Would you kindly point me to a page and line where it says that a negative voltage WRT Vss on a pin violates the operating conditions? Jim Hartmann Alan Pearce @MITVMA.MIT.EDU> on 10/11/1999 09:55:08 AM Please respond to pic microcontroller discussion list Sent by: pic microcontroller discussion list To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU cc: Subject: Re: PICs: Good Design More on (ab)use of PIC protection diodes & bad design Connecting a negative voltage to an input pin, even through a resistor quite clearly violates the "operating" portion of the data sheet. The "maximum" portion of the data sheet is conditions that the chip can withstand without damage, but are definitely not part of the operating conditions. hence the protection diode being able to take 20mA is a maximum rating that is safe for the chip, but for this to happen the operating condition that Vss