On Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:13:15 +0000 (UTC), zipwize said:
> The MCLR pull down was a dramatic solution
> that I happened upon. I still wonder why.=20

Because it's not MCLR! You configured it to be an I/O pin. And it has no
output drivers or internal pullup, so it floats. And floating input
circuitry draws power because CMOS logic draws power when the inputs are
not at one rail or the other.
=20
> "A weak pull-up is=20
> automatically enabled for RA3 when configured as=20
> MCLR and disabled when RA3 is an I/O. There is no=20
> software control of the MCLR pull-up."=20
>=20
> So if it was MCLR you could leave it floating, but since you have it=20
> configured as I/O(actually it can only be configured as input or MCLR,=20
> not an output), it has no pullup and you need to deal with it=20
> externally.=20

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