Will this homebrew setup work? (XP)

[missyrelm]

Hi,

 

I've read the old BJL articles out there, there's just a few things that I am still unclear on.

 

This is even more confusing as I don't have the CD Player Attachment, my computer is XP, and I want to avoid using a Windows 95/98 computer just to program my Jaguar.

 

My understanding is that I need the following:

 

1) A way to bypass the CD, either:

a) Protector SE game from Songbird, $74.95

OR

b) CD Bypass cart from B&C, $30.00

 

Any suggestions on which one to get? Is there any difference aside from the price and that one comes with the Protector SE game, and the other doesn’t?

 

2) Atari BJL adapter from More Than Games, $15.00

 

3) Cable to go from BJL adapter to computer, must be DB25 Male to DB25 Female cable

a) 10 foot cable: IEEE 1284 , DB25 , M/F from Monoprice: $6.20

 

4) A copy of lo_inp. If I understand correctly, this is an updated version of BJL for XP computers that will allow me to transfer homebrew games from my XP computer to my Jaguar with the above hardware even though my computer is not Windows 95/98.

http://www.jagware.org/index.php?showtopic...entry8665

 

So will this work with my setup? I just want to be sure before I start buying stuff!

 

Notes: There are longer Male to DB25 Female cables: I was hoping to find a longer cable, but monoprice doesn’t have one and on other sites prices skyrocket to around $35.00 for a 15’ cable to around $50.00+ for a 20’ or 25’ cable!

 

Also, there was something talked about called a “catnip cable” specifically for XP computers, but discussion stops around 2006, so I am assuming that this never happened. I am assuming that lo_inp reduced the need for this drastically.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

[viMaster]

Well, it's not necessarily that you need a CD encryption bypass, but more that you need BJL itself, which is what is on Protector SE.

So, it's not the CD encryption bypass feature that you want, which is why the B&C CD Bypass cart won't do you any good if you need BJL.

There's basically 3 options for BJL:

1. Protector SE

2. BJL CD (but only if you already have the Jag CD)

3. BJL mod

 

If you don't have a Jag CD, I would get Protector SE, because the BJL mod will actually require you soldering some things inside your jag.

 

Everything else you have correct...

BJL adapter from MoreThanGames & DB25 cable.

 

As far as the BJL loader goes (which is what lo_inp is) if that version says it's compatible with XP, then it should be. I can't remember if I've used it, because I bought an old laptop to run BJL as well as set up a dev environment. I might have tried it and I think it worked.

[Zerosquare]

My understanding is that I need the following:

 

1) A way to bypass the CD, either:

a) Protector SE game from Songbird, $74.95

OR

b) CD Bypass cart from B&C, $30.00

It's necessary only if you have a JagCD and you want to play CD-based unencrypted demos/betas. Since the programs needed to create encrypted CDs (runnable on any JagCD) have been recovered, it's much less important now.

 

Any suggestions on which one to get?

If you don't want to modify your Jaguar, get Protector:SE. You'll get a CD bypass and a BJL loader in the same cartridge (not to mention, it's a good game as well). Another option, if you have a JagCD, is using Belboz's free downloadable BJL CD : http://hillsoftware.com/atari/index.html.

 

2) Atari BJL adapter from More Than Games, $15.00

 

3) Cable to go from BJL adapter to computer, must be DB25 Male to DB25 Female cable

a) 10 foot cable: IEEE 1284 , DB25 , M/F from Monoprice: $6.20

If you're not scared of soldering, you can build the cable much more cheaply yourself. All you need is a VGA extension cable (one end of which will be discarded) and a male 25-pin SUBD. You can find a schematic on Matthias Domin's website : http://www.mdgames.de/jag_eng.htm.

 

Additionally, 10 feet is really long. You may have problems getting the cable to work reliably, or at all. I wouldn't recommend using cables more than about 5 feet long for BJL.

