BJL on Windows 7

[Songbird]

Here's where I admit I'm a couple years out of date on how to use Jaguar tools on relatively modern PCs... can someone please summarize what is needed to run BJL on Windows 7? Things I think I need:

 

BJL port adapter - easiest way to build or buy?

PCI card for PC - parallel or serial?

Standard 9-pin or 25-pin cable, depending on serial or parallel?

BJL software - software options for Windows 7, any special drivers needed, will it work easily with the PCI card, etc.?

 

Thanks in advance for any help! This would allow me to get back to working on Mystery Jaguar Project #1.

[swapd0]

BJL works with the parallel port but IIRC using a PCI card for parallel port doesn't work. I think that some guy from jagware told me that.

 

You should try to get a skunk board because it's faster and less error prone. Some years ago I was using the BJL and I needed to write my own uploader (using packets) because I couldn't upload the native demo with the standard one.

 

Or look for an old PC with a parallel port.

[Songbird]

I've still got Win98 and WinME computers from 10 years ago, but I'm looking for something I can put on my current desktop instead of firing up the old PCs. Also it would be nice to see that BJL is still useful on Protector SE after all these years.

[Orion_]

the problem is not Win7, it's 64bits

most of the old program won't work on 64bits OS.

I'm still using BJL on my Win7 64bits computer.

I have a genuine parallel port in the back of my computer, which helps.

But a PCI-e card with a parallel port can do the trick, the only thing is to be sure that it emulate a real parallel port (and not a printer port)

also you will have to modifiy the BJL sending program line command to redirect to this new port (which sometime is not the default port $378)

I'm using "lo_inp" program from Zerosquare of Jagware, this program comes with "inpout32" parallel port driver which is for 32bits by default, but if you download the 64bits version on their website, install it on your computer and replace the inpout32.dll of "lo_inp" by the 64bits one, it works

lo_inp: http://www.jagware.org/index.php?showtopic=484

inpout32 driver 64bits version: http://www.logix4u.net/parallel-port/index.php

Edited April 18, 2014 by Orion_

[LinkoVitch]

It's a bit of a faff, but maybe look at running a Linux distro on one of the older machines. Connect it to your machine via the network and you could even use samba to present network drive shares from the linux box allowing you to work on files with your new shiny Win7 machine, but then use the linux box to push them up to the jag.

 

I think there are a few headaches with using parallel from a modern PC, IIRC you need to find a card that will support plain old vanilla parallel comms, a lot started defaulting to the newer compressed format which obviously won't work with the jag

 

If you can get hold of one I'd second swapd0's comment and suggest you try and get yourself a skunk. I can understand you wanting to make use of what you already have, but you may find a lot of frustrating headaches are on that path. Good luck with your quest, hope you get something working you are happy with

[Songbird]

OK, well if I just go back to my old PCs, is using the native serial port the simplest way to go? What kind of cable/adapter do I need?

[NinSEGA]

Thanks in advance for any help! This would allow me to get back to working on Mystery Jaguar Project #1.

[GT Turbo]

Very happy you replug your Jag

[sh3-rg]

skunkboard all the way for dev in 2014 (well, since the day the skunk dropped basically).

 

BJL, meh, who needs to go that far out of their way and jump through those hoops when you can install a driver and you're done? Then there's the time saved sending stuff at 200k+/sec with skunk uploads to Jag memory vs, what many will describe as, unreliable/glitchy/slow/error-prone BJL sending.

 

If zero's USBJL cable ever makes it to being an end user device and you already have BJL then I'd say that's as good a solution in many ways, but a few hundred dollars for a skunkboard is a no-brainer, I couldn't imagine how tedious it'd be BJL-sending stuff when testing things out 20 or 30 times in quick succession.

 

Add name here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/223026-skunkboard-production-batch-declare-list/

 

$90.00 is all it takes.

[Zerosquare]

Hi Songbird,

 

I see you posted in the Skunkboard thread so I guess you made your choice

If you can afford it, the Skunkboard is indeed the best dev. hardware there is on the Jaguar.

 

Just for info, the other options are:

 

- BJL. Requires a special ROM in the Jaguar, a game that includes BJL support (such as Protector:SE), or a BJL CD. It also requires a special cable that connects to the joypad port, and a PC with a parallel port. Code/data can only be uploaded to internal RAM, so not suitable for prototyping ROM games (unless they run entirely from internal RAM). Some basic debugging features are available, but only in the ROM version IIRC.

 

Motherboard-integrated parallel ports and those on PCI/PCMCIA/PC card ports work fine. PCI Express and Express Card cards may work or not, depending on the model. USB-based parallel port adapters don't work at all.

 

I did develop a USB-based adapter with SCPCD -- it works, but it was never mass produced do to the difficulty of finding a manufacturer with reasonable prices, and the release of the Skunkboard. I also did some testing to see if there was a way to get USB-based parallel port adapters to work, but it's been in standby for several years due to lack of demand ; it would also require a different cable and patches to the BJL ROM.

 

 

- JUGS. Requires a copy of Batthesphere Gold (I think there's also a CD version made by Belboz), a JagLink/JagLink II/CatBox/Scatbox, and a PC with a serial port. Similar to BJL, as programs can only be uploaded to RAM. Very slow, and not very reliable according to some. Compatibility with USB serial port adapters in unknown.

 

 

- Alpine board (the original Atari development kit). Rare, expensive, needs a real parallel port and the software doesn't work reliably on current machines. Not worth it unless you're a collector, or you need the advanced debugging features.

 

 

- Official Atari flash carts. Cheaper than the Alpine, but otherwise the drawbacks are the same, and I don't think they have any debugging features.

 

 

- SN systems (third-party) development kit. Rare, expensive, uses SCSI and AFAIK nobody has the software needed to make it run.

 

 

Not mentioned : other Atari dev kits such as Sylvester (no info on them, and probably extremely rare), Jaguar Server and Favard kit (rare and only used by a few people), Jagtopus (not public yet )

Edited April 19, 2014 by Zerosquare