ATMEGA162-16AU - 8-bit AVR MCU 16MHz 16KB Flash TQFP-44 | Microchip
MPN: ATMEGA162-16AU β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3.37 | $3.37 |
| 10 | $3.2 | $32.00 |
| 100 | $2.95 | $295.00 |
| 500 | $2.7 | $1,350.00 |
| 1,000 | $2.45 | $2,450.00 |
ATMEGA162-16AU Overview
An 8-bit AVR microcontroller is a single-chip computer built around the AVR enhanced RISC core, in which most instructions execute in a single clock cycle to achieve throughput approaching 1 MIPS per MHz. Within the embedded-systems hierarchy, a microcontroller integrates a CPU core, program memory, data memory, timers, serial interfaces, and general-purpose I/O into one device, replacing multi-chip processor, RAM, and peripheral combinations in cost- and power-sensitive designs.
Key differentiating features include the 133-instruction Advanced RISC architecture with most single-cycle execution, 32 general-purpose working registers, dual programmable USARTs for multi-channel serial communication, a JTAG (IEEE 1149.1-compliant) boundary-scan and on-chip-debug interface, and an external memory interface that expands addressing beyond internal SRAM. The device operates from 2.7 V to 5.5 V, allowing both 3.3 V and 5 V system designs at 16 MHz (full speed requires VCC 4.5-5.5 V).
The AVR core combines a rich instruction set with fast, fixed-length execution, while in-system self-programming via boot-loader support enables field firmware updates. Three flexible timers/counters with compare modes and PWM, a 10-bit-capable analog comparator, and programmable watch-dog timer with separate on-chip oscillator round out the peripheral set for real-time control tasks.
Typical applications include industrial control panels with dual UART links, legacy 5 V equipment maintenance and board-level redesigns, motor and lighting control with PWM, and embedded systems that need a familiar, well-documented AVR migration path.
Designers should note the speed-versus-voltage derating: 0-8 MHz is allowed from 2.7 V, while 16 MHz operation requires 4.5-5.5 V supply, and JTAG enable fuses should be cleared when PC port pins are needed as GPIO.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, pinout data, and practical design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for ATMEGA162-16AU β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with ATMEGA162-16AU (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Instruction Set, Package, Program Memory Size, Operating Temperature, Throughput.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATMEGA162-16AUR
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATMEGA162V-8AUR
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$6.62 / Unit
View Datasheet βATMEGA162-16PI
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$3.55 / Unit
View Datasheet βATMEGA16-16AU
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$4.41 / Unit
View Datasheet βATMEGA32-16AU
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATMEGA162-16AU Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8-bit AVR RISC |
| Max Clock Frequency | 16 MHz |
| Performance | 16 MIPS at 16 MHz (approx. 1 MIPS per MHz) |
| Flash Memory | 16 KB (8K x 16) |
| SRAM | 1 KB |
| EEPROM | 512 B |
| Supply Voltage Range | 2.7 V to 5.5 V |
| Instructions | 133 powerful instructions, most single-cycle |
| Working Registers | 32 x 8-bit general purpose |
| I/O Pins | 35 |
| USART | 2 programmable serial USARTs |
| JTAG Interface | Yes (on-chip debugging and boundary scan) |
| Package | 44-TQFP (10x10 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Data Bus Width | 8 bit |
| Lifecycle Stage | Active |
ATMEGA162-16AU Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | PA0 (AD0) β Port A bit 0 / external memory address line 0 |
| Pin 2 | PA1 (AD1) β Port A bit 1 / external memory address line 1 |
| Pin 3 | PA2 (AD2) β Port A bit 2 / external memory address line 2 |
| Pin 4 | PA3 (AD3) β Port A bit 3 / external memory address line 3 |
| Pin 5 | PA4 (AD4) β Port A bit 4 / external memory address line 4 |
| Pin 6 | PA5 (AD5) β Port A bit 5 / external memory address line 5 |
| Pin 7 | PA6 (AD6) β Port A bit 6 / external memory address line 6 |
| Pin 8 | PA7 (AD7) β Port A bit 7 / external memory address line 7 |
| Pin 9 | PE0 (RXD0) β Port E bit 0 / UART0 receive input |
| Pin 10 | PE1 (TXD0) β Port E bit 1 / UART0 transmit output |
| Pin 11 | PE2 (XCK/AIN0) β Port E bit 2 / USART0 external clock / analog comparator positive input |
| Pin 12 | PB0 (SS) β Port B bit 0 / SPI slave select |
| Pin 13 | PB1 (SCK) β Port B bit 1 / SPI serial clock |
