Just a quick note in case this jogs anyone's memory:

I'm trying to program a PIC16F877 on my board, it's a TQFP package, I
have a 5X2 pin header for programming, identical setup to my last project
using a 16F84 (jumpered for operation).

I built a programming cable with a 40 pin socket on one end and a 5X1
plug for the header on the other, I'm using a Picstart+. Again, this is
the same way I did it for the 16f84.

16F877s in a DIP package program just fine in the Picstart, but when I
plug in the cable and plug that into a board I can't get it to program, I
get various errors, including "Cannot Transmit", "Cannot Receive", just
plain "Failure" in the program/verify window, and occasionally something
like "Command 8F not echoed properly (F8)".

Does anyone have any clue what might be wrong? Or suggestions on what to
look for? The cable checks out fine with the ohmmeter, it's about 8
inches long and shielded, so should be electrically fine. I'm stumped.

Dave Johnson