchip’s PIC microcontroller product lines, they make 2 variants of a given microcontroller: the PIC18Fxxxxx and the PIC18LFxxxxx. These parts look very similar if you’re scanning a list, but have different functional characteristics. Therefore, it is HIGHLY recommended that you do a quick 2 second check that you have the right part in the shopping cart before you hit that “submit order” button.

[ed. note: the diff. between the “F” and “LF” chips is that “F” chips are designed to run on a nominal 5V supply, while “LF” chips can run at a lower voltage range (say 2-5V)]


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Join Adafruit on Mastodon

Adafruit is on Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


Maker Business — “Packaging” chips in the US

Wearables — Enclosures help fight body humidity in costumes

Electronics — Transformers: More than meets the eye!

Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Silicon Labs introduces CircuitPython support, and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Guardian Robot, Weather-wise Umbrella Stand, and more!

Microsoft MakeCode — MakeCode Thank You!

EYE on NPI — Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — #NewProds 7/19/23 Feat. Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 CircuitPython Powered Internet Display!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.