What this 8-bit PIC brings to a control board
The Microchip PIC16LF88-I/SS is an 8-bit MCU from the PIC® 16F family, built for simple control, sensor readout, and serial communication in industrial-temperature environments. It runs at 10 MHz, carries 7 KB of Flash program memory, 368 bytes of RAM, and 256 bytes of EEPROM — enough for a small bootloader, calibration constants, and a modest control loop. The wide supply range (2V to 5.5V) means it can run off two alkaline cells or a regulated 3.3V/5V rail without a separate LDO.
Serial buses and on-chip peripherals
Connectivity covers I2C, SPI, and UART/USART — the three serial buses you find on most temperature sensors, ADCs, and motor encoders. The 7-channel 10-bit ADC handles analog inputs like potentiometer feedback or thermistor voltage dividers. Brown-out detect, power-on reset, and the watchdog timer are all on-chip, so external supervisor ICs are optional for most designs.
Housed in a 20-pin SSOP (0.209" body width, 5.30 mm), surface-mount only.
No last-time-buy clock is ticking. The LF variant (low-voltage, 2V minimum) is the one to pick for battery-powered gear; the standard PIC16F88 needs 4V minimum and is a different order code.