Timers are important parts of any microcontroller. A timer is basically a counter which is driven from either an external clock pulse or the microcontroller’s internal oscillator. A timer can be 8 bits or 16 bits wide. Data can be loaded into a timer under program control, and the timer can be stopped or started by program control. Most timers can be configured to generate an interrupt when they reach a certain count (usually when they overflow). The user program can use an interrupt to carry out accurate timing-related operations inside the microcontroller. Microcontrollers in the PIC18F series have at least three timers. For example, the PIC18F452 microcontroller has three built-in timers.

Some microcontrollers offer capture and compare facilities, where a timer value can be read when an external event occurs, or the timer value can be compared to a preset value, and an interrupt is generated when this value is reached. Most PIC18F microcontrollers have at least two capture and compare modules.

Most microcontrollers have at least one watchdog facility. The watchdog is basically a timer that is refreshed by the user program. Whenever the program fails to refresh the watchdog, a reset occurs. The watchdog timer is used to detect a system problem, such as the program being in an endless loop. This safety feature prevents runaway software and stops the microcontroller from executing meaningless and unwanted code. Watchdog facilities are commonly used in real-time systems where the successful termination of one or more activities must be checked regularly.