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Zerosquare

By Zerosquare
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Zerosquare River Patroller

Zerosquare

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cartouche_flash.jpg

 

 

General

 

What is it ?

It is a reprogrammable Jaguar cartridge, also known as a "flash cart".

 

What is it used for ?

The main use is allowing homebrew developers to release cartridge versions of their games. It can also be useful to people who don't have an Alpine Board/Atari Flash Cart/Skunkboard, to run cartridge-based games or betas.

 

What's the point, since blank cartridge PCBs already exist ? / If this is meant for building cartridges, why make it programmable more than once ?

The whole point is price and availability. The standard blank PCBs need special EPROMs chips that are expensive and hard to find, whereas this new cartridge uses modern parts that are cheap and readily available. Since Flash memory chips (which can be rewritten many times) are now cheaper than EPROMs, we thought we might as well make it reprogrammable.

 

Are cart shells included ?

It will depend on what people want ; we have a way to get them for a reasonable price.

 

What is the current status of the project ?

Hardware has been finalized and shown to work. Software is being worked on, and prices are being negotiated with suppliers.

 

When will it be available ?

When it's done -- no hard schedule, sorry ;)

 

Does this mean the JagCF project has been cancelled ?

Not at all. These are separate projects with different goals. The JagCF is still being developed.

 

 

Pricing and ordering

 

How much does it cost ?

We don't know for sure yet, since it will depend on the sales volume (electronic parts can be much cheaper when bought in bulk), and we have yet to get a quote on the assembly (soldering and shipping costs. For information, for 10 boards, the PCB and parts alone add up to less than 15 € (approx $19). A cart shell adds a few euros.

 

How many units will you manufacture ? Do I need to preorder right now ?

No need to hurry -- we'll take preorders once we know the final prices. There won't be a limit on the number of carts either ; we'll manufacture based on the number of orders.

 

Will you ship worldwide ? Will you accept PayPal ?

Yes to both.

 

Can I get a discount if I buy several carts at once ?

Unfortunately, no. Our profit margin will be very low, so we can't afford to offer discounts.

 

 

Hardware and support software

 

How is it programmed ?

By plugging it into the Jaguar, connecting a BJL cable to the second controller port, and running a flashing program on a PC.

 

Will I need a BJL-modded Jaguar, a JagCD, or something else for this to work ?

No. The cart will include the necessary code for communicating with the PC (like the Skunkboard does), so you won't need anything apart from the BJL cable.

 

My PC doesn't have a parallel port to plug the BJL cable into. Why didn't you include a USB connector on the cart ?

Because USB is complicated to support, and would have made the price significantly higher ; since one of the project's goals was to make the cheapest design possible for large releases, we decided not to include it. At this time, the cart requires a parallel port, either built-in or on a PCI/PCIe/PCMCIA/PC Card/ExpressCard. We're currently working on adding support for USB-based parallel port adapters, but it is too early to confirm if it will work.

 

What operating systems are going to be supported ?

Windows (from 98 to 7) and Linux.

 

What about Macintoshes ?

If the support for USB parallel ports works (as Macs don't have a built-in parallel port), and if we can find someone to port and maintain the code, it may be possible.

 

 

Usage

 

Will betas / commercial games work on this device ?

First, an important note : commercial games are not officially supported, and respecting copyright and other applicable laws is the user's responsibility. We don't condone or accept any liability for any illegal usage of this device.

That said, technically, the cart has a lot in common with the Skunkboard, meaning that the expected compatibility is about the same : most games will probably work fine.

 

Can I use it to play BattleSphere / BattleSphere Gold ?

See above. (oh, and by the way : it has not been tested, but we have reasons to believe it will not work).

 

Can I use it to run BJL games ? To create a cartridge version of a BJL game ?

Yes, both uses will be supported.

 

Can I use it to run CD games ?

In general, no.

 

Do game saves work ?

Yes.

 

 

For developers

 

Is any unauthorized software list / unique identifier / copy-protection hardware... included ?

No, as these features would have made the cost higher (and we don't think they're very useful or effective, anyways). If you need them, we suggest using a Skunkboard or manufacturing your own carts.

 

I don't want my games to run on this device.

No problem. Contact us, and we'll give you technical information on how to detect the cart and block it.

 

Can it be write-protected once it has been programmed ?

Yes. The included communication code can be removed after use, and there is a solder pad on the PCB which prevents any writes to the flash memory if it's enabled. Keep in mind that a motivated used could reverse both of these operations, though.

 

In what ways is it different from a "real" cartridge ?

The main difference is that the bus is only 16-bit wide instead of 32, and that the read accesses are 5 cycles instead of 10 -- the same as the Skunkboard. The EEPROM for saves works just like the one in commercial cartridges. The header (from $800000 to $801FFF) is not available, as it is used for the PC communication code ; the MEMCON setup value is also different to account for the different bus width and read cycle length.

 

Is there a way to program a large number of those boards quickly ?

Not really. Putting the contents to be programmed on a CD and using the JagCD could be a solution, but it remains to be seen if it's actually faster, not to mention the JagCD's flaky reliability.

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Tyrant Stargunner

Tyrant

Posted
Posted

Well now, doesn't that go and knock over the proverbial apple cart.

 

I'll definitely be wanting at least one.

 

One question about the cart shells... do you have a way to produce new ones, or are you cannibalising common carts?

