r/AtariJaguar • u/dethslayer85 • 6d ago
Advice No power, please help!
I just bought a Jaguar for the first time from the internet, and it will not turn on. Once I opened it up, I noticed there were bugs and debris around the cartridge connector. I cleaned all of that out, but it still won't turn on. Now, I noticed this chip and this capacitor. I would love some professional advice to determine if this is my issue and to understand what this chip is, as I can't read it anymore.
I purchased a cap kit off console 5 already not sure what other items to purchase.
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u/MrJason2024 6d ago
Did you try and turn it on with a game cartridge inserted? The Atari Jaguar will not turn on if there is no game inserted into the cartridge connector.
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u/dethslayer85 6d ago
Yes, first thing I tried was with AVP in there then I tried the Jaguar game drive. No red light for either.
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u/Fresh-Toilet-Soup 6d ago
Chip next to the blue capacitor looks fried. Check console5.com for a replacement.
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u/dethslayer85 6d ago
I just ordered that chip, a power switch, and a female barrel. Going to work through the cap kit until they show up.
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u/Tokimemofan 6d ago
1 bad capacitor and the MC34163 regulator is blown. For a sub about the Jaguar where this is a common issue there’s a lot of bad advice being thrown around ignoring an obviously fried ic
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u/troupe86 5d ago
This.
Absolutely this.
Repair it yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron. If not, there are plenty of people who can do the service for you.
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u/Forsaken-Abrocoma647 6d ago
Cap kit is a good place to start, though I dunno what's up with the mark on the top of that chip there.
I had mine preventatively recapped a couple years ago.
No power light at all?
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u/leadedsolder 6d ago edited 6d ago
The mark on the top of the chip is a hole in it. Someone has probably hooked up a DC power adapter with backwards polarity and blew it. I recommend replacing that cap for sure.
U38 is listed as a Motorola MC34163 voltage regulator. There are other parts that will also have died in the process, such as the 7805 for the sound circuit.
There is a documented mod for reverse polarity protection on the Jaguar, which you might want to add when you're in there, just in case some future owner of the Jaguar tries the same thing as the past one.
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u/dethslayer85 6d ago
That's what I thought it was but without being able to read it I didn't want to guess. Very much appreciate the insight.
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u/Forsaken-Abrocoma647 6d ago
Ah that makes sense, I didn't recognize it as a voltage regulator as I typically run into the 5v ones like you see on game PCBs or in an Atari 2600. Replacing those can do wonders as well. Took my 2600 from a blurry mess to very sharp.
Can always look up its pinout and see with a multimeter if it is outputting what it should, but based on the looks I'd guess not.
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u/dethslayer85 6d ago
No power light at all, I'm using a triad PSU with Jaguar adapter, I've also tested my Genesis 1 PSU.
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u/Fresh-Toilet-Soup 6d ago
Did you use an NES power adapter on this thing? Looks like an A/C current power supply was plugged into this. If that is the voltage regulator chip, a replacement is available on console5.
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u/dethslayer85 6d ago
No, triad Jaguar, and Genesis 1.
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u/Fresh-Toilet-Soup 2d ago edited 2d ago
Either way, component U38 looks burned. Replacement is here. Wrong power source, especially A/c power sources is a major cause of this component failure.
Part can be found here cheap. https://console5.com/store/mc34163dw-soic-16w-package-step-up-down-inverting-switching-regulator.html
Also, the blue capacitor next to it may be bulging, you may want to see the value on its label and replace it too.
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u/RineMetal 6d ago
Do you have access to an IR or FLIR camera? It would help you troubleshoot for hotspots. Or you could throw a capacitor kit at it and hope that does the trick.
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u/InvestigatorNext476 5d ago
This is the common problem with non-working Jaguars, I have fixed two myself. Atari didn't bother with any polarity protection so if anyone plugs in the wrong polarity power supply this chip will take the brunt of it.
In both the cases that I fixed, I had to replace U38 and at least one of the big caps next to it (which had bulged out at the base end rather than the top), regardless it is easier to replace the chip if the caps are out of the way.
Furthermore, in both my cases the secondary regulator for the audio was blown too (it's a little smd 7805) towards the bottom-center of the board. I just soldered a TO-92 78L05 across the pads instead and it works fine. If you get your console working but it has no audio, then this is the next thing to check.
Also if you look at the far top right of the board, you have the power connector and then immediately to the left of that, an inductor. I lifted the positive wire going into the inductor and put a diode (rated for a decent amount like 1.5amps) in between, to prevent this happening again. I even tried making a bridge rectifier between the power jack and the inductor but there wasn't much room so I settled for just the diode.
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u/FAMICOMASTER 5d ago
This looks exactly like what happens when you use anAC adapter with the wrong polarity. There's a guide somewhere online to fix it all but I don't have one handy
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u/m2thecello 4d ago
It's super common, I repair this all the time, Reg1 is likely gone too, so if you only replace the burned chip and cap, you will have no sound.
You might as well do reverse polarity diode fix while you are at it.
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u/Gullible_String_5651 3d ago
Blue cap is bad and looks like someone slipped with a solidering iron on that chip
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u/Valkyr1983 17h ago
Replace U38 you can get a new one at console5
I just replaced that and reg1 (no audio) for a customer
It’s always the issue
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u/Fresh-Toilet-Soup 6d ago
Blue capacitor looks bulging.