1 Features and Pinout

1.2 Pinout

PIC32CM PL10 Curiosity Nano pinout diagram.

All the PIC32CM6408PL10048 I/O pins are accessible at the edge connectors on the board. The image below shows the board's pinout.

Figure 1-1. PIC32CM PL10 Curiosity Nano Pinout
Info: Refer to the Pinout and Multiplexing section in the PIC32CM6408PL10048 data sheet for all available functions on each pin.

1.3 Board Features

Features of Curiosity Nano, board layout picture, board block diagram, and Curiosity Nano pinout standard.

1.3.1 Board Features

  • PIC32CM6408PL10048 Microcontroller
  • On-Board Nano Debugger
    • Programming and debugging
    • Virtual serial port via USB CDC
    • Green power and status LED
    • One debug GPIO channel (DGI GPIO)
    • Board identification in Microchip development environments
  • Power and Connectivity
    • USB Type-C® for power and data
    • Adjustable target voltage (1.8–5.5V, up to 500 mA) controlled by the on-board debugger
    • 1x2 100 mil header for alternative VDDIO2 supply
  • Hardware Peripherals
    • Yellow user LED
    • Mechanical user switch
    • Touch button
    • 32.768 kHz Crystal
  • Curiosity Nano Edge Connector
    • Sockets into Curiosity Nano base boards
    • Staggered layout for press fit pin headers
    • Breadboard compatible
    • Castellated edges for surface mounting

1.3.2 Board Overview

Figure 1-2 1-3. PIC32CM PL10 Curiosity Nano Board Overview

1.3.3 Block Diagram

Figure 1-2 1-3. PIC32CM PL10 Curiosity Nano Board Block Diagram

1.3.4 Curiosity Nano Pinout

All Curiosity Nano boards follow a standardized pinout for key functions, as illustrated in the image below. Specific pins are reserved for the debugger interface, which supports programming protocols such as UPDI, SWD, or ICSP. Additional dedicated pins are provided for the CDC virtual serial port and the Data Gateway Interface (DGI).

Serial communication interfaces are consistently mapped to designated pins:
  • UART
  • I2C
  • SPI
The CDC UART may share pins with the serial communication section, be available on dedicated pins located directly below the serial section, or, in some cases, be accessible only through the debugger section.

Analog capability is guaranteed only for pins within the analog section. At least two of these pins support PWM output, and some kits may offer a third optional PWM pin.

The placement and availability of additional features, such as extra serial or analog functions, may vary depending on the specific Curiosity Nano board. For this reason, only GPIO functionality is guaranteed for pins outside the sections mentioned above.
Tip: The location of debugger, serial communication, and analog pins on the edge connector is consistent across all Curiosity Nano boards, ensuring compatibility and ease of use.
Figure 1-4. Curiosity Nano Pinout
Info: Features shown in parentheses are optional and may not be available on all Curiosity Nano boards.

1.4 Out-of-Box Demo

This is an interactive demo program.

The PIC32CM6408PL10048 is pre-programmed with an example application that demonstrates GPIO control, capacitive touch, mechanical switch input, and UART communication. These features are accessible through three example modes:
  • Mode 1 (default): Blinks the yellow user LED (LED0) at a frequency of 0.5 Hz.
  • Mode 2: Adjusts the LED blink frequency in real time:
    • User switch (SW0) toggles the blinking frequency between 0.5 Hz and 1 Hz.
    • Touch button toggles the blinking frequency between 0.5 Hz and 5 Hz.
  • Mode 3: Pressing the user switch (SW0) transmits an 8-bit incrementing counter value over UART. This data can be monitored in real time using MPLAB® Data Visualizer.
The modes are controlled via the kit’s CDC UART interface. To interact with the application, open a COM port terminal with the following settings: 115200 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.
Tip: DTR may need to be asserted in your terminal program for proper communication.

Switch between programs by sending ‘1’, ‘2’, or ‘3’ over UART; send ‘0’ to reset and show the menu.

For full details, see: PIC32CM PL10 Curiosity Nano Out-of-Box Demo.