19 replies to this topic

[JACK98]

ok,i know this probably has been done to death before but i have searched before asking,i am soon to recieve a atari jaguar console,it doesnt come with a power supply,however i have been reading a megadrive 1 supply will suffice,now i have the 10v version but as you know the ampage is the same,question is would using this fry my jaguar since its 1v over or would it only draw the amount it would need?,regards

[Astropuff]

I wouldn't use a sega power adapter or any other adapter cause these things are sensitive. Someone may say it will work but if I were you Id spend the $10-15 bucks off ebay or myatari to get a new atari power supply. Why take a chance Jaguars and getting more and more expensive, better to not fry it. There are better people here to answer your question. Just get a new one.

Edited by Astropuff, Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:58 PM.

[tz101]

10v DC MD1 power brick will do well on the Jag. No worries. I use my two Jag bricks on my Genesis all the time, and vice versa.

Power bricks upwards to 15v DC rated at 1-2 amps would be alright as long as the polarity is the same (center negative).

[ovalbugmann]

I wouldn't chance using other systems' power supplies, there is no reason you can match up an AC adaptor specs to what you need for the Jag. Overvoltage like 10volts 2amps is going to put extra stress on components such as the Jaguar's Electrolytic Capacitors which regulate and smooth out power. This can cause premature failure of other different parts/chips too or the whole MoBo.

If your in a hurry to play it -I have a correctly matched the needed specs/power tip size to a Radio Shack AC adaptor that works great with the Jag, so you can also try Radio Shack to get the right one or get an original Jag P.S. from the several Jaguar parts sources available to us. (Best option)

Specs you need are:

Output: 9 volts DC power at 1.2Amps(or 1200mA). Negative center plug polarity with the outside of the plug being positive - not real common.

Do things right the first time, haste makes waste.

Edited by ovalbugmann, Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:53 AM.

[Zerosquare]

ovalbugmann, on Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:51 AM, said:

Overvoltage like 10volts 2amps is going to put extra stress on components such as the Jaguar's Electrolytic Capacitors which regulate and smooth out power.

10 volts is fine ; it's within the margin of safety (the official power supplies aren't very precisely regulated, so they had to take it into account). More than 1.2 amps is also OK : it's the maximum current that the power supply can generate, so a higher value is better.

So, no problem using the Megadrive 1 power supply on the Jaguar.

[JACK98]

thanks guys,it worked a treat,the same psu powers my neo geo aes aswell,where or what is the start button on the jaguar joypad?,im not sure if the joypad is faulty but i dont have any response from joypad anyway maybe im missing a combo to press

kind regards

[Zerosquare]

JACK98, on Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:11 PM, said:

where or what is the start button on the jaguar joypad?

In most games, pressing "B" works.

[Stephen Moss]

Zerosquare, on Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:14 AM, said:

10 volts is fine ; it's within the margin of safety (the official power supplies aren't very precisely regulated, so they had to take it into account). More than 1.2 amps is also OK : it's the maximum current that the power supply can generate, so a higher value is better.

That is a fairly dangerous statement in my opinion.
Yes the on load output voltage from the unregualted Jag PSU may not be exaclty 9V it may be as high as 10V but the same probably appiles to the 10V supply which may be outputting 11V so if you use the 10 volts supply at 1 Amp you potentially have an extra 2 Watts of power to dissipate. Equally more than 1.2 amps is not necessarily OK, if the PSU is unregualted (most of those supplied with consoles are) then more current equals a higher input voltage and consequently power to dissipate.

This is not a straight forward topic and so I have been writing an article on this topic which I will be posting shortly, I am using simplified graphs (as well as explanations) to help indicate to those less technical why some choices are better than others and hopefully having read it people can then make the correct decision about what makes a good choice of replacement supply for their particular application.

JACK98, on Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:11 PM, said:

where or what is the start button on the jaguar joypad?,im not sure if the joypad is faulty but i dont have any response from joypad anyway maybe im missing a combo to press

As Zerosquare said B usually works but you could try reading the game manual. If you don't have the manual there is a good number of them available on this site, follow the Jaguar link at the top of the page and then click on manuals.

