Amiga Custom Chip Mystery – CRG Clears Agnus, Blames Gary

1037

In this CRG episode, Glen sets out to fix what he believes is a failed Amiga custom chip—Agnus. But what starts as a straightforward repair turns into a dramatic whodunit involving vinegar baths, fibreglass pens, logic probes, and a false accusation. The target? A poor Agnus chip, wrongfully blamed for an Amiga 500’s black screen woes.

The focus quickly shifts from Agnus to Gary after tests reveal the Agnus chip is working just fine in another Amiga. Gary, on the other hand, is giving off some very suspicious behavior—including multiple floating pins. Glen launches into a series of diagnostics, cleans the chip’s legs, tries vinegar soaking, and even breaks out an electric nail file to grind into the chip’s surface. If you ever wanted to see a custom IC get dental work, this is the video for you.

After all the scrubbing, probing, soaking, and grinding, Glen confirms that Gary is indeed the culprit. The Amiga custom chip didn’t just fail—it went full mystery on him. But there’s a silver lining: Gary is much cheaper to replace than Agnus.

And just for fun, Glen shares a look inside the physical chip itself—a rare teardown that shows just how small the internal silicon really is, despite the big plastic shell. The poor chip didn’t survive the autopsy, but at least now we know what Gary looks like under the hood.

This episode is less about fixing and more about the chase—and it’s exactly that winding, slightly chaotic process that makes it worth watching. Glen’s chip detective work is oddly satisfying, and his commentary keeps things grounded even as things get a little destructive.