4.2.3 32.768 kHz Crystal

The PIC18F57Q84 Curiosity Nano Board has a 32.768 kHz crystal footprint made for standard 3.2 mm by 1.5 mm surface mount crystals with two terminals.

The crystal footprint is not connected to the PIC18F57Q84 by default, as the GPIOs are routed out to the edge connector. To use the crystal, some hardware modifications are required.
  • The two I/O lines routed to the edge connector must be disconnected to reduce the chance of contention to the crystal, and to remove excessive capacitance on the lines
  • Disconnect the edge connector by cutting the two cut-straps on the bottom side of the board, marked RC0 and RC1
  • Connect the crystal by soldering on a solder blob on each of the circular solder points next to the crystal on the top side of the board, J214 and J215

The crystal has a cut-strap next (J216) to it, which can be used to measure the oscillator safety factor. This is done by cutting the strap and adding a 0402 SMD resistor across the strap. More information about oscillator allowance and safety factor can be found in the AN2648 application note from Microchip.

The cut straps and solder points can be seen in Figure 4-4.

Table 4-3. Crystal Connections
PIC18F57Q84 PinFunctionShared Functionality
RC0SOSCO (Crystal output)Edge connector
RC1SOSCI (Crystal input)Edge connector
Figure 4-4. Crystal Connection and Cut Straps