> Does the parallel port guarantee the minimum voltage
> for programming a PIC,12.5v?


The El Cheapo has very clever power supply circuitry, and does not depend on
the parallel port for this power. It uses a walwart of 16V to supply its
current, which is regulated to 12V using a 7812 and artificially elevated
using two diodes to 13.4V, which suits the entire range of PICmicros it was
meant to program. See http://www.myke.com/elcheapo.htm for all details
(although, as said, it is probably not the wisest choice if you are going to
build a programmer).

Greetings,
Maarten Hofman.
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