How to identify an integrated circuit without its datasheet?

Question

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for the question, but I'm not sure where else to go.

Recently, an electronics component distributor from where I live (Cordoba, Argentina) has discarded some old parts and donated them to my university with little to no indication on what they are. A friend and I picked a couple blisters up and are trying to figure out what they are. However, the information on the ICs doesn't help.

For example:

Motorola Logo 561 7033 MJ 338980 8851 XI

Or

TI logo 158 2603 SH 785907 A8902S Malaysia

When I google all of this or the separate terms, nothing helpful appears. How could I try identifying the ICs either manually, through similar parts or without the datasheet as a whole? I'm not sure contacting the distributor is an option.

Posting a photo of the components in question in case it helps.

Answer 1

Nearly identical to what I was about to post.

If these are proprietary marked chips then only the assembly house would have the original design spec with the part descriptions. If you knew one or more of the products produced by the assembly house you might be able to find one of their repair manuals/schematics that contain part descriptions and repair part identification numbers.

Here is one such IC tester (P/N: YBD 868) that claims it can ID digital chips, and here is a copy of the user manual for the tester.

This topic was also discussed in an older EE StackExchange post that dealt with trying to identify unknown TTL ICs through testing: How to determine IC function

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Answer 2

Most of them are customer part numbered or proprairty custom parts. There are probably NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreement) in place and the distributor cannot give you that information. But yes try to see if they can give you that information as they may no longer covered by the NDAs if there in fact was actually one.There are also some testers that will tell you what the part is, I do not have one but I have read about them. If you can decap them many have the information on the die but again if custom!!!