The 24LC256 is Microchip Technology's 256Kb (32KB) I²C EEPROM, part of the widely-used 24-series family. It is pin-compatible with Atmel's AT24C256 and operates on the industry-standard 2-wire I²C bus (SCL/SDA), making it the simplest and most cost-effective non-volatile memory solution for drone flight controllers.
In drone applications, the 24LC256 stores flight controller calibration data (IMU offsets, accelerometer calibration, compass calibration), PID tuning parameters, motor ESC settings, and operational counters (flight time, cycle count). The 1 million write cycle endurance means a flight controller that writes configuration 100 times per day would last 27+ years.
24LC / AT24C Capacity Selection Guide
| Part | Capacity | Page Size | Use Case |
|---|
| 24LC02 | 2 Kb (256B) | 8B | Minimal config (I2C address) |
| 24LC64 | 64 Kb (8KB) | 32B | Sensor calibration data |
| 24LC256 | 256 Kb (32KB) | 64B | Full FC config + PID storage |
| AT24C256 | 256 Kb (32KB) | 64B | Microchip OEM equivalent |
| AT24C128 | 128 Kb (16KB) | 64B | Mid-range configuration |