"hello world" with 18f6680

[skimask]

i tired changing it, and i switched to a 10Mhz resonator that i know works, and im still having this problem.. do you think it could be the chip? or if there was a problem with it, would i still be able to program it and read the code back??

I'd have to say a resounding yes.
I don't know how many transistors any given PIC has in it, but think about it for a second.
Every I/O pin except Vdd/Vss/MCLR/OSC/PGD/PGC/PGM could be blown out, the program is running but you can't see it.
The oscillator section itself could be fried. This PIC apparently doesn't have a backup internal oscillator of any sort, so that options out.
Could be any number of a thousand things, so many 'sections' packed in there, and ICSP only uses a few of them.

However, I'll also say that I've only completely fried one PIC in 10-12 years of messing with them. One pin here, one pin there, input driver, output driver (usually the case)....yes, one here and there, but not a whole chip.

[dragons_fire]

ok... i havent done anything "bad" to this one either... and ive wrecked a few so far.. mostly inserting into sockets backwards!!! and the last one i did, was when i first started SMT stuff, i soldered a 44-tqfp 16f877a with the writing up, so pin 12 (i think) was where pin 1 shoulda been.. i didnt look at the little dot in the corner.... i kept trying to program it, and for some reason it wouldnt program!!!

ill take a picture of the board in a few minutes... dont make fun of the solder, im doing it all by hand with a $20 iron.. i have also soldered parts multiple times trying different things.. which reminds me, when i can afford it, i will probably buy some 18f's in DIPs so i can breadboard it and play around... i just cant seem to get them to work and im not sure why...

[skimask]

ok... i havent done anything "bad" to this one either... and ive wrecked a few so far.. mostly inserting into sockets backwards!!! and the last one i did, was when i first started SMT stuff, i soldered a 44-tqfp 16f877a with the writing up, so pin 12 (i think) was where pin 1 shoulda been.. i didnt look at the little dot in the corner.... i kept trying to program it, and for some reason it wouldnt program!!!

Isn't nothing anybody else hasn't done
I've done it too, but I have yet to smoke one.

dont make fun of the solder, im doing it all by hand with a $20 iron..

Have you seen my webpage with the picture of the old mp3 player on it?
That'll get you laughing...
Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a good soldering station...nothing like it, some flux, alcohol dispensor, acid brushes, all that good stuff.
I went thru a 7 week micro-mini- circuit card repair class last year (spent about 6 1/2 of those 7 weeks with my head buried in a microscope). I got back and bought a load of good tools for soldering. Made that part of it LOADS easier, to include soldering and desoldering 80 pin TQFP's on and off PCBs.

[dragons_fire]

i looked at you website a while ago, i dont remember the cd player, but im gonna have to go back for another look.

looking at my board on the picture, it actually doesnt look as bad as i thought... (except where the OSC is.. )



the 5-pin 90* header is the ICSP
the 12-pin 90* headers on each end go to sensors and servos and everything else i can imagine
the 5-pin headers go to the top board that has the power circuit on it. it also has a basic LCD display and the power headers to go to the servos/sensors

i do use flux, really small solder and flux remover...