This page covers the technical information for the Jag2GEN, JagSVC, and JagAIOA AV Adapters as well as general information and troubleshooting. In many cases we will be referring to all adapter types as “AV Adapter” or simply “adapter”. In other cases will will call out each adapter individually. This document will be periodically updated without notice.
Our Testing Equipment
- Displays
- LG 27UL500-W 4K IPS LED Monitor
- Magnavox 20″ CRT
- LG CX OLED
- Upscalers
- RetroTINK 2X
- RetroTINK 5x
- OSSC
- LevelHike HDMI
- Generic AV to HDMI
- Cables
- HD Retrovision Component cables
- Insurrection Industries Scart CSYNC
- Generic unshielded Scart with composite as sync
- High quality S-Video
- High quality Composite RCA
- Generic S-Video and Composite cables
Technical Information
Jag2GEN
- Output
- 9-pin Mini DIN
- Stereo Audio
- Mono Audio
- Composite Video
- RGBS (CSYNC)
- 5v @ 100mA
- CSYNC (non-TTL)
- Attenuated with a 680 Ohm resistor and 220uf capacitor on SYNC
- Recommended Cables
- HD Retrovision Sega Genesis Model 2 Component Cables
JagSVC
- Output
- RCA
- Stereo Audio
- Composite Video
- S-Video
- Recommended Cables
- High quality shielded cables
JagAIOA
- Output
- RCA
- Stereo Audio
- Composite Video
- S-Video
- 9-pin Mini DIN
- Stereo Audio
- Mono Audio
- Composite Video
- RGBS (CSYNC)
- 5v @ 1.2A (+/- depending on the health of your console)
- CSYNC TTL
- An onboard 210 Ohm resistor on SYNC to match Sega Genesis Model 2 SYNC levels
- CSYNC cables should have a 470 ohm resistor and 220uF capacitor on SYNC in order to be safely used
- Recommended Cables
- RGB: HD Retrovision Sega Genesis Model 2 Component Cables
- S-Video and Composite: High quality shielded Cables
General Troubleshooting
Picture and Sound
- No picture or sound
- Check that your cables are properly seated in the Adapter.
- Check the adapter is properly seated into the console.
- Ensure the display and/or upscaler is on the correct input.
- If using an upscaler, make sure you have the correct settings for the Atari Jaguar.
- The picture and/or sound has distortion or noise
- Follow the previous steps to rule out connections
- Try a higher quality cable. Low quality cables are typically unshielded which cause cross talk in the video line and can even cause static in the audio.
- If using an upscaler, it’s expected to have some level of noise in the picture. The Atari Jaguar uses analog out for Video and Audio, which the upscaler then converts to digital. This can inherently cause some noise in the picture.
- If using the RGB out socket on the Jag2GEN or JagAIOA, the socket shares a common ground with video, power, and audio. This is not ideal but unavoidable and a limitation of the socket itself. On the JagAIOA, there are stereo RCA jacks that have a separate ground for audio. In theory, using the RCA for audio will provide a cleaner signal. However, during our testing we have not encountered any issues with the RGB 9-pin mini DIN in regards to noise on audio. Our testing showed noise was due to low quality cables.
- Some contrasting objects on screen have a slight “smear” to them
- Follow steps 1 and 2 above.
- If using an upscaler, check your settings.
- When using composite, there is a checkerboard pattern around objects.
- This is a typical characteristic of composite video. Composite video mixes chrominance and luminance, which can cause crosstalk or “dot crawl”. The amount of crosstalk we saw varied between the quality of cables.
- Use higher quality cables.
- The picture is darker than expected when using scart cables
- When using some scart cables originally designed for the Genesis Model 2, the picture can be slightly dimmer than the other video outputs. This is due to the resistors built into the scart cable.
If this is a problem, we suggest one of the following workarounds:- Try adjusting your TVs brightness to counter the dim picture.
- Try a different cable. We recommend using HD Retrovision cables for RGB out.
Physical
- The bottom of the adapter sits lower or higher than the bottom of the Atari Jaguar
- All manufacturing has some degree of tolerances. There is a tolerance of about +/- of 0.2 – 0.4mm between the edge connector, the 3D printed shell, and the bottom of the Atari Jaguar.
- The Atari Jaguar uses a rubber material for its feet that wears down over the years. We own several Jaguars and each has varying degrees of ware, some are warn out all together. Check to see if your Atari Jaguar’s “feet” are warn down and need replacing.
- Shell imperfections
- 3D printing is not a perfect manufacturing process. We inspect all our parts prior to shipping but small defects will always exist in the 3D printing process.
- There is “play” in the connectors (i.e. RCA jacks)
- There can be a small degree of play in PCB mounted connectors, specifically RCA connectors.
General Warnings
A lot of these are common sense. Please use the AV adapters correctly.
- Always support the JagSVC or JagAIOA connector on the same surface the Atari Jaguar is resting on. The adapter should not being hanging off the edge.
- Do not get the AV Adapter wet.
- Do not rest anything on top of the AV Adapter while it’s connected to the Atari Jaguar.
- Do not use excessive force when connecting cables to the adapter.
- Do not yank on or apply excessive pressure to the cables while they are connected to the AV Adapter.
- Do not try to connect an unsupported cable to the AV Adapter.
- Do not bend or twist the adapter when it’s connected to the Atari Jaguar.
- Avoid playing on carpeted surfaces.
- Avoid dropping the AV adapter. A far enough fall on a hard surface could damage the shell or the components in the adapter.
- When using CSYNC scart cables, make sure they are properly attenuated with the above Technical Information.