Re: Fingerprint GSI+ card problems

["Mark Cummings" <figjams@primus.com.au>]

>Seems like the only time that I post here is when I have a problem or
>something!  Oh well... you are a great bunch and are very helpful
>(especially Mark Cummings and William Strutts!  Great work, guys).

crawling will get you no where :) I'm sure you will do the same for others
in the newsgroup when they have problems too.

>I recently traded a bunch of Mac stuff for a bunch of Apple II stuff.  In
>the Apple II stuff pile was a Fingerprint GSI+ card... I was very excited
to
>see it there, instantly recognizing it for what it was.
<snip>
>about 10 percent of the time it goes to a screen full of
>reverse-video 2's.

I don't have one of those cards, but on a hunch a screen full of reverse 2
would indicate the setting of the Alternate display mode in the control
panel is wrong. Try the other setting.

>In my Apple II stuff pile, I also got some kind of EPROM burner card (very
>cool, but it's down in the basement at the moment.  I'm pretty sure it's
one
>of those Mountain EPROM burners).  I putted the main ROM chip off the
>Fingerprint and it fits in my EPROM burner card.  I'm thinking that redoing
>the EPROM might be a good idea, but am not certain.  Here's where you all
>come in.  :)  My questions are:
>
>- Does anybody know if the Fingerprint GSI+ manuals are online?  I can't
>locate any.

Wayne Stewart has put an EPROM manual on-line but it is for a different
model (AP-64E) which I also have. Check it out anyway it may be the same
under a different label.

>- Is the main socketed chip on a Fingerprint GSI+ an EPROM or not?
>- Is it possible to get a Fingerprint ROM dump from someone and also the
>software for the Mountain EPROM burner so that I can reburn the
>Fingerprint's chip?
>- Does this even sound like a ROM chip problem?

sorry can't say, but my guess would be that it's not an EPROM problem. If
there is a lump in the centre of the chip (maybe under a label) then it is
most likely an EPROM. PROMs are flat and have no erasing window. pretty much
all cards for printer interfaces for the Apple I have seen use EPROMs for
the firmware. Exception to this would be the Apple II 5.25 controller which
uses PROMs, probably due to the high volumes manufacturered at the time.

Mark