Mike Harrison wrote: > Remember that pencils write pretty well on ceramic! And rub off just as well! The chips that I have are pretty dark on the bottom and you would have to rely on the reflectivness of the graphite to read it, methinks. IMO this number is too important to not use some more permanent means of saving it. Either my idea or the Staedtler-Mars Lumocolor #313 suggested by Lawrence Lyle and others is the way to go. The pins of the DIP packages will give you protection from the occasional finger, but I would worry that placing it in conductive foam a few times might rub it off. Of course, your mileage may vary. Michael *************************************************************************When th e way of the Tao is forgotten, kindness and ethics must be taught. Men must learn to pretend to be wise and good. -- Lao Tzu *************************************************************************