The design is a practical solution for engineers looking to implement a compact, efficient, and cost-effective cooling system without the need for complex external components.
Effective thermal management is essential in modern electronics, particularly in systems that require accurate temperature control, such as laboratory devices, industrial tools, and consumer electronics. This reference design introduces an intelligent cooling plate that utilises thermoelectric (Peltier) technology to actively cool objects.
Designed around the PIC16F17146 microcontroller, the reference design by Microchip Technology showcases how Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) can be leveraged to streamline functions such as temperature measurement, current monitoring, user interface control, and built-in safety features. The core of this system is a Peltier element, which is responsible for lowering the temperature of the plate. The PIC16F17146 microcontroller controls the entire operation through its integrated CIPs, which drastically reduces external hardware requirements and simplifies the Bill of Materials (BOM). By integrating essential analog and digital features into the microcontroller itself, the system supports efficient analog signal processing, robust safety measures, and smooth user interface handling — all on a single chip.
This design heavily relies on analog functions, utilizing the microcontroller’s built-in operational amplifiers for low-side current sensing of the Peltier element and NTC thermistors for precise temperature monitoring, enabling stable thermal regulation without external signal conditioning. The user interface is both intuitive and efficient, featuring quadrature decoding for input and I²C-based display communication, all managed through the microcontroller’s configurable logic and peripherals (CIPs) to reduce CPU load and enhance processing efficiency. To ensure safe and reliable operation, the system integrates comprehensive protective features, including open and short-circuit detection for the Peltier element and temperature sensors, fan monitoring via PWM-based RPM counting, and stall detection mechanisms that help prevent hardware failures and thermal runaway conditions.
This design’s strength lies in its integration and simplicity, delivering a complete cooling solution—precise control, safety monitoring, and user interaction—using a single PIC16F17146 microcontroller, reducing external components, development time, and cost. Supported by key components like the MCP1754S LDO regulator, TC1413N MOSFET driver, and MCP16363 buck regulator with EMI-friendly features, the system is both compact and efficient. For development, the PIC16F17146 Curiosity Nano Kit (EV72J15A) offers a USB-powered platform with built-in debugger and MPLAB X IDE support, while the Curiosity Development Board (DM164137) provides broader prototyping capabilities. This reference design leverages Core Independent Peripherals for high performance and reliability in compact thermal management applications.
Microchip Technology has tested this reference design. It comes with a bill of materials (BOM), schematics, assembly drawing, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, and more. The company’s website has additional data about the reference design. To read more about this reference design, click here.
