jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Hello Folks, Newbie here, with a serious problem: Bought a Jag on a flee-market, looks good at a glance (both in and out), but the games won't start, it will not boot ?!? The Power's ok I think (green light goes on), but than no Jaguar boot screen etc. - tried cleaning the contacts a bit (no succes) - games are fine, checked with a friend. - The metal inside looks to never have been opened.....so strange there4. Actually my jag shows the same screen when powered on as a "good" jag, but it simply won't "continue" 2 the Atari Logo etc.?? Please help me, cuz I sure would like 2 play it. Thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 First lets make sure you know what to expect; a Jaguar base unit with a cartridge plugged in will have the Atari Letters drop down and a red Jaguar logo zoom in with the cube/w picture of a jaguar spinning before the cartridge starts. With the JagCD plugged into the base unit, you no longer get that screen at all, just a Red/glowing jaguar logo with a random lightshow behind it. If you have a Jaguar cd game in it, the game should load, generally showing a "licensed by Atari" "plaque" before the main game screen, if it's not reading the disc right or if no disc is in it, a flashing picture of a CD with a question mark on it will appear. Lets start with that in our process of elimination here, just to make sure you know what to expect to see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 Hey Gunstar, Sorry man...misunderstanding, shouldn't 've used the word boot, cuz I am just talkin about a regular jaguar game (cart). I put in the cart, turn the jag on, >>> black screen, and nothing..... If I leave it on, "snowy" static looking dots present themselfves on my TV or sometimes vertical lines and even color-ish distortions, but the game will not start and the cube with the (animal)jaguar never appears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 Oh and thanx 4 helping me out of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Hey Gunstar, Sorry man...misunderstanding, shouldn't 've used the word boot, cuz I am just talkin about a regular jaguar game (cart). I put in the cart, turn the jag on, >>> black screen, and nothing..... If I leave it on, "snowy" static looking dots present themselfves on my TV or sometimes vertical lines and even color-ish distortions, but the game will not start and the cube with the (animal)jaguar never appears. What sort of video hookups are you using to go to your TV set? If you have the proper cord to do composite or s-video to the TV, then use that to eliminate R/F modulator problems as the cause of your troubles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Green light? Which country runs green light Jags? Or is that most of Europe? I can't remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ Thunderbird: Actually I'm using the RF-wire that came with it, pretty simple stuff, just aa regular cord from Jag 2 TV. Checked the wire also, but it's fine so, I'm sure that's not the problem. Any other suggestions? The odd things is, it has been opened b4 (not by me), but after buying it 2nd hand, I noticed the screwholes had screwdriver marks, still the inside looks "untouched".....which makes me wonder what it could be.....connector(pins) perhaps ? @ JagChris, Sharp call JagChris, the light is green and indeed it is European, but I'm using all of the right stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkoVitch Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Actually my jag shows the same screen when powered on as a "good" jag, but it simply won't "continue" 2 the Atari Logo etc.?? By this do you mean you see the Jaguar logo zoom into the screen? and then it stops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ LinkoVitch : No, I know that ur supposed & what it looks like......but it simply goes "all black" after powering it on....on every game I try.... If I leave it on, it looks like a bad tv signal sometimes, something like scanlines etc., or it just remains black..... Man if I just knew what it was...... Thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkoVitch Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Do you know if the person who you got it of tried having it modified? I got similar results when I BJL modded a jag and forgot to solder a couple of pins on the boot rom. Perhaps they have tried changing the ROM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 Oh no, look I just bought it on a flee-market the other day, and these people knew "zip" about it. Anyways....when I opened it, the "metal carcas" around the processors was still totally sealed and untouched (by that I mean the metal pin, that you'd have 2 bend in order to be able to reach the mainboard). That's what's so strange....I'm SURE they didn't reach the actual mainboard / 2 meddle with it and 2B frank it looks good, nothing strange.... My guess is they dropped it once or something....and it hasn't worked since. They may have bothered 2 open it once (and found out then, that they couldn't do much....with everything closed off my the metal and close it again AND SOLD IT 2 ME....Bastards..... !! Sometimes if I jiggle the cart back and forth it wil snap off (into TV snow), obviously cuz of (dis)connection....so maybe it's related 2 that..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkoVitch Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 I wouldn't wiggle the cart in the port! It is possible that they have removed the RF shielding (the metal cage) and then put it back.. I do this when I mod jags, looks the same pretty much as to an untouched jag. You have to look closely, but it's VERY easy to bend the pins back into their original position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ LinkoVitch Thanx 4 the advice.....still believe me it has not been modified....these people probably don't even know what that means. Anyways....either way.....just 4 the sake of argument, what if it really WAS untouched.....what then ? Could it not be something fairly simple?? I already tried cleaning it with alcohol, which did miracles 4 my snes ages ago, but I'm puzzeld right here. To make things even stranger, the machine looks pretty mint.... Thanx4urhelp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkoVitch Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 I am no repair man, but if it is untouched I would probably start checking ebay for a new base unit. You can get them pretty cheaply and working .. I can get them in the UK for £19 new and boxed. If it was modified it may not have been by the people that you bought it from, perhaps they bought it from someone else who had modified it. Not sure but do any Jag units come with socketed boot roms? If this were the case then I spose chip creep, or a severe shock could have dislodged the boot rom. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 Well maybe that's it. The boot-rom got deleted, maybe by some static-electricity (if that's even possible). To be bad though, I figure it was something simple. So there's nothing I can try, simple solutions or ways to check whether it's not something "standard" with Jags that don't work.? Thanx4urTime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 Hey LinkoVitch, Shit man, I didn't realise this b4 but Im using ur guide 2 open my jag...and it worked, but really it looks like no modification has taken place...should I be looking 4 something...? Thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 If it is a bad boot rom that's causing the problem, a fix would be to go ahead with the BJL mod, because you replace the original boot rom with this mod and my guess is that it's probably easier to get a hold of the BJL rom than it is the original...just a thought... :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ Gunstar Hey I think that's it, so how touch is it to get a new boot in there (pref. the original ?). If I can't go 4 the original, and use the BJL, will it still play original carts? Oh and BTW how the hell did the previous owner manage 2 delete the boot ? Static elec. ? How can I be sure it's really been deleted? Thanx GS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ Gunstar Hey I think that's it, so how touch is it to get a new boot in there (pref. the original ?). If I can't go 4 the original, and use the BJL, will it still play original carts? Oh and BTW how the hell did the previous owner manage 2 delete the boot ? Static elec. ? How can I be sure it's really been deleted? Thanx GS. yeah, it still plays all the games, plus you get the advantage of being able to download a lot of original underground games and play them too. (requires a PC, cable on top of the mod) I'm not sure if or where original booroms are available, check here: http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/ and here: http://www.myatari.com/b&ctest/catalog-menu.htm as far as the BJL mod and rom, the people to ask about it are Stone, Atarifan49, Matthias and Linkovich, all of whom have PM&e-mail addresses here at AA if they don't just reply right to this thread with some help. I've never done the mod myself, although I intend to as soon as I get another Jag, I bought the Songbird Protector: SE cart instead which has CD encryption bypass (for underground&unencrypted Jagcd's)and BJL built into the cart (not that the Protector:SE would help you with your problem, it needs a working Jag to start with ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ Gunstar Thanx man, but 'ehm....I don't think I'm goign 2venture into modding....I've read Linkovich's page....and though do-able....it's looks like a pretty acurate job. 2 Bad really....can't I just flash the boot of what is actually a perfectly good Jag....through the 2nd controller or something? How did that boot get deleted though........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkoVitch Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 personally unless you have time to kill I wouldn't bother trying to replace the Boot ROM, I think it's quite hard to erase a PROM, so most likley something goosed, I would also try like TBird suggested a composit or RGB/SCART lead to confirm that it's not just an RF Modulator problem. If this reveals the same results then it's probably a dead jag If it was static then I think it would have wiped out the more sensative CPU's also. Where abouts in the world are you BTW? It real does sound like it could be something else, try a different output source and see what that reveals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ LinkoVitch : Hmmm yeah I'm opting out 4 the modding. I'm from Europe by the way, hence the PAL JAG. (LinkoVitch Said "try a composit or RGB/SCART lead to confirm that it's not just an RF Modulator problem" >>> How ? Ya mean, scart on 1 end, RF on the other? (LinkoVitch Said try a different output source and see what that reveals. >>> Like a different TV set? Thanx 4 the trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 I'd forget about the boot ROM being erased; statistically that's just not going to happen (in fact it's VERY difficult to do accidentally) so it's almost certainly not that. Where are you located? Green LED means it's a PAL unit - you'll often get very unpredictable results using RF from a PAL Jag on an NTSC TV. If it has been dropped it's most likely a cracked solder joint somewhere on the board - probably very hard to find. No production Jags had socketed BIOSes. Best bet is to buy a new base unit off eBay. If it doesn't work first time it's not worth trying to fix it, to be honest. Stone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagr_man Posted August 24, 2003 Author Share Posted August 24, 2003 @ Stone : Well, yeah 2 bad I guess never mind, maybe I'll buy another Jag later, if I find one at a nice price. If it's not the boot, hell, who know what it could be. It has not once shown anything more than the black screen and some erratic colors at times (greenish/orange) kind of flashing - or - scanlines, ya know, like on a TV when programming a station. It's a PAL TV though, so nope that can't be it. Ah....best thing to do now probably is 4get about.... Thanx 4 ur help though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinkoVitch Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 What I was meanng would be to get a SCART lead for it and connect it via SCART or even SVHS/Composite to a TV this way you won't be using the RF modulator. If you look at the back of the jag there is a slot with 2 edge connectors, the larger one allows you to connect video leads to the jag, and get better picture, without using the RF modulator. This is what I was suggesting. As you are in Europe and using a modulator, I would guess you are in the UK? if so where abouts? I am in the North West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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