| Pin 14 | PB2 (MOSI) β Port B bit 2 / SPI master data out |
| Pin 15 | PB3 (MISO) β Port B bit 3 / SPI master data in |
| Pin 16 | PB4 (OC2/PWM) β Port B bit 4 / Timer/Counter2 output compare / PWM output |
| Pin 17 | PB5 (OC1A) β Port B bit 5 / Timer/Counter1 output compare A / PWM output |
| Pin 18 | PB6 (OC1B) β Port B bit 6 / Timer/Counter1 output compare B / PWM output |
| Pin 19 | PB7 (OC0/OC1C) β Port B bit 7 / Timer/Counter0 output compare / Timer1 compare C / PWM output |
| Pin 20 | VCC β Digital supply voltage |
| Pin 21 | GND β Ground |
| Pin 22 | PC0 (A8/TCK) β Port C bit 0 / external memory address line 8 / JTAG test clock |
| Pin 23 | PC1 (A9/TMS) β Port C bit 1 / address line 9 / JTAG test mode select |
| Pin 24 | PC2 (A10/TDO) β Port C bit 2 / address line 10 / JTAG test data out |
| Pin 25 | PC3 (A11/TDI) β Port C bit 3 / address line 11 / JTAG test data in |
| Pin 26 | PC4 (A12/TOSC1) β Port C bit 4 / address line 12 / Timer oscillator input |
| Pin 27 | PC5 (A13/TOSC2) β Port C bit 5 / address line 13 / Timer oscillator output |
| Pin 28 | PC6 (A14) β Port C bit 6 / external memory address line 14 |
| Pin 29 | PC7 (A15) β Port C bit 7 / external memory address line 15 |
| Pin 30 | PD0 (RXD1) β Port D bit 0 / UART1 receive input |
| Pin 31 | PD1 (TXD1) β Port D bit 1 / UART1 transmit output |
| Pin 32 | PD2 (INT0) β Port D bit 2 / external interrupt 0 input |
| Pin 33 | PD3 (INT1) β Port D bit 3 / external interrupt 1 input |
| Pin 34 | PD4 (XCK/OC1B) β Port D bit 4 / USART1 external clock / Timer1 compare B output |
| Pin 35 | PD5 (OC1A) β Port D bit 5 / Timer1 compare A output |
| Pin 36 | PD6 (ICP1) β Port D bit 6 / Timer1 input capture |
| Pin 37 | PD7 (OC2) β Port D bit 7 / Timer2 output compare output |
| Pin 38 | AREF β Analog reference voltage for comparator |
| Pin 39 | AVCC β Analog supply voltage (comparator) |
| Pin 40 | GND β Ground |
| Pin 41 | XTAL2 β Inverting oscillator amplifier output |
| Pin 42 | XTAL1 β Inverting oscillator amplifier input / external clock input |
| Pin 43 | RESET β Reset input (active low), active-high source current |
| Pin 44 | VCC β Digital supply voltage |
Typical Applications
ATMEGA162-16AU is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Control Panels, Legacy 5V Equipment Maintenance, Dual-Channel Communication Nodes, Motor and Lighting PWM Control, Embedded HMI and Keypad Controllers, Data Acquisition and Sensor Nodes.
Industrial Control Panels
The ATMEGA162-16AU fits industrial control panels because its dual USARTs allow simultaneous RS-232 operator-interface and RS-485 field-bus links without software serial emulation, while 16 MIPS at 16 MHz provides ample real-time loop performance. The 2.7-5.5 V supply range tolerates the noisy, margin-poor 5 V rails common in legacy panels, and the external memory interface extends data logging capacity beyond the internal 1 KB SRAM. Placed with a MAX485 transceiver on one UART and an RS-232 driver on the other, the device handles protocol bridging at full speed, with the watchdog timer providing autonomous fault recovery in unattended equipment.
Recommended
Legacy 5V Equipment Maintenance
For sustaining production of legacy 5 V systems, the ATMEGA162-16AU is a natural fit: it runs at full 16 MHz from a 4.5-5.5 V rail, drives 5 V logic and optocouplers directly without level translation, and its AVR instruction set matches the large installed base of Atmel designs, so existing firmware toolchains and programmers continue to work. In a typical retrofit, the MCU replaces an obsolete parallel-interface controller, using Port A in external-memory mode to reproduce legacy bus timing, while JTAG on-chip debugging lets technicians bring up replacement boards in-circuit. The 44-TQFP footprint shared with ATmega16/32 allows one PCB layout to serve multiple memory variants.
Recommended
Dual-Channel Communication Nodes
Gateways and protocol converters benefit directly from the ATMEGA162-16AU's two hardware USARTs, which sustain independent full-duplex channels up to the baud limits of the 16 MHz clock without CPU-intensive bit-banging. A common topology uses UART0 toward an RS-485 network and UART1 toward a Bluetooth or modem module, with the 16 MIPS core running framing, CRC, and buffering between them. The 1 KB SRAM accommodates dual receive ring buffers; when larger message stores are needed, the external memory interface maps additional SRAM transparently to the C compiler. The JTAG interface enables breakpoint-level debugging of the dual-channel firmware stack during development.
