Calling all people with a National Instruments ISA GPIB-PCII/IIA GPIB card and a chip reader!
Seems my faulty card is maybe, possibly, likely due to a failed GAL16V8D. I think if someone could read out theirs and give me the file, I might be able to reprogram this chip, or a new one and maybe get this card working again...
Mine is a Rev 2.1 board with the big NAT4882D chip, not the VLSI chip. Unfortunately my other cards aren't the same revision, so the GAL image won't work..
I've now seen many different board versions, didn't save all different pictures and now some are hiding.
But dang how bad pictures people take, and for selling stuff.
All silk versions from B to E are using original GAL and VLSI controller chip.
Sticker versions REV.1 and REV 001 are mainly using B version GAL and NI chip.
But I've also seen original GAL with NI chip and B GAL with VLSI chip.
Controller internals are of course unknown but stamped types are not changing.
Obvious resolderings were also missing.
Sticker version REV.2 I found had normal NI chip and B version GAL.
Same with hand written sticker version REV.NG23
Partnumbers are not advancing with revisions.
Maybe they have had some production problems and it's compensated with modified support logic.
Doesn't help much either way.
For NI part numbers I'd say that they are for different other components.
No idea what makes a revision.
Only different component layout I found was 181065-08 REV.E when normal is -01.
There J2 and J3 are present and DIP pack is one short, PCII/PCIIA is missing and changed to 3 pin short a bit above, marked PCII PCIIA PCIIB.
So electrically still most likely the same.
Support files have also a readme.txt
The language interfaces supplied with this handler contain
information about the new NI-488.2 software routines. The
Revision E handlers do not support these functions. If you try to
access any of these NI-488.2 routines, this handler returns the
error ECAP. If you need to access these new NI-488.2 routines,
you must upgrade to our new IEEE-488.2 compatible hardware and
software (Version 1.0 and later).
Can it be that sticker versions are just too new.
Quite nasty if true.
Maybe only some driver updates are finally needed.
How are those two cards connected internally?
I remember something that one can be PCII and other PCIIA.