Jaguar Audio/Video Modification

[RARusk]

Several years ago I purchased a Jaguar from a friend of mine at work. The problem was that the AV port was busted (left side was broken off) and something had come up through the vents on the bottom and hit the board with such force as to cut a trace (the chroma trace - easily fixed).

 

I got around the busted AV port by installing a DB-15 plug where the RF modulator was (after I removed it of course) and use a custom built AV box. However, I decided to install a PlayStation AV plug (taken from AV adapter they used to make - has a short cord that leads to a small box that has a standard S-Video port, three standard RCA jacks, and another AV plug) because it is easier to find PlayStation AV cables off the shelf and I could also use my PlayStation RGB cable that I made so I can use the Jag's pristene RGB Analog video signal.

 

Then, last year, I opened up my Jag because I was curious about the blank parts on the AV port. I am an occasional contributor to the GamesX wiki site and I noticed that the page on the Jag AV port had a lot of ?? on it. So I decided to figure it out. I was also using a multimeter to figure out voltages as I was poking around on the port. Then I accidentally crossed the +10VDC trace with something else and ruined the Jag. This also goes to prove, and I am saying it before anybody else does, that curiousity did indeed kill the cat. I also put up a topic here called "Texan Needs a New Jag" to see about acquiring a new unit.

 

After several months, GameFellas in Austin finally got one in and I acquired it. Unlike my dead unit this one had a working AV port. At that time I was doing work on making a guide for "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" (PS2) for GameFAQs and I decided to finish it up before modifying the new unit. With a working AV port you are probably asking why modify it? For the same reason I added the PS plug to the old one - because getting PS cables is a lot easier that going after the Jag ones. Besides, with this setup I can use TWO TV sets and/or monitors at the same time if I wished to do so.

 

The new motherboard is to go into the old case since the case had to be modified to use the PS plug. I had to remove the plastic that covered up the busted AV port and redid the PS plug area. I also had to cut away a little bit of plastic from the controller port area so I could insert the motherboard rear first.

 

I also had to remove the PS plug from the dead unit and clean it up so I could use it again in the new unit. In the picture below is the dead Jag board. Near the bottom you can clearly see where the port got broken. At the top is where the PS plug was (I removed it long before this picture was taken). Since the port was already broken I decided to solder wires directly to the contacts. You can also see that this was a messy mod but it did work perfectly.

 

[RARusk]

In this picture you can see the PS plug installed on the new unit. I had to remove the ground shield for the port and the RF modulator. I superglued the PS plug onto plastic and then onto the motherboard. This time I used thin 30-gauge wires and soldered them to the caps beyond the end of the AV port. Because my RGB box, which uses an EL1883 sync chip, can't handle the +10VDC voltage from the AV port, I acquired +5VDC from where the RF modulator got it's power. A much cleaner mod don't you think?

 

[RARusk]

This picture is the mod but taken from the back. After the unit was tested, and it worked perfectly on all three video modes (Composite Video, S-Video, and RGB Analog video), I reinstalled the ground shield for the port area and added a clear acrylic version of liquid tape to insulate where I soldered the wires.

 

[RARusk]

After I finished modifying the case I placed the new board inside and closed it up. In this picture you can see the rear of the newly modified Jag with two Audio/Video plugs, one Jaguar and one PlayStation. The paint used is flat black model paint then, when dry, is buffed with a rag to give it a mattish look.

 

[RARusk]

This final picture is of the Jaguar attached to my RGB box, using my custom built PlayStation RGB cable, and running "Pinball Fantasies" on my NEC MultiSync 3D monitor. Looks nice.

 

By the way, if anybody here has ever read my "Grand Theft Auto" guides at GameFAQs (or anywhere else where they are posted), this is where it all happens. My new Mac Mini, which is what I now use to write my work, process pictures (like the ones here), and surf is to the right. All my PS2 memory cards, 20 in all, is near the keyboard. The open folder displayed on the monitor on the left is where I keep my FAQs and guides including my newest guide: "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" (PS2).

 

Now all I need to do is build a proper paddle controller for "Tempest 2000".....

 

[Symmetry of TNG]

Hi!

 

quite an interesting mod.. I could use an VGA connection myself...

So you are saying that all those air-wieres does not pick up any noise from the rest of the jag and create bad picture?

 

more space in the back of the jag and one could make a built in catbox

 

and a moment of silence, may your other jag RIP

 

cheers

/Sym

[RARusk]

VGA is Progressive Scan RGB Analog (480p) and the Jaguar is only capable of Interlaced RGB Analog (480i). The MultiSync monitor I have is capable of displaying 480i and 480p RGB Analog Video. By the way, I know that most Jaguars make a kind of hissing sound and my first one did the same. However, the new unit hisses louder than the first one. Has anybody ever found out why it hisses and is there a fix for it?

[RARusk]

I was kinda hoping that someone might give an answer about the hissing problem by now. But no rush. I'm still playing around with "Hitman: Blood Money" and may go back and revise my "Grand Theft Auto 3" guide.

 

By the way, is there any way to contact Jeff Minter? I got this Wingman joystick with a paddle controller built in and I wanted to ask him if there was a way to use it with "Tempest 2000".

[Zerosquare]

I was kinda hoping that someone might give an answer about the hissing problem by now.

From the Jaguar FAQ :

Q. Hey! My Jaguar makes a quiet hissing sound! What's going on? Is it

dangerous?

 

A. Early Atari Jaguars had a rumored problem with the console hissing softly.

Atari had cited several reasons for the hissing noise. Some have said

that the sound is from the RF generator. The RF shield has holes in it

(ostensibly to help air flow and keep the unit cool), and it is believed

that the holes produce the noise.

 

Others said the sounds are produced by coil L29 which is responsible for

the proper voltage regulation to +10.0V, together with U38. The coil's

copper wire vibrates when the current through it changes abruptly, making

the hiss.

 

There are two solutions: 1) Use plastic spray or silicone rubber glue to

fix the coil's wire. 2) Replace the original Jaguar power-supply with a

variable power-source, using 7.5V DC instead of 9V DC (it is not certain

whether the Jaguar CD will require 9V DC, which would make this "fix"

unworkable with the CD drive).

 

In any case, the "hissing" noise was not dangerous, but merely annoying.

It was usually audible only if you put your ear next to the unit and

listen closely, and is not interference in the audio output. It is

roughly analogous to the buzz made by electric clocks.

 

Most later Jaguars did not have this problem, though a few rare cases have

been noted.

 

By the way, is there any way to contact Jeff Minter? I got this Wingman joystick with a paddle controller built in and I wanted to ask him if there was a way to use it with "Tempest 2000".

Maybe here ? Edited July 28, 2006 by Zerosquare

[RARusk]

I knew about what was written in the FAQ but I was trying to see if there was any new information on the issue.

 

But I can tell you right now that the hissing is not caused by the RF modulator (since it was removed from this unit) or from the coil. I replaced the coil tonight with one that I picked up when trying to repair my previous unit. This coil is heavily insulated. But after turning on my unit, the hissing noise is still there. As a matter of fact, replacing the coil didn't change anything. I put my ear closely to the board to see if I could pinpoint where the noise was coming from and it sounds like the whole board is making the noise not just any specific part of it. I'm scratching my head here.

 

I will try to use the link to Llamasoft to write up Jeff Minter and show him pictures of the Wingman unit to see if it can work on T2000.

[CPU64]

Nice!

I did the same to mine but I used a Gamecube/n64 port instead.