I definitely think you're right 
That is pretty crazy protection you were talking about there! Wow.
I think the next step is to find a spare Pm39LV040 or MX29LV040QC (both of which are known to actually be used on this card) and see if it works with that. I'm still hesitant to mess with the original known-working chip, I'm not touching it with a 10 foot pole until I have another chip that I can make work.
That is pretty crazy protection you were talking about there! Wow.I think the next step is to find a spare Pm39LV040 or MX29LV040QC (both of which are known to actually be used on this card) and see if it works with that. I'm still hesitant to mess with the original known-working chip, I'm not touching it with a 10 foot pole until I have another chip that I can make work.