Q.Briefly explain core feature of pic microcontroller (PIC16F887 VIP40)

The wide popularity of PIC microcontrollers rests on a set of core features covering integrated protection, a tiny instruction set, high speed, powerful I/O, interrupts, timers, easy programming and flexible memory options. …

[!TLDR]

PIC microcontrollers are popular because of nine core features: integrated protection, a 35-instruction set, high speed, strong pin drive, interrupts, timers, easy two-pin programming, flexible EPROM/OTP/ROM options and easy I/O expansion.

The following are the core features that account for the wide popularity of PICs:

1. Integration of operational features — power-on reset and brown-out protection ensure the chip works only when the supply voltage is within specification; a watchdog timer resets the PIC if it ever malfunctions; four clock oscillators are provided (any one selectable), including a low-cost RC oscillator and a high-accuracy crystal oscillator; a variety of low-power options is supported.
2. Instruction set simplicity — the instruction set consists of just 35 instructions.
3. Speed — at its maximum clock rate a PIC executes most of its instructions in 0.2 $\mu s$, i.e. five instructions per microsecond.
4. Powerful output pin control — a single instruction can select and drive one output pin high or low in its 0.2 $\mu s$ execution time, and the pin can drive a load of up to 25 mA.
5. Interrupt control — up to 12 independent sources can control when the CPU deals with each source.
6. Programmable timer options — three versatile timers can characterise inputs, control outputs and provide internal timing for program execution.
7. Serial programming via two pins — the simple programming hardware means PIC programmers are available for under USD 100.
8. EPROM/OTP/ROM options — development is supported by ultraviolet-erasable, programmable (EPROM) ports, and both small and large production runs are supported by low-cost one-time-programmable (OTP) ports. …