jericho_21

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was BASIC I needed to start off with. Then that is how I will approach it. Thanks, again.

Hello, everybody: I am wanting to learn about assembly language programming on the Atari 8-bit computer. To start off learning, would I have to go to learn BASIC first, or just delve into assembly code directly? I am completely novice at this, but I am quite interested in learn to code for the Atari. Also, is there any way I can get tutorials from certain individuals who know more about programming than I do? I appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Have you tried inquiring Best Electronics? They are located in California. I know it would be costly for a full-fledged re-conditioning of the CD unit, but the person who owns that business, Bradley Koda, has been in the Atari business for almost thirty years and maybe he has some ideas on how to help you. I am not saying you should send it in to him for repairs, but maybe he has some ideas on how to get the switch rod replaced. Maybe, he has a replacement switch rod that you can get from him and you can do a DIY repair? I am not so sure for that would be a long shot. Anyway, here is the URL for that business: http://best-electronics-ca.com If he can't help you outright, maybe he might be able to steer you in the right direction.

If it is listed as a VAM1202, then yes it should work.

Well, a lot of Atari Jaguar CD units did not pass quality control and some were not perfectly engineered as a result. You might have received one of those defective CD units, but I am not sure of that really. If worse comes to worse, you may need to solder the optical pickup yourself. I saw the eBay item and you are right. They only show the package it is in. Nothing more. It could be anything. I know of two places at least that sell the VAM1202/M optical pickup, the part you may need to replace. One place is Dalbani.com in Florida. But, they are sold out right now. There is another place that sells the same product called Cricklewood Electronics. It is located, though, in London, United Kingdom. I don't have their web site URL in front of me, but they can easily be found via a Google search. Sorry. I wish I could be of more help. I hope this is useful.

Also, if you do need to replace the optical pickup, Google "atari jaguar cd repair". There is a website run by a guy named Graeme Hinchliffe. He can give you a step-by-step idea on how to repair a Jag CD unit by replacing the optical pickup. Pretty good stuff. I am thinking about getting a optical pickup myself to see if I can resurrect the CD unit that died after twelve years, which I still possess.

If anything, try carefully using the Q-Tip with isopropyl alcohol on the lead that goes into the cartridge loader of the Jaguar base unit itself and clean it thoroughly. It could also be that there might be minor corrosion and dirt on the lead. Also, if you intend to store your Jaguar in between times when you aren't playing it, you will have to take the CD unit off of the base. This is so the lead doesn't oxidize and cause more dirt and corrosion. Once it's clean and if the laser lens does need to be cleaned on it (I would clean both parts of the CD unit myself), it might work. If it doesn't work after thorough cleaning, then you might have to consider replacing the optical pickup. But, that is in extreme cases. Bear in mind this is almost twenty-year-old technology. I am sure it would need to be cleaned sooner or later anyway. I once had a Jag CD player last twelve years before it died.

Thank you for the post. I was certain of that but not sure. Thanks again for the information.

There is also a Bypass CD image you can burn if you need it, plus it is free. This is just in case you come across an unencrypted title you want to play. The following URL should have the download link and burning instructions for the image: reboot.atari.org/jagtopia/jagtopia.html I hope this will suffice. After all, the Bypass Cart is also over $30-40.00. It can also be fun to dabble with. Thanks.

The only time you would need a Bypass Cartridge is if you come across a game title that you would know is unencrypted. Usually it would say on the packaging that it is. (NOTE: That is to reiterate what sh3-rg said. Sorry. I didn't see that earlier post right away.) Anyway, you can still play encrypted discs with it. It won't hurt anything in any way. But, correctly stated, the cartridge isn't needed for encrypted discs.

Hi there! Got a question. I was wondering: is the JagLink 2 made in America? I was curious. Thanks.

I had a question about Toki Line Test for the ST and Toki Professional for the Falcon. I did have them before, but the old DVD-RAM disc they were stored on became unable to function anymore. I would still like to experiment with these programs, but I can't find them on the Internet anymore. The site for the programs was taken down and archived, but the links on the archived site don't work anymore. Is there anyone that has a way to get these pencil test programs? I tried atari.org, but it leads to the defunct site I previously mentioned. Perhaps, someone has these programs? They are public domain and, therefore, freeware. Any assistance in tracking these programs down is most duly appreciated. Thanks.

Yeah. I have "Megaroids". It's a fun game. I got the game at an Atari club auction a few years ago. Nice graphics.

