Recap guide

Recap the Atari Jaguar

We found no Jaguar guide with capacitor values. The board and supply use electrolytics, so it is likely worth a check, but treat it as unverified.

Open the interactive checklist Tick off each capacitor as you replace it. It saves in your browser.

Check first. A recap is not always the answer here, so look at the guides before you order parts.

Which board do I have?

Boards changed during production. These notes come from the linked sources, and many are only partly documented, so check the board in front of you.

• K serial with ADC (early, 1993) (Low confidence). How to tell: Serial starts with K and the controller ports have an analog-to-digital converter; AtariAge says the model number sits under the case. Capacitors: An AtariAge poster mentions a couple of extra SMD caps on the back of an earlier unit; no list. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• K serial without ADC (later K builds) (Low confidence). How to tell: Serial starts with K but the ADC and analog support are gone, per ConsoleMods. Capacitors: No cap information. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source
• M serial (1993/94-1996) (Low confidence). How to tell: Serial starts with M, no ADC and earlier faults fixed. Capacitors: No cap information. Capacitor list differs from other revisions: not known. Source

Where to start

We did not find a clear list of what fails first on this machine, so we are not guessing. Read the guides below, check the board for leaks, and replace what you can see.

Tips, tales and maybes

Found in write-ups and forum threads. These are other people's reports, not tested by us. Check part references and values against your own board.

• Tip: Dead or red-LED-only Jaguar (Low confidence). An AtariAge troubleshooting thread says to check about 9V at C34 (330uF) at the input and about 5V at C150 (2200uF) at the output, then REG 1 (LM78L05ACM), the reset signals and clock. It also says to clean the cartridge connector thoroughly, and that C150 can show leakage signs. Source
• Watch out: No fuse on the regulators (Low confidence). A Jaguar repair log notes there is no fuse protecting the power regulators, so a wrong power supply can damage parts instantly. The author lifted three pads removing U38 and repaired them with Kynar wire, and later restored sound by replacing REG1. Source
• Story: Quiet audio was not a fault (Low confidence). An owner with a quiet Jaguar found the caps looked flawless and was told Jaguar music is simply quiet and some games store a volume option. Someone reported replacing REG1 on theirs made no difference. Source
• Story: No composite picture after replacing video caps (Low confidence). One PAL Jaguar had no RF or composite picture even though games loaded and audio played. Replacing caps in the composite video circuit and reflowing the cart slot and BIOS did not help, and the thread has no final fix. Source

Before you start

• Boards changed during production. Check your board number against the guides before you order parts.
• A mains power supply can hold a dangerous charge. If you are not trained to work on one, have a professional do it.

Manuals and technical documents

Service manuals, schematics and datasheets for this machine, kept in our own library. Check your own board and part numbers against them.

• Atari Jaguar CDROM Schematics (Schematic)

All 1 documents for Atari Jaguar in the library

Guides we used

This page and the interactive bench are built from these. They have the photos and the full detail, so please read them and support their authors.

• It's 2020, do you know where your capacitors are? (Forum) by AtariAge forum members. Experience thread across Genesis, PC Engine, 32X, 3DO, Saturn, Xbox, N64, Atari, Vectrex; mixed anecdotes plus a useful counterpoint on cap reforming. Not a list

Atari Jaguar main board (rev K, R/P, R2)

Twenty capacitors on one list for all these revisions. C150 and C174 are the interesting pair: the schematic wants low-impedance parts and early boards have them, but later revisions (R and R/P) use general-purpose parts there, probably to cut the hiss some consoles make. C10 and C34 are called out as low leakage.

Atari Jaguar CD board, rev C

Sixteen capacitors.

Shopping list

36 capacitors in all, grouped by value. Buy a few spares.

• 7 x 1 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 7 x 10 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 4.7 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 3 x 47 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 10 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 22 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 22 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 33 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 47 µF, 25 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 2 x 100 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 2.2 µF, 50 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 47 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 330 µF, 16 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay
• 1 x 2200 µF, 10 V (check your board): Amazon · eBay

Console5 capacitor kits for this machine

Console5 sells ready-made capacitor kits. Kits come in different versions, so match the board number in the kit name to yours and check the listing before you buy.

