Microchip Technology IC PIC MCU PIC18F65J15-I/PT TQFP-64 MCP PIC18F65J15-I/PT Data Sheet

© 2009 Microchip Technology Inc.

DS39663F-page 157

Timer1 can be configured for 16-bit reads and writes
(see Figure 13-2). When the RD16 control bit
(T1CON<7>) is set, the address for TMR1H is mapped
to a buffer register for the high byte of Timer1. A read
from TMR1L will load the contents of the high byte of
Timer1 into the Timer1 High Byte Buffer register. This
provides the user with the ability to accurately read all
16 bits of Timer1 without having to determine whether
a read of the high byte, followed by a read of the low
byte, has become invalid due to a rollover between
reads.
A write to the high byte of Timer1 must also take place
through the TMR1H Buffer register. The Timer1 high
byte is updated with the contents of TMR1H when a
write occurs to TMR1L. This allows a user to write all
16 bits to both the high and low bytes of Timer1 at once.
The high byte of Timer1 is not directly readable or
writable in this mode. All reads and writes must take
place through the Timer1 High Byte Buffer register.
Writes to TMR1H do not clear the Timer1 prescaler.
The prescaler is only cleared on writes to TMR1L.

An on-chip crystal oscillator circuit is incorporated
between pins T1OSI (input) and T1OSO (amplifier
output). It is enabled by setting the Timer1 Oscillator
Enable bit, T1OSCEN (T1CON<3>). The oscillator is a
low-power circuit rated for 32 kHz crystals. It will
continue to run during all power-managed modes. The
circuit for a typical LP oscillator is shown in Figure 13-3.
Table 13-1 shows the capacitor selection for the Timer1
oscillator. 
The user must provide a software time delay to ensure
proper start-up of the Timer1 oscillator.

13.3.1

USING TIMER1 AS A 
CLOCK SOURCE

The Timer1 oscillator is also available as a clock source
in power-managed modes. By setting the clock select
bits, SCS<1:0> (OSCCON<1:0>), to ‘01’, the device
switches to SEC_RUN mode; both the CPU and
peripherals are clocked from the Timer1 oscillator. If the
IDLEN bit (OSCCON<7>) is cleared and a SLEEP
instruction is executed, the device enters SEC_IDLE
mode. Additional details are available in Section 4.0
“Power-Managed Modes”.
Whenever the Timer1 oscillator is providing the clock
source, the Timer1 System Clock Status Flag, T1RUN
(T1CON<6>), is set. This can be used to determine the
controller’s current clocking mode. It can also indicate
the clock source being currently used by the Fail-Safe
Clock Monitor. If the Clock Monitor is enabled and the
Timer1 oscillator fails while providing the clock, polling
the T1RUN bit will indicate whether the clock is being
provided by the Timer1 oscillator or another source.

13.3.2

LOW-POWER TIMER1 OPTION 

The Timer1 oscillator can operate at two distinct levels
of power consumption based on device configuration.
When the LPT1OSC Configuration bit is set, the Timer1
oscillator operates in a low-power mode. When
LPT1OSC is not set, Timer1 operates at a higher power
level. Power consumption for a particular mode is rela-
tively constant regardless of the device’s operating
mode. The default Timer1 configuration is the higher
power mode. 
As the low-power Timer1 mode tends to be more
sensitive to interference, high noise environments may
cause some oscillator instability. The low-power option is,
therefore, best suited for low noise applications where
power conservation is an important design consideration.

See the Notes with Table 13-1 for additional
information about capacitor selection.

C1 

C2

XTAL

T1OSI

T1OSO

32.768 kHz

27 pF

27 pF

LP

32 kHz

27 pF

27 pF

Note 1: Microchip suggests these values as a

starting point in validating the oscillator
circuit.

2: Higher capacitance increases the stability

of the oscillator but also increases the
start-up time. 

3: Since each resonator/crystal has its own

characteristics, the user should consult
the resonator/crystal manufacturer for
appropriate values of external
components.

4: Capacitor values are for design guidance

only.