Jaguar CD questions

[Scorponok]

I finally got my hands on a Jag cd unit. I'm quite nervous as the dealer said it was playing iron soldier 2 a week ago. But still I know the legendary complaints of the unit. I've also heard that most of the complaints are unfounded and the jag cd has the same amount of problems as the 3DO or cdi. (Look it up there are repair men for each system respectively )

 

My point is, are there any survival tips in prolonging this used machine? I can't afford a sealed new one so I'm just hoping the guy took care of it. I know people claim that jag cd units sometimes don't work brand new. But in actuality they probably do work. The sealed label sticker that Atari places ontop the disk spinner pushes down too hard. Just adjust it after removing the label and your new jag should be like....new. I'm not an electrician so any advice would be grand on used systems. The dealer kind of made me nervous by sending me a warning not to remove it from the jaguar system it's in and do not "jostle " it because it's 20 years old. I purchased this for a CRAP TON O MONEY assuming it was in working order.....Once again any experienced tips would be appreciated. I would rather only hear from people that actually own or used to own one. I'm tired of speculation based on YouTube videos. Thanks!

[+madman]

I'm tired of speculation based on YouTube videos. Thanks!

Sorry, nobody here owns any Atari hardware or software, as you've alluded to multiple times in your long tenure on this forum. We just all watch videos online and become experts. Best of luck!

[Video]

No first hand experience, but one of the the common problems with it is the spindle (if that's what you called it) would slip, so the CD won't turn. This is supposed to be an easy fix, jut pull it up a little, but I figure that's how hard you press the CD in to start with anyways.

 

The other problem you'll notice will be the cart connector itself. Games will get fineky with and older system as the half billion contacts in the port get a bit loose, this is magnified with the CD as it's a different thickness/length board from a standard game. I'd say get a jag just for the CD so you don't have to unplug it, and perhaps avoid some of this problem.

[+Stephen Moss]

Took me a couple of tries to get it correctly seated into the Jaguar but apart from that I have never had any issues with my Jag CD unit (brought new) with glass mastered discs, sometimes it takes a couple of goes to read RW discs but ususally a clean of the disks surface or copying to a disk with a silver rather than coloured surface fixes that.

 

Provided you lightly drop the CD's onto the spindle and do not apply any pressure to the spindle (it is not like the PS spindle where pressure needs to be applied for the CD to clip into place) you should not have any trouble.

Admittedly I haven't used it that much in the 10+ years I have had it compared to playing carts (generally use another Jag for that) but I do leave it permanently connected to the Jag and store them in an official carry case when not in use to keep them clean and dust free but that just goes to show that like all things if you after them and use them correctly they will work for years.

[belucid]

+1 on using a separate Jag for carts, or only use the pass through slot (if yours works reliably). You just want to avoid plugging and unplugging the Jag CD to/from the Jaguar constantly. I personally just have 2 jags hooked up to the TV, 1 for Jag CD and 1 for Jag, since I've always found the pass through slot to be finicky.

 

Another piece of advice I've always heard (and followed, so I can't say if not following it is truly harmful) is to hold down the eject button when closing the lid so that you aren't forcing the lid holder to spring in and back out each time you shut the lid. I've heard (again, anecdotal) reports of the eject button breaking so that it no longer holds the lid down. It certainly feels flimsy to me, so I've always followed this advice.

 

Best of luck with it! Treat it with kit gloves and it should last you a nice long time.

 

Cheers,

Sean