Lawrence Lile wrote:

> Great theory.  I only hooked up MCLR/VPP, ground, Vdd, RB6 and RB7.
> Are these the only pins that need to be connected?
>
> So far whenever I use the adapter I get "check power and serial
> connection"  errors, even when clamped onto a bare chip not in the
> board.   Leads are 12" long - is this excessive?
>
I don't think lead length is the problem. I had a problem when I made a
PICStic adapter for a PIC Start Plus. PSP would not supply enough
current to power/program the PICStic. (Cable length on mine is a 2 foot
DIP jumper cable.) I had to rig an outboard regulator to power the
PICStic. (I'm writing this from memory, I did this like a year and a
half ago.) Try monitoring MCLR/Vpp and Vdd and see if you've got the
appropriate levels. Something about your circuit may be drawing more
current than PSP can supply.

-Frank