[JACK98]

thanks for replys,unfortantly i didnt get a manual with ninja game so the links worked a treat but my pad must be broken since i coundnt get a response out of it,lucky my jag hasnt blown up yet if the megadrive psu is dangerous,i thaught its a case of jag drawing as much power it needs?..

[ovalbugmann]

OP; Yes, I was just trying to say that if it was my Jaguar I WOULD want the original PSU for it as I would worry about messing something up, that's just me, and being a little ocd about it though.

[Zerosquare]

Stephen Moss, on Tue Jan 19, 2010 3:40 AM, said:

if you use the 10 volts supply at 1 Amp you potentially have an extra 2 Watts of power to dissipate.

This would be true for many older consoles which use linear regulators (e.g. the 2600). But the Jaguar uses a switched-mode regulator, which means that the power consumption is almost independent of the input voltage. (There's a linear regulator as well in the audio subsection, but it draws little current).

[Stephen Moss]

JACK98, on Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:27 AM, said:

my pad must be broken since i coundnt get a response out of it

You are probably correct however there could be another reason for the problem. Which controller port is it connected to? Most games require the left controller port (port 0), if that is where you have it connected try the other controller port just incase the left one has a probelm. As Kasumi Ninja is two player I think it would also read and react to the other port without the two player option being selelcted - can someone confirm that?

Check the pins on the controller plug are straight and all there, pins 5 and 15 (analogue inputs) on the top and bottom row respectively may be missing but that is OK as is a missing pin 8 (center pin, center row - team tap detect). If you sitting with the controller cable at full stretch it may have backed out a little from the socket as you move so make sure it is pushed in as far as it will go and try it again.

[JACK98]

yup tried that mate before no repsonse,ah well no harm,have new controller and offical power supply on its way,might put the controller on ebay or give it to someone here who might want a broken one for cosmetic/facia reasons,i know this stuff isnt made anymore so i would feel guilty throwing it out!

[Devbinks]

I'm in a similar position. I'm awaiting a Jaguar in the mail that, unfortunately, doesn't come with a power adapter so I've gotta use my Sega Genesis model 1 adapter instead, until I'm able to get an official Jaguar one.

[kool kitty89]

It should work fine by all accounts, as should the EU or JP SFC/SNES AC adapter (NES is AC, Famicom is DC though). I believe late model 1 Genesis/MDs used lower rated adapters as well, but I'm not sure. (early ones were most definitely 1.2A and 9V rated -though actual output varies, and of course is different under load -I've seen observations of 14+ V output unloaded) The Master System and Sega CDs have similar adapters. (Sega CD has identical amp/volt ratings as early model 1 MD, but higher peak wattage rating: 35 rather than 17W) Any of those PSUs will work fine with an NES as well, just not the other way around. (it has an internal rectifier, hence the AC PSU standard)

Another note is that the Genesis/MD its self is quite tolerant to higher voltages (low is where you run into trouble, 7.5V is probably OK with enough amps, but anything lower might start to cause things to drop below the necessary 5V output by the regulators)
A couple Sega specific notes from TmEE at Sega-16:
http://sega-16.com/f...87211#post87211

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if your brick has too little amps, get something with more volts... 14V brick with 1A is enough for anything. You can go up to 18V with no troubles.

http://sega-16.com/f...6874#post196874

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My european AC brick outputs 14V @ 4A (maximum), so I when I think of making a Neptune myself (will do so when I have spare units) I'll power all form same supply... I think having MCD powered form same brick will work... I don't think it'll get so hot that plastic would start melting... heh, having MD1 or MD2 on the brick won't even make it warm.
If the system has a 7805 in it, you can most likely use 7.5 to 18V brick, the more volts, the less amps required (I think).

Edited by kool kitty89, Mon Feb 8, 2010 4:13 PM.