• Atari Jaguar Cap Kit
• Atari Jaguar CD ROM Cap Kit

Skip the sourcing

• Ready-made kit: Amazon · eBay
• Already recapped: Amazon · eBay

While you are in there

• Need the machine itself?: Amazon · eBay
• A box of spare capacitors: Amazon · eBay

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Disclosure

Step by step

1. Photograph both sides of the board before you touch anything. Zoom in on every capacitor. The photo is your map when you are three hours in.
2. Unplug it, take out the batteries and let it sit. Old power supplies and CRT parts can hold a charge. If your machine has a tube, leave the tube and its board to a professional.
3. Open it up and keep the screws sorted. A muffin tin or an egg carton works. Different screws go in different holes, and the holes never forgive you.
4. Look for leaks. Clean any sticky residue off with isopropyl alcohol and a soft brush. A leaked capacitor leaves brown crust and can eat copper traces. Look at the traces under it, not only the part itself.
5. Mark the polarity of every capacitor on the photo before it comes off. On an electrolytic, the stripe marks the negative leg. The board usually shows a half-shaded circle or a bar for the same spot.
6. Remove the old capacitors one at a time. Surface mount: add fresh solder to both ends and rock the part off, or use flux and a low-melt alloy. Through-hole: heat one leg at a time and clear the hole with wick or a pump.
7. Clean the pads and check for lifted pads or damaged traces. Clean flux off with isopropyl. A bad pad needs a jumper wire, not hope.
8. Fit and solder the new capacitor, matching polarity. Same capacity, same or higher voltage, and it has to physically fit. Work from the smallest parts up.
9. Clean the flux off and look at every joint. A good joint is shiny and shaped like a tiny volcano. A dull blob or a ball is a cold joint: reflow it.
10. With a multimeter, check for shorts across the power rails before you power it on. Use the continuity or resistance setting. A reading near zero means stop and look for a solder bridge.
11. Power it up and test everything: video, sound, controls, the lot. If something is wrong, check polarity first. It is the most common mistake and the easiest fix.

Tools

• Temperature-controlled soldering station. Steady heat so you do not cook pads. Most recaps are done between 320 and 350 C. Top: Hakko FX-951 · Mid: Hakko FX-888D · Budget: Pinecil
• Good solder. Rosin-core 63/37 flows and looks right. It is cheap and it matters. Kester 44 63/37
• Flux. Flux is what makes old joints let go and new joints flow. MG Chemicals flux pen · Chip Quik flux syringe
• Low-melt alloy (for surface mount). Melts old solder on both ends of a surface mount part at once, so it lifts off cleanly. Chip Quik SMD1
• Desoldering tool. Clears the old solder out of through-hole pads. Top: Hakko FR-301 · Mid: Engineer SS-02 pump · Budget: Solder wick
• Fine tweezers. For holding small surface mount parts exactly where you want them. ESD-safe tweezers
• Board holder. A third hand for the board, so both of yours are free. PanaVise circuit board holder
• Magnification. You cannot fix what you cannot see. Surface mount parts are tiny. Top: Stereo microscope · Mid: Head visor · Budget: Lighted magnifier
• Multimeter. Continuity, shorts and rail voltages. The one test that saves boards. Top: Fluke 117 · Mid: Fluke 101 · Budget: AstroAI
• ESR and capacitor tester. Checks old capacitors and your new ones before they go in. Top: Peak Atlas ESR70 · Budget: LCR-T7
• Isopropyl alcohol (99%) and a brush. For cleaning leaked goo and flux. Use the high-percentage kind. MG Chemicals 99.9% isopropyl
• Brass tip cleaner. A clean tip transfers heat. A dirty one does not. Hakko 599B
• Fume extractor. Pulls the smoke away from your face. Hakko FA-400 · Budget: Small bench fan
• Precision screwdrivers. Most old gear uses a mix of Phillips, Torx and security bits. iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit
• Kapton tape. Heat-proof tape to protect parts that sit close to the one you are changing. Kapton tape

Safety

• Good airflow, or a fume fan. Solder smoke is not for breathing.
• Safety glasses on. Solder spits and clipped legs fly.
• Iron in its stand when you are not holding it. Know where the cord is.
• Touch bare metal first, or use a wrist strap. Static kills old chips.
• No tube, no mains power supply. Leave those to a professional.
• Wash your hands after, especially if you used leaded solder.

Values are shown as published in the guides above, and boards changed during production. Check the board in front of you. A recap involves hot tools and, on some machines, dangerous voltages. You do it at your own risk.

More

• All recap guides
• The interactive Recap Bench
• Fix a dead vintage computer
• Atari Jaguar on the timeline
• Atari Jaguar CD on the timeline