Microchip Debuts New Development Board for Designing with 16-bit and 32-bit PIC® Microcontrollers

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, today announced the new Explorer 16/32 Development Board for designing with 16-bit and 32-bit PIC^® microcontrollers. This new board is offered at a reduced cost from Microchip’s popular Explorer 16 Development Board and comes with an integrated programmer/debugger and several new features that address the latest embedded systems design needs. The board provides a flexible, convenient and easy-to-start tool while being backwards compatible to the classic Explorer 16 Board. 

The Explorer 16/32 Development Board serves as a platform for customers to evaluate the 16-bit PIC24, dsPIC33 and 32-bit PIC32 families of devices through Processor Plug-In-Modules (PIMs) for easy device swapping. It facilitates prototyping the end application for proof of concept before migrating to the actual design. The board features a mikroBUS™ interface to easily add new functionalities using Click Boards™ from MikroElectronika. In addition, the board also supports an integrated USB for both power and communication, eliminating the need for an external power adapter and communication accessory.

This new board is backwards compatible with the popular Explorer 16 Board which allows users to continue using existing code, libraries, prototypes, PIMs, and PICtail™ Plus daughter cards interfaced via a side PICtail Plus connector. The PICtail Plus daughter cards interfaced via a vertical connector can be re-used via the additional PICtail Plus Expansion Board.

“The Explorer 16 Development Board has been one of Microchip’s most popular development tools,” said Terry Schmidt, director of marketing for Microchip’s MCU16 division. “Backwards compatibility was extremely important to support our large 16- and 32-bit PIC MCU customer base.   We listened to our customers and incorporated many new features and capabilities they requested such as an integrated programmer/debugger and USB power. With hundreds of application daughter cards, the possibilities with this board are endless.”

For more information about the Explorer 16/32 development board, visit www.microchip.com/Explorer1632 or https://youtu.be/Gb8lPufjur4 to watch a short video.

Pricing and Availability
The Explorer 16/32 development kit (part# DM240001-3) includes the main Explorer 16/32 Development Board as well as a PIC24FJ1024GB610 Plug-In-Module and two USB cables. The Plug-In-Module features a 16-bit PIC24FJ1024GB610 microcontroller with 1MB Flash, a superset of memory and functions for the lower-power PIC24F family. This kit with PIM and cables is available for $109.99

For those who already have a Processor PIM and USB cables, the Explorer 16/32 Development Board (part# DM240001-2) is available at a lower cost of $79.99.

An optional PICtail Plus Expansion Board (part# AC240100) is also available to extend the Explorer 16/32 Development Board with vertical PICtail Plus application daughter cards as well as additional mikroBUS interfaces and a small prototyping area. It is available for $39.99.