If you really want it to operate over as much of the battery life as
possible, you ought to look at 3.3v switching regulators.  Depending on
your current draw, you can find some that require only a capacitor and
the regulator (though the regulator might cost more than a few cents...)

At the same frequency, a PIC will consume less power at 3.3v than at 5v,
furthermore, you'll be throwing less current away using a SMPS than
using a zener or linear regulator.

The only reason *not* to go with smps is for prohibitive costs, but you
can implement a simple smps for less than 50 cents (volume) if that's
not out of your range.

-Adam

Giles Honeycutt wrote:

> How well does a PIC rated at 5.5VDC work with a little over 6 VDC on
> them?
> I can use a diode to drop it down (0.7vdc) a little, but I want it to
> operate over as much of the batteries life as possible.
>
> Any suggestions or experience on this?
> A low fallout on the PICs may be acceptable.
>
> Best regards,
> Giles
>
>
>
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