My Atari Jaguar Skunk assembled.
I believe was made in cooperation with a developer/home brew enthusiast named Tursi. The Atari Jaguar Skunk Board allows one to run home brew onto a jaguar unit. It allows one to flash a home brew and developed game onto the cartridge which in turn bypasses the encryption and copy protection of the Jaguar unit and is a means of running a non "authorized" game on this system.
Here is how he describes it on his website:
What is the Skunkboard?
-Skunkboard is a USB-based development board for the Atari Jaguar. It installs as a custom device on your PC and facilitates communication to the Jaguar.
-Skunkboard has 4MB of 16-bit flash located in cartridge ROM space and the ability to access Jaguar RAM
-Rev 2 Skunkboards (identified by having the logo on them!) have 8MB of flash.
What software is included?
-Drivers for Windows (libUSB based)
-JCP - Jaguar Copy which enables most functionality to the device
-Source code for JCP
-Developer source code for the JCP console functions
-68k GDB stub for PC-based debugging
What Operating Systems are supported?
-Officially, Windows 2000, XP and Vista
-Source is available for Linux on an as-is basis
-All support is pretty much as-is anyway
What can it do?
-Skunkboard can load programs in the following formats: Cart ROM, COFF, 68k ELF, JAG, ABS, and Jag Server
-Programs and data can be loaded to Jaguar RAM (as with BJL) or flashed to the built-in flash ROM (up to 4MB)
-JCP can load data to memory without booting, allowing data files to be stored
-JCP includes a debug console which allows the Jaguar to print text to the PC, read text from the PC keyboard, save files on the PC and read files from the PC
-Programs stored on the flash can be started without a PC by pressing 'up' on the first controller
Can it run Homebrew?
-Yes, Skunkboard supports upload of homebrew similar to BJL, as well as additional functions like loading data to RAM and programming flash space.
-Skunkboard includes a console library that allows new software to communicate with the PC via text I/O and file I/O
-Rev 2 Skunkboards can support homebrew software of up to 6MB.
Can it run betas?
-Skunkboard has been tested and proven to work with most beta software available publically. This functionality is never guaranteed as Skunkboard's hardware does not exactly match the original cartridges. Support for non-working betas is not provided.
Can it run commercial ROMs?
-We do not support loading commercial ROMs on Skunkboard. No support will be offered for ROMs.
How many programs can I load at a time?
-Skunkboard is not a file storage device. In its current incarnation, only one program may be loaded at a time.
How fast are the transfers?
-Transfers to flash average about 190kbyte/s on most machines. Transfers to RAM are slightly faster, usually 250-280k/s.
-Erasing the flash takes 10-20 seconds, depending on the size of the data.
Is the Skunkboard flash memory expandable?
-No, neither the hardware nor software support additional memory.
What are the JCP options?
-JCP tries to recognize the filetype pased to it, so the simplest usage, for BJL-style programs, is jcp myfile.cof. The most common options are:
-r = reset. jcp -r - Does a hardware reset of the Jaguar. This is usually enough to clear any crash or hang. If the flash was being written or erased, you may get the red Jaguar screen, if you do, you simply need to power cycle the machine.
-f = flash. jcp -f myfile.jag - Erases the flash chip and loads the specified file. JCP will attempt to guess the format of the file, if it gets it wrong, add the 'o' option to override and pass an address to the end. IE: jcp -fo myotherfile.jag $802000.
-b = boot. jcp -b $4000 - Immediately boots the address specified. Useful if data and program were loaded separately with the 'n' option.
-c = launch console. jcp -c myfile.cof. Leaves JCP connected to the Jaguar and launches the debug console after executing the file. This can be used by the Jaguar program for text and file I/O.
-d = dump flash. jcp -d dump.jag. Dumps the contents of the flash to a file on the PC. Attaches the standard universal boot header to the file, then all data from $802000 to the end of the flash. Potentially useful if you have data on the flash you need.
Check the manual for more switches and information.
What is the little row of pins for?
-This is the JTAG header. This is used during manufacture and isn't supported to the end user.
What are the two large USB ports for?
-When originally designed, Skunkboard was intended to support USB memory sticks for booting and loading software. This functionality is not yet developed.
-There are no plans to develop these USB ports at this time.
I get the red Jaguar screen on startup
-Make sure your Skunkboard is securely seated in the Jaguar, remove and reinsert it with the power off!
-Make sure your cartridge contacts are clean (port and card!)
-If the board was working, but an aborted/failed flash caused this, power off the Jaguar, wait 5 seconds, then power it back on
I get a green screen when I turn it on!
-Excellent! That means that Skunkboard is initialized and ready to receive commands.
What's that flicker when I upload?
-As data is transferred, the Jaguar will display occasional lines of color on the screen - each line is a block of data. This is normal.
I got a multicolored screen with black slashes on it!
-This is the flash screen, you should only see it when erasing the flash (using "jcp -f"). Just be patient and wait. If you have to interrupt a flash for any reason - either at this screen or the black screen after it, you must power cycle the Jaguar to bring back the skunkboard, a "jcp -r" will not be enough and will just bring you to the red Jaguar screen. Don't worry - the board is fine! Power cycle and it will come back.
The flash upload hangs with a little spinny thing!
-A problem has occured on the skunk board. Press control-C on the PC to stop the 'spinny thing' and power cycle the Jaguar (reset is not enough). The board itself should be fine. Try again.
-If the problem occurs again, try a full flash erase by using "-fe" instead of just "-f".
The beta I uploaded doesn't work
-Not all software is compatible, although the vast majority is. In addition, some files may be in an invalid format or a format not correctly recognized by JCP. You can try posting here for help.
The commercial ROM I uploaded doesn't work!
-We don't provide support running commercial ROMs, even "freeware", "abandonware", and "they don't support it anymore anyway!" ROMs.
I get Can't find EZ-HOST!
-This means that Windows can not find the Jaguar on the USB bus. Make sure the Jaguar is at the green screen and that the USB cable is connected. You can check device manager to make sure the PC saw the Skunkboard. Try power cycling the Jaguar and reconnecting the cable, or reinstalling the drivers.
I get Failed to handshake with 68k scrolling fast!
-First, press Control-C to stop the communication attempt. This means that communication with the Jaguar has been lost. "JCP -r" to reset the Jag usually does the trick, if not a power cycle should. If not restored after a power cycle, look at the 'Can't find EZ-HOST' topic above and try those options.
I get 'Unauthorized' and a solid red screen when I try to start a program, even my own BJL programs!
-If Skunkboard detects certain software on the flash, it will refuse to start any program. You must flash a different program (at least 2MB) to proceed.
-You must reset the Jaguar to clear the red screen (jcp -r is fine)
-If you have a revision 2 Skunkboard, you may have to re-flash both banks!
My screen goes black after a flash a file
-Make sure you don't have a BJL cable plugged in - some titles don't like this
-Try resetting the Jag then starting the title by pressing 'Up' at the green screen
-Make sure JCP detected the correct file type - you may need to force certain options
-Ultimately, some titles simply don't work on Skunkboard. You can post for help if it's non-commercial.
My transfer is very slow!
-Skunkboard supports only the "full speed" USB mode - we've occasionally seen systems that don't negotiate correctly. Try connecting to a different USB hub or skipping the USB hub altogether.
My board has 'speckles' on the connector
-Lowest bid manufacturing. :( However, this will not impact performance.. all boards are tested before shipping and proven to work.
-This should apply only to rev 1 boards.
When are you doing the next run?
-There are no current plans for another run.
Here is the guys site: Check it out!!