 

Also how much flash is there onboard? 4Mb? 6Mb? (2Mb?)

 

Very awesome, can't wait to get one!

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PeterG Stargunner

PeterG

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Posted

Nice. I really like the blue colour too. :-)

I think it is great that there will be another alternative available. Sounds really good for new releases if it makes carts less expensive.

Don't know about the thing with the bjl cable though. Somehow that sounds a bit backwards for such a modernized product but I really do hope that coders will make good use of it and will allow us inexpensive new cart games.

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sh3-rg River Patroller

sh3-rg

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I think it is great that there will be another alternative available. Sounds really good for new releases if it makes carts less expensive.

Don't know about the thing with the bjl cable though. Somehow that sounds a bit backwards for such a modernized product but I really do hope that coders will make good use of it and will allow us inexpensive new cart games.

 

It's all about the cost... if people want to put a game out & do it for sensible money I'm sure it's not a big deal that it's done via a BJL cable. I'm certainly much happier to sit sending things to a cart via BJL than buring CDs, testing them, printing them etc ;) & when you consider some of the things guys have had to do when cannibalising games, burning eproms, soldering just to make a release... well, it's much more appealing to me :)

 

Of course from an end-user point of view as a dev cart like the skunk, USB would have been easier, but that's not the aim of this device, it's all about the cost & getting games to collectors without emptying their wallets :D

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sh3-rg River Patroller

sh3-rg

Posted
Posted
One question about the cart shells... do you have a way to produce new ones, or are you cannibalising common carts?

 

Also how much flash is there onboard? 4Mb? 6Mb? (2Mb?)

 

As Zero is busy just now I'll try to reply.

 

There are a number of companies in the UK & US that sell new or 'pulled' jag cart cases. I've stocked up for future Reboot releases. I believe one of the Jagware teams is attempting to make their own replacements, maybe just for special versions or maybe for a full run.

 

The cart is 4Mb & supports save games :)

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Starcat Stargunner

Starcat

Posted
Posted

This is so amazing!! :) I ALWAYS wanted to develop games for cart and I will definately consider it in the future.

I wanted an affordable solution to create carts ever since I started on the Jag. This really is a dream come true. Hats off to the whole team. :)

 

A few questions:

Is there a way to detect individual flash carts, like an individual serial on the skunkboard?

Is there a way to "lock" flash carts after programming so the user can't erase it accidently but running the wrong programs on his bjl? ;) For example maybe zero ohm smd resistor could close the circuit for programming (like it does in terms of 50/60Hz on the Jag), if removed the cart can't be reprogrammed. Just an idea.

Are there any plans for bigger carts? (4MB is awesome already, but if there was a way to get more like 6 or more it would be even better.)

 

Regards, Lars.

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Fadest Stargunner

Fadest

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Is there a way to "lock" flash carts after programming so the user can't erase it accidently but running the wrong programs on his bjl? ;) For example maybe zero ohm smd resistor could close the circuit for programming (like it does in terms of 50/60Hz on the Jag), if removed the cart can't be reprogrammed. Just an idea.

Yes, it is mentionned in the FAQ :

Can it be write-protected once it has been programmed ?

Yes. The included communication code can be removed after use, and there is a solder pad on the PCB which prevents any writes to the flash memory if it's enabled. Keep in mind that a motivated used could reverse both of these operations, though.

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PeterG Stargunner

PeterG

Posted
Posted

I think it is great that there will be another alternative available. Sounds really good for new releases if it makes carts less expensive.

Don't know about the thing with the bjl cable though. Somehow that sounds a bit backwards for such a modernized product but I really do hope that coders will make good use of it and will allow us inexpensive new cart games.

 

It's all about the cost... if people want to put a game out & do it for sensible money I'm sure it's not a big deal that it's done via a BJL cable. I'm certainly much happier to sit sending things to a cart via BJL than buring CDs, testing them, printing them etc ;) & when you consider some of the things guys have had to do when cannibalising games, burning eproms, soldering just to make a release... well, it's much more appealing to me :)

 

Of course from an end-user point of view as a dev cart like the skunk, USB would have been easier, but that's not the aim of this device, it's all about the cost & getting games to collectors without emptying their wallets :D

Yes I just realized that it is better than soldering eproms onto a board so I guess it's still quite convenient for devs.

As an end user I already have a Skunkboard so I am just waiting for inexpensive games to appear on the new card design:-)

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Zerosquare River Patroller

Zerosquare

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Posted (edited)

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.

 

Yes, it's a 4 megabytes cartridge (I forgot to mention it in the FAQ, I'll add it) ; we would have liked to make it 6 megabyes, but the added PCB complexity and cost was was too much.

 

The shells are indeed bought from a company ; I don't know if they are new or "pulled" ones. We know someone who can manufacture new cart shells (in any color you like :)), but since they cost about 10€ each (with no discount for bulk purchases), it's not a practical option except for special editions.

 

Starcat : the answer to your first two questions are in the FAQ, in the "developers" section ;)

Edited by Zerosquare
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nathanallan Quadrunner

nathanallan

Posted
Posted

Excellent work!! Let it take time, no reason to release a defective thing. Nice!! When I can I definitely want one :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

Props for using the parallel port (for those of you that don't have a ppt on your PC, ask Zero and ME for available PCI/PCMCIA upgrade cards; The shop might be down but the ordering is still there).

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