At 04:22 PM 11/15/96 -0600, you wrote: >>Alternatly, the 16C620 can >>be used as a 16C554 by turning off the comparators. (In fact, I am told >>that the 16C55X series are actually 16C620's which have the comparators >>disabled/ untested. >Remember also the 16C620 has a built in brownout and the 16C554 doesn't so >maybe the 16C554 is not a 16C620 or the 620 has been chopped in more ways than >one. This is curious, Jim. I hadn't noticed about the missing brown out detect. I was told by a Manufacturer's Rep. of Microchip that the '554 was in fact a '620, so I am fairly sure it is. Anyone know if the 554's are 620's with brown-out detectors that failed during testing? Hopefully this part will be more widely available soon. I was told this morning, when I was quoted a terribly high price on some 554's (much higher than even the enhanced 620's) that "you can't get them anywhere else, can you". Kind of hard to calculate costs when subjected to such black/ grey market tactics. When I informed the gal that Digi-Key still had stock, her "best price" almost halved! This from a "prominent distributor"? Word to the wise: use a 620 instead of paying bootleg prices on the 554 due to shortage. But anyway, if anyone has some answers on the brownout question I'd like to know. Anyone biased either way on the necessity of the brownout-detection circuit present in the 620 but not the 554? Thanks to all PIC do-ers! ____________________________________ Todd Peterson (tpeterson@netins.net) E-LAB Digital Engineering, Inc. Embedded Control & Integrated Circuit Solutions ELECTRONICS RESOURCE DIRECTORY at: http://www.netins.net/showcase/elab