I was afraid of it blowing the pic. I wrote one pic off to ESD because I knew I was being careless but didn't think it was ESD, just didn't want to think it got blown when working on it at one point. What are your thoughts on using a MOSFET/BJT as an electronic switch that enables the A/D lines to the pic once the pic up and running. I'd like to limit the number of mechanical switches if possible since it would not be practical to flip several mechanical switches after a "power failure" or similar issue.