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Atari JagDuo PCB discovered!


Clint Thompson

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Straight up replicating custom processors? Seems easy!!

 

I thought this is what people do on the weekend these days? Simple as that. :? I thought all you need is a special power supply. Horrible, I am gonna go for Sega, this is all too confusing. :_(

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Yeah, I'm not sure. The only problem with populating it is I don't think any remaining stock exists of the Tom and Jerry chips. Everything is still readily available for the most part.

as the netlists for those chips exist, it is theoretically possibly to create another batch of these

 

i have no idea how hard a task that would be or if the netlist files are the latest ones in existence either

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Motorola is known for doing small runs of 20+ year old chips. Shoot them an email, ask for 50 chips and I'm sure they'll get right on it. Also, this proto board most certainly works 100% without any issues whatsoever. I mean, just look at how bug-free the actual released Jaguar hardware is. Surely an unreleased proto will work perfectly. Sign me up! Where do I donate? Where is the list? FUUUUUUUUUMES!

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Straight up replicating custom processors? Seems easy!!

 

Tom and Jerry already exist as FPGA proven cores which were generated from netlists which came from some Atari storage.

 

Replicating them so they work as replacements however, meh. Jag is a 5v board, it's impossible to find 5v FPGA's. As a Jag already exists as a whole device in an FPGA, it would be far easier to create a small board with the requirements of the Jag netlists.

 

But seriously, would people want a "new" Jaguar? I'll add it to my list of fun things to do if there really is interest... seems crazy.

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But seriously, would people want a "new" Jaguar? I'll add it to my list of fun things to do if there really is interest... seems crazy.

 

I think people would want a jaguar that doesn't cost more than $100 - $200 so they can play games (and buy all the neat homebrews coming out on cartridge). An emulator with a cartridge port that simulates a real Jag would probably be well received.

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I think people would want a jaguar that doesn't cost more than $100 - $200 so they can play games (and buy all the neat homebrews coming out on cartridge). An emulator with a cartridge port that simulates a real Jag would probably be well received.

 

You can pick up Jaguars cheaply enough if you're patient. I don't think I paid more than £25 for mine, and the upcoming JagSD cart will solve all game-playing issues. Emulators are unlikely to cut it for the Jaguar... :)

 

The hardware required to fit the netlists is relatively expensive, moreso than the MIST for example, and that's not cheap.

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You can pick up Jaguars cheaply enough if you're patient. I don't think I paid more than £25 for mine, and the upcoming JagSD cart will solve all game-playing issues. Emulators are unlikely to cut it for the Jaguar... :)

 

 

I see a couple on ebay for under $300 right now. I think everyone would rather pay less than that, though. ;-) I bought mine about 4 years ago for $250 from B.E. so I'm all set. I just need a job to buy more homebrews. :)

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There are multiple possible options, one being not to do anything at all, but nothing is ruled out just yet and others are currently involved in helping to see if we could actually recreate it. I've been doing my homework and yes, it's done on the weekends. ;-)

 

Motorola would be almost impossible to have anything done with seeing as how they've switched hands multiple times from Google and Lenovo. Even so, I spoke with someone at Motorola back in 2000 while trying to obtain the chips for the Jaguar 2 boards and she mentioned that they had done an archives purge after a recent move so there was nothing left in regards to Atari in their offices.

 

As SainT mentioned, FPGA is just far too expensive at this time to seriously consider and while claims of picking up an inexpensive Jaguar if you're patient could be true, I can't help but feel the influx of people interested in the Jag will do anything but rise after the SD card thus increasing the price of the Jaguar even more. Not a bad thing, that's what happens when exciting new hardware/software comes out opening new possibilities for such a console.

 

I'm in contact with the original board manufacturer now and waiting to see if they have any of the design files archived and the possibility of having the board reproduced. Also waiting to hear back from a source who claims to have 500 of the DSP chips but even so, you still need Tom and the Orbit chip.

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Let's say the boards are re-produced. Let's also assume the board works perfectly. Let's say for sake of argument that all the custom chips are located as well. Let's say enough to make 200 of these. What about a case? What's the solution to the CD side of the house? Gutting an existing Jag CD-ROM? What's the point? Imagine the cost. What problem is this expensive and time consuming project solving? Who is the intended audience?

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Let's say the boards are re-produced. Let's also assume the board works perfectly. Let's say for sake of argument that all the custom chips are located as well. Let's say enough to make 200 of these. What about a case? What's the solution to the CD side of the house? Gutting an existing Jag CD-ROM? What's the point? Imagine the cost. What problem is this expensive and time consuming project solving? Who is the intended audience?

I know a man with about 7 'broken' Jaguar CD-roms. They are all just have the wire cut by the motor issue I believe. I'm sure one could be used for testing purposes :)

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Further information regarding Motorola for those of you who may find it of interest:

 

Motorola spun off its chip making division to a company called Freescale Industries which was later merged with XMP Semiconductors. They've been through the wringer.

 

Let's say the boards are re-produced. Let's also assume the board works perfectly. Let's say for sake of argument that all the custom chips are located as well. Let's say enough to make 200 of these. What about a case? What's the solution to the CD side of the house? Gutting an existing Jag CD-ROM? What's the point? Imagine the cost. What problem is this expensive and time consuming project solving? Who is the intended audience?

 

Ok, I'll bite.

 

In all honesty, the casing would be cakewalk compared to all the other forces of nature needing to align perfectly in order to build a working board with NOS chips. I'll try to rationalize the point of this when someone can rationalize the point of the Ataribox that is currently being worked on. ;-)

 

That this will never materialize and people are getting excited over absolutely nothing.

 

You're probably right, especially on a large scale (500+ units) if said chips can't be located. If at very least, it would be fun to have a few built that are working though.

 

These kinds of things, hobbies, tend to be interesting.. at least to me. I can't speak for anyone else. For clarification, I don't have very high hopes of this going anywhere and don't expect anyone else to either but you will eventually see a Flashback-styled Jaguar at some point in the future, may it be Atari themselves (unlikely) or someone in the community wanting to do it strictly for fun and because it doesn't make sense to spend $200 on a 20+ year old console that will eventually be far cheaper to reproduce and sell. The FPGA built Jaguar projects in the past prove that it's not only possible but others than myself are interested in seeing such a thing happen.

 

And if it does materialize? I don't assume you'll be first in line to purchase one ;-)

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