PIC Families: PIC10, PIC12, PIC16, PIC18, PIC24 & PIC32
PIC isn't one chip — it's a family of families. Knowing the naming pattern helps you pick the right chip and read any PIC datasheet with confidence.
PIC part numbers look cryptic at first — something like PIC16F877A — but the pattern is consistent once you know it. The digits after "PIC" indicate the core size and generation, the letter indicates the memory technology, and the digits after that are a model number, sometimes followed by a suffix for a minor revision.
| Family | Core width | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIC10 | 8-bit | Extremely simple, tiny circuits | As few as 6 pins; very low cost |
| PIC12 | 8-bit | Small sensors, simple control | 8-pin packages are common |
| PIC16 | 8-bit | General hobby & industrial use | The most common "learning" family |
| PIC18 | 8-bit | More memory, more peripherals | Good step up once PIC16 feels limiting |
| PIC24 | 16-bit | Higher-precision control | More math throughput per instruction |
| PIC32 | 32-bit | Larger, faster applications | Closer in power to a small ARM chip |
The letter in the middle of the part number describes the program-memory technology. An F means Flash memory, which can be erased and reprogrammed thousands of times — this is what nearly every hobbyist uses today, since it lets you reflash the chip as you develop your code. Older parts used a C for one-time-programmable memory, which you're unlikely to run into on a new purchase.
For someone learning microcontrollers for the first time, a PIC16 family chip is the traditional starting point: enough memory and peripherals to be genuinely useful, a huge amount of community knowledge and free tooling built around it, and inexpensive enough that a mistake — a wrong wire, a chip run backwards — is not an expensive one. This series will use the PIC16 family as its running example.
PIC 16 F 877 A → family generation (16) · memory type (F = Flash) · model number (877) · minor revision (A). The same logic applies across PIC10 through PIC32.