My fix for Agnus :)

[Ral-Clan]

I did use a PLCC extractor. But it only lift the circuit at the corner. And it was really stuck. I think the tool and the socket could be better designed. Oh well...

I agree.

I used a PLCC extractor to remove an Agnus, but it was so firmly in the socket that I could easily pick up the whole Amiga by it if I had wanted.  And when wiggling it gently to remove the chip, the whole motherboard would have flexed back and forth if I hadn't exerted pressure on it with my other hand.

[Sandman]

One more reason to invest in a proper chip-puller and stop prying with those screwdrivers...

IMHO, I think those chip pullers are more problems then they're worth.....never use'em.  They alway manage to nick the corner of the chip no matter how careful you are.

I usually pull the MB and desolder the 2 empty holes near the middle of the chip and use a couple of small nails inserted head first to gently press the chip out.  Works great.

[Zac67]

Back when I routinely fixed A500s (those golden times... ) I had a plate with screws fitting into the PCB holes - just put the board on the plate, push it down and send Agnus popping out.

[Ral-Clan]

Back when I routinely fixed A500s (those golden times... ) I had a plate with screws fitting into the PCB holes - just put the board on the plate, push it down and send Agnus popping out.

Ah!  I wondered if those holes could be used to push the chip out.  I almost tried to push the chip out that way, but after it started to look like it was going to take quite a bit of pressure I got scared and ordered a PLCC puller online.

[madgrizzle]

To raise a post from the dead, I just finished doing the exact same thing for the amber with a broken pin.  I used my drill press and the smallest bit I had in my arsenal to carve away the casing.   Warning, people aren't selling replacement amber chips anymore (at least cheaper than the $125), so be careful with yours.

[kirk_m]

To raise a post from the dead, I just finished doing the exact same thing for the amber with a broken pin.  I used my drill press and the smallest bit I had in my arsenal to carve away the casing.   Warning, people aren't selling replacement amber chips anymore (at least cheaper than the $125), so be careful with yours.

What are you using as a replacement pin?

[madgrizzle]

What are you using as a replacement pin?

This was the trickiest part.  I had a DIP chip for an old GVP firmware and took a pin off there.  With lots of bending and snipping, I managed to get it into a shape that could be soldered.  Incredibly small but I managed to succeed.  The thick part of the pin went into the slot I had carved into the casing, and the thin part looped around the side to the bottom.  Ultimately, I ended up snipping too much of the thin part off trying to get the right length and it doesn't really curl around the bottom, but the contact is made on the side, not the bottom.  

It managed to stayed in place when I pressed it into the socket.  Not sure I could remove the chip and it stay on, however.  I hope my graphics issue (streaking lines) is not amber related.