Going backwards, can't even get a basic blinky working now

[tumbleweed]

Microchip rarely obsoletes a device. You can still get most ancient pics.
What they do is to raise the price, so you're always better off using the newer devices... they'll be cheaper and likely more available.

[Ioannis]

Regarding the zeners, you do not have to worry about that. Programmer takes care of the voltages needed for every chip by its own.

When I said about bias, I meant that you did not left the pin MCLR free in the air (especially if that pin is programmed as a MCLR pin). It should have a resistor of around 10K to the Vdd rail.

Otherwise this could lead to random resets of the PIC.

Ioannis

[Demon]

Regarding the zeners, you do not have to worry about that. Programmer takes care of the voltages needed for every chip by its own. ...

Ioannis

Maybe, but right now nothing is working as it should so I'm trying to eliminate as much of the possibilities as possible.

... When I said about bias, I meant that you did not left the pin MCLR free in the air (especially if that pin is programmed as a MCLR pin). It should have a resistor of around 10K to the Vdd rail.

Otherwise this could lead to random resets of the PIC.

Ioannis

Oh definitely pulled up to VDD with 10K, and added 100R when reset to VSS. You call it bias, I call it floating.

Robert