Microchip Promises Better Security and an Onboard Bidirectional Level Shifter in Its PIC18-Q24 MCUs

Microchip has announced the release of a new microcontroller family, PIC18-Q24, which brings with it the claim of a "new standard of enhanced code security" and improved flexibility through an integrated level shifter.

"System security is only as strong as its weakest link. Any programmable component can be vulnerable, and it is essential to implement enhanced protection features to prevent potential hacks," claim's Microchip's Greg Robinson of the new parts, brought to our attention by CNX Software. "The PIC18-Q24 family of MCUs [Microcontroller Units] from Microchip are designed with advanced security in the forefront, to help customers combat threats at the system's foundation."

That enhanced security comes courtesy of a new feature dubbed Programming and Debugging Interface Disable (PDID). When enabled, Microchip claims, it entirely locks out access to both programming and debugging features — blocking any attempts to read, modify, or wipe the firmware currently loaded to the device.

In addition to boosting security, the new PIC18-Q24 family brings with it improved flexibility through an integrated level shifter — called Multi-Voltage Input/Output (MVIO) by Microchip. Taking the place of an external bidirectional level shifter, MVIO allows up to 12 of the microcontroller's pins to talk to external devices at a logic level of 1.62V to 5.5V.

Precise specifications vary by part, with the entry-level PIC18F24Q24 offering 1kB of static RAM (SRAM) and 512B of EEPROM plus 16kB of flash memory and the top-end models boosting SRAM to 4KB and flash to 64kB. Chips are available with either 24 or 43 general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins, with the former limited to four MVIO pins and the latter 12.

The processors run at up to 64MHz, come with four direct memory access (DMA) controllers, three 16-bit pulse-width modulation (PWM) blocks, eight configurable logic cells (CLCs), a complementary waveform generator (CWG), two UART, two SPI, and two I2C buses, plus a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter with computation (ADCC) and an eight-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Pricing for the new parts is available on request, Microchip has confirmed, while the company is selling a breadboard-friendly PIC18F56Q24 Curiosity Nano Evaluation Kit with a PIC18F56Q24 onboard for v$24.02 direct on its website. More information is available on the Microchip website.