+MacRorie Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Okay, so I got a used Jaguar today and it is definitely odd. My main problem right now is that I am having difficulty getting video out of it. I have tried to get video through the back via a number of ways, to no avail. I have tried the RF hook up that works fine with my 7800 (through a VCR to my LCD TV) and no luck. It powers up (the power light comes on), but I get no sound or video. Here is the odd part: It has no serial number sticker and a green power on light. Power supply is US with a sticker (but that only means that is what it has, not what it came with). So, any ideas on how to get video out of it? There are some other odd things about it as well, but I will let the pictures tell the tale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Green LED = Euro/PAL unit. But...that board is seriously corroded. Looks like U26 is missing a leg and that's only after a quick look at your pics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Green LED = Euro/PAL unit. But...that board is seriously corroded. Looks like U26 is missing a leg and that's only after a quick look at your pics. Yeah, that's what I thought as well, but if I use composite out, I should still get video, right? Yeah, the corrosion is a bit unsightly. Suggestions for cleaning without damaging further? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Yeah, you should get video and also sound from a working PAL unit. That board is likely a goner, I'm sure there are dozens of broken traces in addition to any damage that may have occurred to the chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) Yeah, you should get video and also sound from a working PAL unit. That board is likely a goner, I'm sure there are dozens of broken traces in addition to any damage that may have occurred to the chips. That would seem to imply it would not power on, though. Also, this model has the TV channel switch next to the RF output. This would seem to imply it is an NTSC model with a green light. Note: the Boot ROM is an EPROM and not a ROM Edited March 31, 2015 by MacRorie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 That would seem to imply it would not power on, though. Not to sure I follow your logic here. You're saying if it powers on, then it shouldn't have broken traces and all the chips should be functional. If that was the case, you wouldn't be posting a thread about how to troubleshoot a Jaguar that doesn't work. Perhaps a more knowledgeable member here will have a fix for your severely corroded Jaguar, sorry to have wasted your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh3-rg Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Socketed boot rom, that little sticker where there is usually a proper barcode sticker, heat sink on DSP, green LED with channel switch... interesting Jaguar, shame it's in such a state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Socketed boot rom, that little sticker where there is usually a proper barcode sticker, heat sink on DSP, green LED with channel switch... interesting Jaguar, shame it's in such a state. Indeed. I took it apart to the base. Although there is some dirt/oxidization near the cart connector and a few of the chips, it is not as bad as the picture makes out. I think the high resolution and magnification makes it look worse than it is (but then again, who knows). Is there a known way to clean the cart connector? I am not saying it will fix it, but it might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Not to sure I follow your logic here. You're saying if it powers on, then it shouldn't have broken traces and all the chips should be functional. If that was the case, you wouldn't be posting a thread about how to troubleshoot a Jaguar that doesn't work. Perhaps a more knowledgeable member here will have a fix for your severely corroded Jaguar, sorry to have wasted your time. Hmm, I am just trying to figure out what is going on. Perhaps you are correct and it is a lost cause, but I would think that if it were completely gone, it might not even power up. Of course, this just could be hope. It is a fairly different beast. I thought it might be a mystery folks would like to work on with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bender3455 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) If you can solder, I can take mine apart and show you where to connect for Composite connections. Also, I'll look at mine and see if I can give you anything further to look at. Are you good with a multimeter? Edited: Component to Composite (Would be totally bad ass to do Component. I may look into that, lol) Edited March 31, 2015 by bender3455 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Did someone keep this in their garden for a few years? Just looking at the board screams don't bother. I'd keep the case and get a new motherboard. Even if you fix it something else is bound to fry soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I wouldn't have even applied power to this unit without giving the board a real good cleanup. Lots of corrosion there, which would potentially cause shorts across many components and I.C.'s. Board is in desperate need of some vigorous vinegar/baking soda brushing, then rinse with rubbing alcohol. So yeah, what's with this particular board? Heatsink, socketed boot ROM... super early pre-production unit or... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hmm, I am just trying to figure out what is going on. Perhaps you are correct and it is a lost cause, but I would think that if it were completely gone, it might not even power up. Of course, this just could be hope. It is a fairly different beast. I thought it might be a mystery folks would like to work on with me. The only thing that powering up proves is that you've got the correct PSU and that, in production models anyway, a cart is inserted. That's all that is required for the LED to light up, it's an extremely small portion of the overall circuit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Wow. I did not realize that. Very interesting way to build a machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 It's not entirely unusual. Troubleshooting is actually easier if you have a broken console that doesn't power up. It's usually the PSU, perhaps a blown fuse like in the SNES, or a simple regulator replacement. Beyond that, you're usually dealing with more complex issues, unless it's sound related and can be fixed by recapping the audio stage. I would at least salvage that boot EPROM in yours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I wonder where these odd pal jag consoles come from anyway. People always tend to "find them" in the wild... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I wonder if this was an early pre-production PAL unit. The date on the ROM is earlier than the worldwide release, and yes obviously I know the ROM would pre-date the European release. There's no choke on the power input, either. Maybe the OP can take a photo of the underside of the board and we can see if its set to 50 or 60 Hz. Edit: Also C18(?) looks like it needs to be replaced, but I'm sure a single cap is the least of the worries that board has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 That thing is in shit condition. Where did you obtain it, the dumpster behind Atari? The BIOS is socketed but the chipset looks like the later version used and then there's the non-Molex controller ports that they used to cheapen it even more.. What's the deal with the heatsink? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) Updated photos, post-cleaning. Looks like it still needs a little cleaning near the joy ports. Edited April 1, 2015 by MacRorie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 I wonder if this was an early pre-production PAL unit. The date on the ROM is earlier than the worldwide release, and yes obviously I know the ROM would pre-date the European release. There's no choke on the power input, either. Maybe the OP can take a photo of the underside of the board and we can see if its set to 50 or 60 Hz. Edit: Also C18(?) looks like it needs to be replaced, but I'm sure a single cap is the least of the worries that board has. I put some back of board shots up (where it looks like it was hand-soldered). If those do not show it, where in particular would you like me to shoot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+rdemming Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 The GPU on this board is version 1.0 while other Jaguars have version 1.1 as seen on the picture below. I don't know if it is common that there are version 1.0 GPUs in the wild but at least it is an earlier model than my Jaguars which all have a v1.1 GPU. I put some back of board shots up (where it looks like it was hand-soldered). If those do not show it, where in particular would you like me to shoot? The video frequency is determined by R140 (0 ohm resistor) on the backside of the PCB as show in this picture from Matthias Domin's site. If there is a resistor then it is PAL (50 Hz). Without resistor it is NTSC (60 Hz): 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CyranoJ Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Quite a few Jags have GPU 1.0 - it has different bugs to 1.1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MacRorie Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Here's the spot in question: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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