Chuck wrote: When people I know do development for the low pin count devices, they prototype using a part with a higher pin count, and debug using one or more of these techniques: 1) in-circuit-debug - two port pins, plus ground and MCLR (reset) are used with a Microchip ICD2. Limited usefulness for debugging things that have to occur in real time 2) serial I/O - hook up a PC acting as a dumb terminal, and spew debug messages to it. conceptually same as "printf debugging" 3) port flags - use one or more GPIO pins as flags to indicate on a scope or logic analyzer that some internal event has occurred, or that a particular place in the code has been reached 4) scope loops - same concept as #3, but specifically used as a trigger for a scope or logic analyzer for repetitive events, when it is desired to watch what is happening on external signals when the event occurs (before, during, or after) Although I occasionally do the "blind debugging" approach, that's certainly not my preferred method, and there's usually no reason why things have to be done that way. Eric