I have two problems. First the background. I'm using PBP3.0 with Mechanique Microcode Studio Plus. I wrote for the 16F887 on my Lab x1 development system ran the IDC, got all the bugs out, program works.

I recompiled for the target MCU, a 16F628a, changing the pins as necessary and adding config fuse to use the internal oscillator.

Problem #1: "some times" when I try to program the 16F628a using the U2 programmer, I get a message "Lost communication with programmer". This I assume is on the USB side so why should it work sometimes, and other times not? I can't get it to work when I want. Sometimes I'll just keep hitting the program button, then all of a sudden it will kick off and work. I NEVER had the problem when connecting on the programming side to the LabX-1 but have this problem when I connect to my 16F628a chip.

Problem#2: I take the 16F628a chip out of it's socket and put it into an MeLabs Zif converter. I don't get the "lost communication" error (this time using the supplied 10 conductor ribbon cable). It programs fine, every time.
However, when I program for the ICD, and RUN the ICD, I get "ICD connection timeout". I'm using a Max232 chip to convert my serial signals from my computer to the chip. I'm supplying 5VDC to the chip and the Max232, of course.

I'm using the default internal 4 MHz oscillator.

I have read about Problem #1 through a Google search, but it was an old problem and no solutions were proposed.