I've been using a PicStart Plus for a loooong time now (~ 4-5 years) without
any problems whatsoever.  I've primarily used PIC16F873 devices, and a few
low-end parts as well.  Recently, I've been doing a project with the '877
(NOT the '877A).   Often, when I make a minor code change and go to
reprogram the part, I'll get some (maybe 3 or 4, maybe *lots*) verification
errors.  If I cycle power on the programmer and retry the sequence, all is
*usually* OK -- but sometimes I need to retry several times before Success.
This phenomenon seems to be occuring with increasing regularity.  So, I
looked in the PICSTART Help, and found a statement about PIC16F87x devices
being shipped with Low-Voltage Programming mode enabled by default; note
that the PICStart uses the "High-Voltage" scenario.  They suggest a 10K
resistor between RB3/PGM and Gnd on the ZIF socket while programming.
  I've done this a couple of times, and got Success 1st try.  But I'm
bothered by the fact that I went on for such a long time without ever seeing
any problems with '873s or '877s!   Has anyone had relevant experience with
this?
  I'd think that, once a particular device has been programmed *once* with
"low-voltage mode" disabled in the config bits, it should be re-programmable
without a hitch.
Thanks for any ideas!
Jim
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