Datasheet

PIC18F6520/8520/6620/8620/6720/8720
DS39609C-page 250  2003-2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
23.2 Watchdog Timer (WDT)
The Watchdog Timer is a free running, on-chip RC
oscillator, which does not require any external com-
ponents. This RC oscillator is separate from the RC
oscillator of the OSC1/CLKI pin. That means that the
WDT will run, even if the clock on the OSC1/CLKI and
OSC2/CLKO/RA6 pins of the device has been stopped,
for example, by execution of a SLEEP instruction.
During normal operation, a WDT time-out generates a
device Reset (Watchdog Timer Reset). If the device is
in Sleep mode, a WDT time-out causes the device to
wake-up and continue with normal operation (Watch-
dog Timer wake-up). The TO
bit in the RCON register
will be cleared upon a WDT time-out.
The Watchdog Timer is enabled/disabled by a device
configuration bit. If the WDT is enabled, software exe-
cution may not disable this function. When the WDTEN
configuration bit is cleared, the SWDTEN bit enables/
disables the operation of the WDT.
The WDT time-out period values may be found in the
Electrical Specifications section under parameter #31.
Values for the WDT postscaler may be assigned using
the configuration bits.
23.2.1 CONTROL REGISTER
Register 23-15 shows the WDTCON register. This is a
readable and writable register, which contains a control
bit that allows software to override the WDT enable
configuration bit, only when the configuration bit has
disabled the WDT.
REGISTER 23-15: WDTCON REGISTER
Note 1: The CLRWDT and SLEEP instructions
clear the WDT and the postscaler, if
assigned to the WDT and prevent it from
timing out and generating a device Reset
condition.
2: When a CLRWDT instruction is executed
and the postscaler is assigned to the
WDT, the postscaler count will be cleared,
but the postscaler assignment is not
changed.
U-0 U-0 U-0 U-0 U-0 U-0 U-0 R/W-0
— — — — — — —SWDTEN
bit 7 bit 0
bit 7-1 Unimplemented: Read as ‘0’
bit 0 SWDTEN: Software Controlled Watchdog Timer Enable bit
1 = Watchdog Timer is on
0 = Watchdog Timer is turned off if the WDTEN configuration bit in the configuration register = 0
Legend:
R = Readable bit W = Writable bit U = Unimplemented bit, read as ‘0’
- n = Value at POR ‘1’ = Bit is set ‘0’ = Bit is cleared x = Bit is unknown