The woman you were talking about who stars in "The Man from Planet X" is Margaret Field, is very much alive and is the mother of actress Sally Field. She is in her early eighties now. I have seen the credits before on the movie. Just a little irrelevant trivia I got from Wikipedia. Ah thanks for the trivia She was a looker in her day for sure. Good to know shes still here. YW. Sure Thing! Correction: Ms. Field is actually 87. I just looked it up. My bad

The woman you were talking about who stars in "The Man from Planet X" is Margaret Field, is very much alive and is the mother of actress Sally Field. She is in her early eighties now. I have seen the credits before on the movie. Just a little irrelevant trivia I got from Wikipedia. Ah thanks for the trivia She was a looker in her day for sure. Good to know shes still here. YW. Sure Thing!

The woman you were talking about who stars in "The Man from Planet X" is Margaret Field, is very much alive and is the mother of actress Sally Field. She is in her early eighties now. I have seen the credits before on the movie. Just a little irrelevant trivia I got from Wikipedia.

Hi there ! Got a question for anyone out in Atariland. I was wondering. Does anyone know how to print a label for the Atari 2600 game cartridges that is a facsimile for the original label sticker printing process? Just curious. Some of my carts don't have stickers anymore. I had this idea that I could make close approximations of them to "restore" my collection, per se. Any advice on this is appreciated. Thanks.

I have a question. I have a ICD FA•ST hard drive and a Atari 1040STf computer. I also have an ICD DMA cable, as well as the ICD Link/Link 2 Hard Drive Utilities software. I am trying to get my STf to recognize my hard drive. It has worked before. But, my desktop disk will no longer load the hard disk icon. I tried re-saving the desktop. It did not work. I do not have a host adapter, but that should be irrelevant because it has worked before with this DMA cable. I am using the internal floppy drive of my STf, but plan to use a SF354 external floppy drive from my 520ST to boot the computer. That might be the problem. The DMA cable could also be the problem. But, I am assuming it could be a plethora of things that might be going on. Does anyone know where I could start troubleshooting so I can get my hard drive to work on my STf again? Any assistance is gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

Absolutly, you need it ! No ! Only if it's the 3rd track !!!! So, if the dummy track is at the last track of a seven-track disc, what number does it have to be? I am wondering. Do all the tracks have to be in numerical order as I work on them in the hex editor, with track 02 at "$20", tracks 03-06 from "$21-26", then the dummy track at "$27"?

So, this track can be used on any project, video or game CD? Also, do I need a hex editor to change the "$2X" header and tailer? If so, where is the "$2X' on the header and tailer? Thanks. OK. I looked at Matthias's site and now I understand the dummy track has to be at "$22" for the encryption to work. I will check that out today. I am assuming that I would find this info in the main tracks also? See, I am experimenting with burning a video CD with three videos on it. Do they all have to be "$21" since they are the main programs on the disc? Where do the warning track, the Cinepak demo player, and the TRACK03.RAW that I got from Ovalbugmann's site have to be set at? Once I am armed with that info, I can check with my hex editor. I will be burning seven tracks on my disc in all, if I can. Thanks for the clarification. P.S.: Do I need to change the name of the Trk_vide.raw to something else before burning it to disc? Again, thanks.

So, this track can be used on any project, video or game CD? Also, do I need a hex editor to change the "$2X" header and tailer? If so, where is the "$2X' on the header and tailer? Thanks.

Hi there, I have been trying to make an hash file into a usable track for making an encrypted Jaguar CD. I have never used PADCD and MAKETRK before to do this. I have scoured Matthias's site for this info, and I am still lost. Can anyone give me a more detailed description about doing this? I apologize for being so direct, but a step-by-step description is easier for me to follow. Please bear with me on this. Any assistance is duly appreciated. Thank you.

I recently downloaded Jaguar CD Creator for my PC laptop. It will not recognize my CD drive when I want to burn a disc. Has anyone else had problems with this software? I am currently running Windows XP on an IBM ThinkPad T30 Type 2366. Any advice is most appreciated. Thanks. Jericho_21

What about the Cinepak-Player-program? Have you included it? Kind regards Matthias Where do I find the cpkdemo.bin file? Which site do I go to? Thanks for the advice.

Hi. I am trying to make a video CD for Jaguar. I am very close. But, I can't seem for the life of me to get the tracks to work once burned on the disc. Only the video warning track works on the disc. I used JagCinePak to prep the video and I did prep the hash file and transferred it back to my PC. I burned the tracks on a separate disc and have copies on my hard drive for safe keeping. Do I need to do any further preparations to the hash table to make my video disc playable? Do I need to do anything further to prep the video tracks? What am I not doing that makes my video unplayable?