> Can someone please suggest a _minimalistic_ PIC chip that will do the 
> job for me (i.e. one the has at least 27 i/o pins without any extra 
> features), 

none exist. nearly all PICs have more features than you want, but in 
most cases you can ignore them, except for the analog functions (A/D and 
  comparators) which might need to be disabled.

If you want a 14-bit core I'd suggest the 16F887. Others willprobably 
suggest a suitable 16-bit core.

 > and also can you please suggest a good programmer to use.
> Preferably I'd like the programmer to hook up to my laptop via USB.

You want a programmer/debugger. ICD2 is said to be a slightly better 
debugger, but the pickit2 is certainly worth your money. Both can be 
used over USB.

-- 

Wouter van Ooijen

-- -------------------------------------------
Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
consultancy, development, PICmicro products
docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu

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