Quote Originally Posted by paulgrut View Post
What could cause a pic failure? These boards were built then tested bad. (no extended use) .

Paul
Static Electricity, short circuit, overload, bad programmer (device). What was the source of those PICs ? Microchip, Mouser, FleaBay ? Lots of Fake Chips out there, maybe you got unlucky that way . . . you gotta ask yourself, "What do electronics manufacturers do with parts that do not meet their high standards?". I would bet they wholesale them to somewhere in unmarked condition as scrap and they mysteriously get marked and marketed as "genuine". I am very dubious about off list suppliers.