> Good idea but I was hoping this conversation might produce a simple circuit > that I hadn't thought of. I cannot possibly put even an 8-pin chip on my > board as it is. The best I could probably do is a 3-pin device like the > DS1231. Since my post, many people have said that I DON'T have to start the > PIC at 0V so I think that is my best bet. In case you haven't heard, Pure Unobtanium (Ed Nisley's hard-to-find parts business) is going out of business. Checking his latest flyer (arrived today) I see that he has marked down the price of the DS1231 to only $3.80 - certainly cheap enough for most hobbiest applications. To order from PU, or to ask about other items he is selling (6 page flyer) you can contact him via voice/FAX at (919) 676-4525. I am not getting a 'kick-back' from Ed for letting others know about his going out of business sells - I am just doing it as a friendly gesture to him. However, I would appreciate it if you mention my name when you order - maybe he'll help me out on one of my 8051 projects.... ;-} BTW, I posted a short list of some of the parts in Ed's latest flyer to comp.robotics and sci.electronics. I hope this email (and the posts) are not out of character with the charter for the newsgroup/mail-list - I am only doing it to help fellow readers 'find a good deal', and at the same time help another friend. Thanx. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rodney Radford, Senior Systems Developer, Image Technology Group sasrer@unx.sas.com SAS Institute, Inc, Cary, NC 27513 (919) 677-8000 x7703 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------