This wasn’t much of a success. I suspected differences between the PIC12C508 and PIC12C508A. If anyone could point out what would be different, that would be swell - I’m not a datasheet wizard and if it doesn’t just zap, I try again a few different ways. Sadly all resulted in failure on this occasion… Calibration IDs, all that razzamatazz but no luck!

Microchip’s datasheet does show differences between the devices, including the oscillator-calibration implementation, but I did not establish that those differences caused this failure.

I promise to upload a video where I do successfully flash the… I think they are PIC12F629 or something along those lines anyway. Reflashable… none of this one-time programming (OTP).

Update January 2015: It turned out my GQ-4X was dying slowly and randomly. I bought another model with no issues! That gives this failed attempt another possible explanation, rather than proving the PIC12C508A was incompatible.

Sources