Single power supply for Jaguar + Jag CD

[+Sargon]

I have been told that it is possible for a single AC adapter to power both the main Jaguar console and the Jaguar CD, using a DC splitter.

 

This AC adapter:

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/triad-magnetics/WSU090-3500-R/237-1442-ND/3094968

 

And this splitter:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F5WLQ4M?pf_rd_r=1BEJ8SZZ8C7MXVZHHF2Y&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee

 

I would love to get rid of the 2 separate power adapters, but has anyone been brave enough to try something like this?

[Rick Dangerous]

I have both mine powered by one plug. Someone on here wayyy back was selling them "Jaguar 2 into 1" it was some Lion account, then the wife took over the sales.  

 

Not helpful i know but it certainly IS possible.   As to the above....i'd want someone with more electrical knowledge to test it first. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

1 hour ago, Rick Dangerous said:

I have both mine powered by one plug. Someone on here wayyy back was selling them "Jaguar 2 into 1" it was some Lion account, then the wife took over the sales.  

 

Not helpful i know but it certainly IS possible.   As to the above....i'd want someone with more electrical knowledge to test it first. 

Triad makes excellent AC-DC power adapters. They are also one of the few to provide adapters for lower specific voltages like for the original Neo-Geo which only used a +5 adapter and didn't have any regulation inside the console. The splitter is just doing externally what someone else would do internally in the power supply housing. The multi console adapters are just splicing in multiple power cords from the same point inside the housing on the initial output voltage and providing you with multiple plugs. That is why the current is important in this case from the Triad adapter. It puts out 9v at upto 3.5amps. A Jaguar with a CD attached would only be using 2 9v at 1amp adapters so this Triad will do the business without issue. You could even use this to make new Trio type adapters to power a Genesis, 32x, and SegaCD all at once.

 

[+cubanismo]

@Rick Dangerous you're thinking of @the.golden.ax here?

 

Other options can be found in a similar thread I started recently, since I'm interested in reducing my wall-wart footprint as well:

I'm still going to hold out for this one I think since it still comes out slightly cheaper and is a nice all-in-one solution.

Edited July 14, 2020 by cubanismo
Mixed this up with my earlier thread!

[Arcadia]

https://retrogamesupply.com/collections/atari/products/power-supply-all-in-one-for-atari-jaguar-cd

 

I've bought several cables from this place, they're topnotch. 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Arcadia

[Goochman]

14 hours ago, Arcadia said:

https://retrogamesupply.com/collections/atari/products/power-supply-all-in-one-for-atari-jaguar-cd

 

I've bought several cables from this place, they're topnotch. 

That looks like a winner but sold out

[+orpheuswaking]

25 minutes ago, Goochman said:

That looks like a winner but sold out

In the other thread it was mentioned they should be back in stock in a couple weeks. 

[+af0l]

Anything at 4 amps and centre negative should pull enough juice for those two. I got the psu from ebay (a verified one, true) and the splitter from aliexpress...

[Arcadia]

On 7/15/2020 at 2:06 PM, Goochman said:

That looks like a winner but sold out

Hang in there, it's the best option. 

 

Edit: Looks like they're back in stock. 

Edited July 17, 2020 by Arcadia

[Isgoed]

For the Jaguar console/cd combo I use an universal adapter with 1.4A power, for years now.

 

Long time ago, I measured how much Amps the combo would draw and only when the laser was moving it peaked just above the 1.2A.

 

Reckoning that a PSU is a little overpowered I thought that an original PSU should be able to power the combo? but I never tried/tested that.

[Zerosquare]

I don't recommend doing that. If you could get away with using a single 1.2 A power supply for both, Atari definitely would have, knowing how they liked to save money.

[+Stephen Moss]

On 7/14/2020 at 3:32 PM, Sargon said:

This AC adapter:

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/triad-magnetics/WSU090-3500-R/237-1442-ND/3094968

If it was an unregulated power unit then the 3.5A output might be in issue as the input voltage would be high, however as the data sheet specifies a regulation of +/- 5% would suggest that it is regulated and so the excess current capacity should not be an issue.

To be that small and output that much current with such a wide input range I can only assume that it it is a switch mode supply. One of the major issues with them, and particularly cheap ones is the amount of high frequency noise they tend to output (in this case up to 200mV p-p) which the Jaguar may not like, even if it causes no damage the noise could potentially cause data errors and performance glitches.

 

It may, however be perfectly fine, the only way to know for certain is to try it, the question is are you willing to take the risk? 

Personally, I generally steer clear of external switching power supplies unless the output is really clean and stable, particularly as in the Jaguars case it is supplying another switching regulator which might not like the amount of high frequency noise coming in to it. If I wanted to run both the Jaguar and CD unit of a single supply I personally would be looking for a 2-2.4A unregulated or linear regulated power unit.   

 

On 7/18/2020 at 8:39 AM, Isgoed said:

For the Jaguar console/cd combo I use an universal adapter with 1.4A power, for years now.

 

Long time ago, I measured how much Amps the combo would draw and only when the laser was moving it peaked just above the 1.2A.

 

Reckoning that a PSU is a little overpowered I thought that an original PSU should be able to power the combo? but I never tried/tested that.

I agree with Zerosquare and do not recommend using a single original PSU for powering both the CD unit and Jaguar.

 

I once measured the peak current consumption of the CD unit at 650mA and an typical current consumption on the Jaguar of 560mA (1210mA total), you might be thinking that as is just over the 1200mA rating of the standard power unit you can get away with it. However, that would be unwise as you should never run a power unit at it maximum capacity because it stresses the components, decreasing its lifespan and increasing the possibility of a failure.   

Additionally, I recall some games that use more processing power put the peak Jaguar current consumption up around 800mA - 1A range, consequently I am sure the 1.2A rating of the original power unit was chosen to allow 1A for the Jaguar and a 20% overhead so that it is never use at full load.

It is also possible that under some circumstance the peak current consumption of the CD unit may exceed the 650mA that I noticed during my testing, so to reiterate I personally do not recommend trying to run both the Jaguar and CD unit from a single original Jaguar power supply unit. 

[Zerosquare]

8 hours ago, Stephen Moss said:

To be that small and output that much current with such a wide input range I can only assume that it it is a switch mode supply. One of the major issues with them, and particularly cheap ones is the amount of high frequency noise they tend to output (in this case up to 200mV p-p) which the Jaguar may not like, even if it causes no damage the noise could potentially cause data errors and performance glitches.

I've been using a switched-mode power supply on my Jaguar for years and never had any problem. 200 mV of ripple seems reasonable, considering the Jaguar include its own regulated power supply.

Really cheap and nasty power supplies may still cause issues, but the one mentioned above doesn't seem to be in this category : it's not cheap, and don't believe a major distributor like Digikey would sell junk. So it's most probably fine.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Zerosquare

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I actually use one Golden.axe's converted gamecube power supplies for my Genesis trio setup and have for years without any issues at all. So again, as long as the PSU you intend to use has the right rated output voltage and polarity, and meets or exceeds the combined amperage requirement, I don't see any reason that a single PSU couldn't be used to power both devices now.