Clock Speed

When I bought my Jaguar console off eBay a few months ago, I was dubious that it may be a bit worse for wear due to the 'untested' status of the machine. Quite why the seller couldn't just plug the thing in to see if it worked is beyond me...but I don't write the rules.

Anyway, when the system finally arrived, it stank of mildew and the little hole where the plug adapter goes into the console was worryingly loose - indeed, I had to wiggle the wire around until the machine powered on, and then hold the cord in place with a cup or other piece of household paraphernalia to stop the console turning off again mid-game. Which did happen a few times and it took a Herculean effort not to kick the Jaguar across the room: imagine racking up a monumental score on Tempest 2000, pausing to go for a pee and then coming back to find the console off. Quite.

I considered buying another complete console but a quick browse on eBay left me feeling a little ill - the prices of Jaguar consoles tends to be a little on the high side these days and the only reason I suspect I got mine so cheaply was because it was 'untested,' and more savvy gamers equate this to 'bollocksed.' After a few weeks, another 'untested' unit popped up on everybody's favourite auction site, and I managed to get it for about £11, with no cables or pads and in 'untested' condition.

As suspected, when it finally turned up, it didn't work. I took the lid off the newer Jaguar and saw that several of the chips on the motherboard were blown (usually this is down to some cretin using the wrong AC adapter), so decided that rather than buy another machine, I would do a DIY fix on my other Jag. So I borrowed a soldering iron from work and went about removing the power socket from Jag B and putting it into Jag A. To my surprise, I didn't fuck it up and Jag A now works perfectly. I also switched the top of the cases around as Jag B's was in much better condition that Jag A's. So that left me with a knackered and plug-less Jaguar motherboard and a slightly scuffed console case. And then I had a brainwave: why not turn it into a clock?!

I went down to the local market and picked up a rather disgusting looking clock that just happened to have some nice red and black hands:

I prised it open:

Carefully removed the mechanism (I actually destroyed it getting it out of the clock, but managed to put it back together with a little patience):

Bored a hole in the Jaguar case with a penknife (I knew my military training would come in useful one day):

And viola! A rather awesome Jaguar clock:

It's hanging in my retrogaming man-cave as I write this, tick-tocking away happily. I added the cartridge as an extra when I discovered I have two copies of Iron Soldier. Which was a nice surprise I guess!