> (1) Rethinking the RTC options.  Since these RTC's require a crystal

Some have embedded crystals and the frequency can be very finely
tuned. Consider that 1Hz off on a 32768Hz crystal is 16 minutes per
year, and dedicated ICs are a magnitude or more lower
--=20
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist
.