notvalid,

> If as you say the i2c is enabled and working on the RTC then
> it strongly sounds as though the module is DOA.

Yup.

> The wiring is not exactly complicated and doesn't seem
> particularly sensitive to cable lengths or types.

Indeed.  The only problem I had was how to supply 3.3 volts to mine (as I
have two candidate pins for that).

> The one extra check I would suggest is a quick check with a
> new unmodified OS install to just check that any software loaded
> as part of the RTC

:-) I did not install any such software.   I just used some Python to read
the RTC and than shelled a command to set the clock with it, executed on
startup.  In other words, AFAICS nothing was/is using the I2C bus.

But to make sure nothing of the kind would be happening I also tried,
instead of the pressure sensor, an MCP9808 temperature sensor.  It was
detected without a problem.

The only thing that that keeps nagging me is that the breakout board perhaps
never was designed to accept power on the "3.3" pin, and that something got
destroyed when I did (later on changing it by applying 5 volts to the "vcc"
pin didn't help).

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

P.s.
Yesterday I emailed the webstore with my findings, and they had no problem
with sending another.  They didn't even mention anything about returning the
old one.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05