Recommended
Motor and Lighting PWM Control
The ATMEGA162-16AU's timers with PWM outputs provide phase-correct and fast PWM modes suitable for DC motor speed control, LED dimming, and lighting ballast interfaces. Running from a 5 V rail, its port outputs drive MOSFET gate drivers such as the IR2110 family directly, and the analog comparator supports zero-cross detection for TRIAC phase-angle dimming. The 16 MHz clock gives high PWM resolution (up to 10-bit class at reduced frequency), while the watchdog timer guards against firmware lockup in mains-powered equipment. Placed between a user interface and an isolated driver stage, the MCU closes the control loop with cycle-by-cycle comparators and software PI regulation.
Recommended
Embedded HMI and Keypad Controllers
Front-panel controllers for appliances and instruments leverage the ATMEGA162-16AU's 35 I/O pins to scan key matrices, drive segment LCDs or LED columns, and communicate results upstream over one of the two USARTs. The 16 KB Flash holds lookup tables for fonts and localization, the 512 B EEPROM persists calibration and user settings across power cycles, and the 16 MIPS throughput handles debounce scanning plus display refresh in interrupt-driven tasks. Operating from 2.7 V allows portable variants at reduced clock speed, while the 5 V industrial variant drives LED segments directly through current-limiting resistors, minimizing external component count and BOM cost.
Recommended
Data Acquisition and Sensor Nodes
Sensor nodes and acquisition front-ends use the ATMEGA162-16AU's analog comparator, timers for precise sampling intervals, and external memory interface for captured-data buffering. A typical arrangement samples slow analog signals with an external ADC over SPI-style bit-banged Port pins, time-stamps samples using Timer1, and streams results over USART to a host; the 512 B EEPROM stores calibration constants per unit. The 2.7 V low end supports battery-operated installations at reduced clock frequency, where power scales nearly linearly with clock per the 1 MIPS/MHz AVR efficiency. The watch-dog timer with its own on-chip oscillator ensures autonomous recovery in remote, unattended deployments.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATMEGA162-16AU β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATMEGA162-16AUR | ATMEGA162V-8AUR | ATMEGA16-16AU | ATMEGA32-16AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 44-TQFP (10x10 mm) | 44-TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-TQFP (10x10 mm) - same | 44-TQFP (10x10 mm) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Max Clock Frequency | 16 MHz | 16 MHz | 8 MHz | 16 MHz | 16 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB |
| SRAM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 1 KB | 2 KB |
| Supply Voltage Range | 2.7 V to 5.5 V | 2.7 V to 5.5 V | lower (V-grade, 8 MHz) | 2.7 V to 5.5 V | 2.7 V to 5.5 V |
| USART Count | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| External Memory Interface | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| JTAG On-Chip Debug | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Firmware Binary Compatibility | Reference | Identical | Identical (clock derated) | Recompile required | Recompile required |
Key Differentiators
- Dual hardware USARTs in a 44-TQFP footprint (vs ATMEGA16-16AU)
- External memory interface for SRAM expansion (vs ATMEGA32-16AU)
- Extended low-voltage operation available in family (vs ATMEGA162V-8AUR)
Design Notes
Respect the speed-versus-voltage derating curve in the ATmega162 datasheet: 16 MHz operation is guaranteed only from 4.5 V to 5.5 V, while the 2.7 V minimum applies to lower clock speeds (8 MHz class). Running the full 16 MHz from a 3.3 V rail is outside the specified safe operating envelope and causes marginal timing failures, often only at temperature extremes. Provide at least 100 nF ceramic decoupling on each VCC pin and a 100 nF capacitor on AVCC, with AVCC tied to VCC through a low-pass LC filter if the analog comparator is used in noisy environments.
The 44-TQFP land pattern is shared with ATmega16 and ATmega32 in the same 10x10 mm TQFP-44 outline, so design one footprint that supports all three MPNs for dual-sourcing across product variants. Keep the JTAG header (TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI on Port C pins 22-25) as a 2x5 pad cluster even if unused - populating it later enables in-circuit debugging and production boundary scan. Place the 0.1 uF decoupling capacitors within 2-3 mm of the VCC/GND pin pairs on pins 20/21 and 44/40, and route the crystal (pins 41/42) with short traces and guard ground for oscillator stability.
Two common pitfalls deserve attention. First, the JTAGEN fuse is shipped enabled, which reserves Port C pins 22-25 (TCK/TMS/TDO/TDI) for JTAG; if these GPIO are needed in production, clear the fuse at programming, otherwise external pull-ups on these pins will not behave as expected. Second, the RESET pin is active-low with an internal pull-up but requires an external 10 kO pull-up in electrically noisy environments to prevent spurious resets; do not rely on the internal pull-up alone. Additionally, TOSC1/TOSC2 share Port C pins 26/27 - enabling the asynchronous timer oscillator removes them from external-memory address duties.
Compliance Information
AU suffix denotes lead-free, RoHS-compliant package finish per Microchip/Atmel naming convention and distributor listings. Formal REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals status should be confirmed via Microchip certificate of conformance.