 

 

4) A copy of lo_inp. If I understand correctly, this is an updated version of BJL for XP computers that will allow me to transfer homebrew games from my XP computer to my Jaguar with the above hardware even though my computer is not Windows 95/98.

Yes, that's correct. (Lo_inp is Bastian Schick's original program I've modified to run under Windows XP).

 

Also, there was something talked about called a “catnip cable” specifically for XP computers, but discussion stops around 2006, so I am assuming that this never happened. I am assuming that lo_inp reduced the need for this drastically.

The Catnip cable was something I was working on some time ago. It was supposed to be both a "better" BJL cable (USB-based and more reliable) and a way to connect the upcoming JagCF board to your computer. The later feature has been integrated into the JagCF. The BJL part has been put on hold since I've concentrated my efforts on the JagCF for the moment. Lo_inp was indeed a "stopgap" initially. Edited August 20, 2008 by Zerosquare

[missyrelm]

Anyway,

After a lot of discussion about getting this setup vs. a cd-attachment vs. waiting for the JagCF, my wife and I decided to go with this setup, but using a 3 ft cable. We just ordered day before yesterday, and are excited about the goodies coming in the mail! I hope we made the right choice

 

One question, once I load a game onto the Jaguar, will it stay in the memory when the Jag is shut off, or will I need a really long electrical cord to get the Jag from the TV to the computer, so that I can bring it back to the TV without turning it off?

 

My understanding is that I need the following:

 

1) A way to bypass the CD, either:

a) Protector SE game from Songbird, $74.95

OR

b) CD Bypass cart from B&C, $30.00

It's necessary only if you have a JagCD and you want to play CD-based unencrypted demos/betas. Since the programs needed to create encrypted CDs (runnable on any JagCD) have been recovered, it's much less important now.

 

Any suggestions on which one to get?

If you don't want to modify your Jaguar, get Protector:SE. You'll get a CD bypass and a BJL loader in the same cartridge (not to mention, it's a good game as well). Another option, if you have a JagCD, is using Belboz's free downloadable BJL CD : http://hillsoftware.com/atari/index.html.

 

2) Atari BJL adapter from More Than Games, $15.00

 

3) Cable to go from BJL adapter to computer, must be DB25 Male to DB25 Female cable

a) 10 foot cable: IEEE 1284 , DB25 , M/F from Monoprice: $6.20

If you're not scared of soldering, you can build the cable much more cheaply yourself. All you need is a VGA extension cable (one end of which will be discarded) and a male 25-pin SUBD. You can find a schematic on Matthias Domin's website : http://www.mdgames.de/jag_eng.htm.

 

Additionally, 10 feet is really long. You may have problems getting the cable to work reliably, or at all. I wouldn't recommend using cables more than about 5 feet long for BJL.

 

 

4) A copy of lo_inp. If I understand correctly, this is an updated version of BJL for XP computers that will allow me to transfer homebrew games from my XP computer to my Jaguar with the above hardware even though my computer is not Windows 95/98.

Yes, that's correct. (Lo_inp is Bastian Schick's original program I've modified to run under Windows XP).

 

Also, there was something talked about called a “catnip cable” specifically for XP computers, but discussion stops around 2006, so I am assuming that this never happened. I am assuming that lo_inp reduced the need for this drastically.

The Catnip cable was something I was working on some time ago. It was supposed to be both a "better" BJL cable (USB-based and more reliable) and a way to connect the upcoming JagCF board to your computer. The later feature has been integrated into the JagCF. The BJL part has been put on hold since I've concentrated my efforts on the JagCF for the moment. Lo_inp was indeed a "stopgap" initially.

Edited October 9, 2008 by missyrelm

[+remowilliams]

One question, once I load a game onto the Jaguar, will it stay in the memory when the Jag is shut off, or will I need a really long electrical cord to get the Jag from the TV to the computer, so that I can bring it back to the TV without turning it off?

Any code loaded into the Jaguar RAM will be lost when the machine is powered off.