[Zerosquare]

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If the system has a 7805 in it, you can most likely use 7.5 to 18V brick, the more volts, the less amps required (I think).

Note that this false and dangerous advice, as explained by Stephen Moss above. A 7805 is a linear regulator, and consequently the number of amps used doesn't depend on the input voltage. However, the amount of heat generated will be significantly larger for a higher voltage. Additionally, some components may not even be designed to withstand the increased voltage. This can shorten the lifetime of the console or even cause catastrophic failure (regulators can burn, capacitors can blow up).

[kool kitty89]

Zerosquare, on Mon Feb 8, 2010 6:40 PM, said:

Quote

Quote

If the system has a 7805 in it, you can most likely use 7.5 to 18V brick, the more volts, the less amps required (I think).

Note that this false and dangerous advice, as explained by Stephen Moss above. A 7805 is a linear regulator, and consequently the number of amps used doesn't depend on the input voltage. However, the amount of heat generated will be significantly larger for a higher voltage. Additionally, some components may not even be designed to withstand the increased voltage. This can shorten the lifetime of the console or even cause catastrophic failure (regulators can burn, capacitors can blow up).

Yeah, I was going to metntion that, I was looking through some other responses in a recent article about that and he corrected that. He aslso explained that the main reason for the 14 V on his brick was likely due to the higher than normal voltage of the AC outlets (significantly higher than the normal 240V -he's in Estonia). I think part of it may be load as well, as most AC bricks read a bit high om my volt meters. (NES's 9VAC reads closer to 11-12, genesis ones are fairly close to that, but a bit lower -all 9VDC 1.2A, and th eatari ones are a bit high too, I think also close to 11V) The model 1 genesis/MD also uses dual voltage regulators, but I don't think that had any bearing on this discussion. Sega Master Systems, Early model 1 genesis/MDs and Sega CDs do indeed use 9 V rated units, all at 1.2A I think (not positive is SMS isn't slightly higher) and all of the same polarity, center pole being negative. (the opposite of many common AC adaptors using the same tip -which can be addressed by clipping hte cable and flipping the connections if you've got spare power adaptors to hack up -I got a 9V 2.0A one like that from good will for about $1 a few months back)

But in the Jaguar's case, it is a nonlinear regulator, right? So would that higher voltage issue apply there?

[Zerosquare]

Yes, as I said in a post above, the Jaguar doesn't use linear regulators for the main power supply, so it's not as sensitive to higher voltage -- it will actually use less current. Of course there's a limit (I don't remember what it is), but using a power brick rated for 10 volts instead of 9 isn't going to fry it.

As for the voltage measured on a voltmeter being higher than the rated one, this is expected and normal for non-regulated transformers when you don't draw any current. The official one I have outputs 12.0 V.

[Zerosquare]

I just checked the schematic and the inside of my Jaguar. The component directly connected to the power supply with the lowest voltage rating is C134, which can accept up to 16 volts (there's no mention of voltage on the schematic, but the capacitor itself is marked 16 volts, at last on my unit). Other capacitors are rated for up to 25 volts, and the regulators themselves are rated for a maximum of 40 volts (U36, the main switching regulator) and 35 volts (REG1, a linear regulator used only for the audio circuitry).

So it appears there is a comfortable margin and that the power supply voltage isn't too critical.

The only problem I can think of is with the devices that use the unregulated power supply directly. The cartridges and the JagCD don't use it, but some A/V boxes may, and I believe that the Skunkboard does as well. kskunk, any comments ?

[davyK]

Just thought I'd throw my tuppence-worth in here.

I have a modded model 1 Megadrive (PAL) (RGB SCART + 50/60 and region switches). It came with a dodgy power supply. The guy I bought it off sent me a replacement. It's a Jaguar power supply! He told it me that its fine and will "last forever" as its build quality is top notch. My Megadrive works fine.

I got this from a guy called Rob Webb who has a link to his shop from www.consolegoods.co.uk

Edited by davyK, Thu Feb 25, 2010 7:19 AM.