> LT1173-5 to give me 5 V to power the PIC16F887

Is that the best choice ?

http://www.linear.com/pc/downloadDocument.do?navId=H0,C1,C1003,C1042,C1033,P
1468,D1808

The introduction in the pdf says

"The device can deliver 5V at 80mA from a 3V input in step-up mode"

although ambiguously in Table 1 further down says 90mA (min) with
a 47uH inductor. Perhaps I've become cynical of mftr's claims. They
may be stating the maximums, I don't know. Seems a long way from
the 160mA you were aiming at though

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