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Atari Jaguar General Maintenance

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Atari Jaguar with RF shield in place
A Jaguar with the top case off. The main board sits under a steel RF shield with an opening for the cartridge connector

Routine care for the Atari Jaguar console. The Jaguar has a single main board under a steel RF shield, powered by an external 9 V adaptor through a switching regulator on the board.[1][2] Faults are covered in the Atari Jaguar Troubleshooting Guide; the CD add-on has its own Atari Jaguar CD General Maintenance page.

Atari's care instructions

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The user's guide asks owners to:[3]

  • unplug the AC adaptor from the wall when the system will not be used for a long time;
  • use only the AC adaptor that came with the console;
  • keep the console, controllers and cartridges out of direct sunlight, damp places and away from heaters.

Power adaptor

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Atari Jaguar adaptor (label of model PP-912)
Item Value
Atari part number 500273
Input AC 120 V, 60 Hz, 20 W
Output DC 9 V, 1.2 A
Polarity Centre negative

The figures are from the label of a PP-912 adaptor; a second model, 4811A10T, carries the same part number and ratings.[4][5] The Jaguar CD user's guide says the console and Jaguar CD adaptors are interchangeable.[6]

The console's power input has no fuse, and a wrong adaptor can destroy the main regulator U38.[2][7] Before plugging in any adaptor that is not Atari's own, check its output and polarity with a meter.

James Jones rebuilt a Jaguar adaptor whose plug was missing, using a barrel plug of 2.1 mm inner and 5.5 mm outer diameter (Tensility 55-00051). He found that following the plug maker's instructions put the polarity the wrong way round for the Jaguar: the negative wire, usually the one with the white stripe, goes to the centre. Before use he put the meter's negative probe in the centre of the plug and the positive probe on the outside, and expected a reading of about 9 to 12 V; a negative reading means the wires are the wrong way round.[8]

Cartridge slot

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  • The Jaguar will not switch on without a cartridge in the slot.[9] The power switch circuit runs through two pins of the cartridge connector.[2]
  • Insert the cartridge firmly, with the console switched off. A screen that stays solid red means the cartridge has not been read.[3]
  • With the Jaguar CD fitted, switch the console off before connecting or removing the CD unit.[6]

Inside the console

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  • The RF shield covers the whole main board; remove it to reach the board.[1]
  • The board in Evan-Amos's photograph is assembly 700026 (label 700026-001). The power section is in the top right corner: U38 (MC34163), L29, D4 and the 2200 µF capacitor C150.[10][2]
  • The schematic has twenty electrolytic capacitor positions. The photographed board has nineteen fitted, because the ADC0844 (U16) and its supply capacitor C93 are left out; see the Atari Jaguar Capacitor Replacement Guide.[2][10]

Controller ports

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The two controller ports are 15-pin high-density sockets (DM-15S on the schematic). Each signal line to the ports passes through a 100 Ω resistor with a 100 pF capacitor to ground. The console drives the ports from a 74HCT374 latch (U18) and reads them through 74HC244 buffers.[2]

Identifying your console

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  • Serial numbers beginning with "K" are IBM-made consoles and those beginning with "M" are JVC-made. Early "K" consoles have the analogue-controller converter chip, which later "K" and "M" consoles lack.[11]
  • The power LED is red on NTSC consoles and green on PAL ones, according to a note on Atari's schematic.[2]
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Evan-Amos, photograph of a Jaguar with the RF shield in place, 19 June 2014. Hosted here as File:Atari Jaguar with RF shield in place.jpg.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Atari Corporation, SCH. Jaguar Console, document 500162 Rev. 5.3, 21 September 1993: power section, power LED note, cartridge connector J2 and controller ports J1 and J3. Hosted here as File:Atari Jaguar Console Schematic 500162 Rev 5.3.pdf.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Atari Corporation, Jaguar 64-Bit Interactive Multimedia System User's Guide, P/N 500339: "Precautions" (p. 4) and "Troubleshooting" (p. 14). Hosted here as File:Atari Jaguar User's Guide (500339).pdf.
  4. ↑ Evan-Amos, photograph of the Atari Jaguar/Jaguar CD adaptor model PP-912 and its label, 20 June 2014. Hosted here as File:Atari Jaguar power supply (PP-912).jpg.
  5. ↑ Evan-Amos, photograph of the Atari Jaguar adaptor model 4811A10T and its label, Wikimedia Commons, 20 June 2014, public domain.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Atari Corporation, Atari Jaguar CD Multimedia Player User's Guide, 1995: assembling the unit (p. 6) and "Power Supply" (p. 14). Hosted here as File:Atari Jaguar CD Multimedia Player User's Guide (1995).pdf.
  7. ↑ rosewood, "Atari Jaguar Power/Sound Fix and Rotary Controller", retrostuff.org, 21 August 2016. Personal repair log.
  8. ↑ James Jones (cubanismo), "Atari Jaguar - Power Supply Connector Repair Guide". Personal repair guide.
  9. ↑ Porchy, "Atari Jaguar repair log", JAMMArcade.net, 14 December 2014. Personal repair log.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Evan-Amos, photograph of an Atari Jaguar main board, assembly 700026, 21 June 2014. Hosted here as File:Atari Jaguar motherboard (700026-001).jpg.
  11. ↑ Wikipedia, "Atari Jaguar", revision of 10 September 2026, section "Technical specifications".


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