stabylo Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 I've finally made a choice about the new name (Catnip Cable* ; see this topic on AtariAge), and I'm about to resume work on this project. I'll keep you updated *Pour les non-anglophones : « catnip » signifie « herbe à chats » sure it's a great name, indeed! keep us updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredifredo Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 put the turbo mode ! Aller hop ! on y go ! Une date de disponibilité ? when it will be available ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 [Français] Le boulot se poursuit, on s'est fait une petite réunion hier avec SCPCD pour finaliser certaines choses, on vous en dit plus très bientôt. (P.S. pour FrediFredo : je crois qu'on va avoir besoin de tes compétences ) [English] Work is going on, I had a little meeting with SCPCD yesterday to finalize some stuff, you'll get news very soon. (P.S. for FrediFredo : I think we'll need your abilities ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebRmv Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Vivement que ce Catnip cable sorte! Par contre, ça serait bien que vous pensiez aux utilisateurs de Linux pour le soft de transfert... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted June 4, 2006 Report Share Posted June 4, 2006 Par contre, ça serait bien que vous pensiez aux utilisateurs de Linux pour le soft de transfert... [Français] Ne t'inquiète pas, c'est prévu, le code sera en C "propre" et pourra être compilé au minimum pour Windows et Linux. [English] Don't worry, this has been foreseen, the code will be "clean" C and will be compilable at least for Windows and Linux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted June 11, 2006 Report Share Posted June 11, 2006 [Français] Certains le savent déjà, mais pour les autres : je développe actuellement un bootloader pour le Catnip Cable. Pour faire simple, cela va permettre de mettre à jour le firmware (pour corriger des bugs éventuels ou ajouter de nouvelles fonctionnalités) sans devoir nous renvoyer le câble. Le "problème", c'est que j'ai dû changer d'assembleur, et que le code doit être compact et nickel... ça me demande un peu de temps, ne perdez pas espoir . On continue à mettre au point d'autres aspects du projet en parallèle. [English] Some of you already know this, but for the others : I am currently developing a bootloader for the Catnip Cable. To put it simply, it will allow upgrading of the firmware (to fix possible bugs or to add new functionalities) without having to send the cable back to us. The "problem" is that I had to use another assembler, and that the code must be compact and flawless... I need a bit of time for that, so please don't lose hope . We continue to work on other parts of the project in parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredifredo Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Aller hop hop hop ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredifredo Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Je viens de discuter avec un pote concernant le soucis du boitier mais dans sa société ils n'ont pas d'emporte pièce rectangulaire Doit on discuter de tout ceci ici ou en rubrique privée ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Je viens de discuter avec un pote concernant le soucis du boitier mais dans sa société ils n'ont pas d'emporte pièce rectangulaire Doit on discuter de tout ceci ici ou en rubrique privée ? [English] Thanks for helping us ! And there is no problem, we can discuss this here. In fact we're looking for a not-too-big case with an already-made 9-pin, SubD-shaped hole (same thing as the the high-density 15-pin SubD as far as the dimensions are concerned). For the USB side, we're thinking about cutting existing A-A cables in half, and drilling a small hole in the case by hand. [Français] Merci de nous filer un coup de main ! Et pas de problème, on peut en discuter ici. En fait on cherche un boîtier pas trop grand qui ait une découpe pour SubD 9 points déjà faite (c'est pareil que la SubD 15 points haute densité pour les dimensions). Pour le côté USB, on pense couper des câbles A-A en deux, et percer un petit trou dans le boîtier à la main. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredifredo Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 One month after any news for your fans ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 One month after any news for your fans ? What has been done : Final hardware revision (hopefully ) Bootloader (for upgrades through USB) Beta firmware (supports 8-bit transfers, and BJL commands such as switching to download mode -- so far, upload success rate is 100%) Beta multi-platform API in C (allows any program to use the Catnip features) What is not done yet : "Real" programs (using the API) to update the firmware and upload code (currently, it is made using a messy test program) Testing under Linux Choices related to the plastic box, connectors and cables (I'm working on it, but finding cheap and usable solutions is not easy !) Second prototype using the final boards Organization for collecting payments, sending the products, etc. I know you've been waiting, and I'm sorry for the delay, but please be patient First, I'm not always as motivated as I'd like Also, about 95% of the code has been rewritten since the demo at the *tari Connexion 2006, and many changes (both visible and internal) have been made to make the Catnip evolutive and reliable. Besides, some people we need to contact (e.g. suppliers) are in vacation right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 [English] Since several persons requested more detailed info, here are the Catnip Cable features : A replacement for the BJL parallel cable The BJL protocol is handled internally, so the tranfers are reliable no matter the computer the Catnip Cable is connected to. The speed is currently about 50 kilobytes per second. This feature is completely independent of the JagCF, so it can be used by those who don't have it, or who wish to develop or use standard BJL homebrews. A high-speed serial port The Catnip cable can act as high-speed (up to 3 Mbaud), TTL-level serial port. It can be connected to the JagCF for real-time communication between a Jaguar and a computer, or used for your own applications. A JagCF updater Several major upgrades are planned for the JagCF ; the Catnip Cable will be necessary to enjoy the full potential of the card. An open system The Catnip Cable is a USB 1.1 device compatible with Windows (98 to XP) and Linux x86 (other platforms are being considered, but we can't promise anything). The software will be provided in source and compiled form, and the information needed to develop your own applications will be available. More... The firmware can be updated easily through USB, so future functionalities can be added without having to send the cable back to us. (Of course, firmware and software updates will be free.) [Français] Comme plusieurs personnes ont demandé des informations plus détaillées, voici les caractéristiques du Catnip Cable : Un remplacement du câble BJL parallèle Le protocole BJL est géré en interne, donc les transferts sont fiables quel que soit l'ordinateur sur lequel le Catnip Cable est connecté. La vitesse est actuellement d'environ 50 kilo-octets par seconde. Cette fonctionnalité est entièrement indépendante de la JagCF, elle peut donc être utilisée par ceux qui ne la possèdent pas, ou qui veulent développer ou utiliser des homebrew BJL standards. Un port série à haute vitesse Le Catnip Cable peut se comporter comme un port série à haute vitesse (3 Mbauds) à niveaux TTL. Il peut être connecté à la JagCF pour une communication en temps réel entre une Jaguar et un ordinateur, ou utilisé pour vos propres applications. Un moyen de mettre à jour la JagCF Plusieurs améliorations majeures sont prévues pour la JagCF ; le Catnip Cable sera nécessaire pour profiter au maximum du potentiel de la carte. Un système ouvert Le Catnip Cable est un périphérique USB 1.1 compatible avec Windows (de 98 à XP) et Linux x86 (d'autres plateformes sont à l'étude, mais nous ne pouvons rien promettre). Les logiciels seront fournis sous forme source et compilée, et les informations nécessaires pour développer vos propres applications seront disponibles. Plus... Le firmware peut être mis à jour facilement par USB, par conséquent des fonctionnalités futures pourront être ajoutées sans devoir nous renvoyer le câble. (Bien entendu, les mises à jour du firmware et des logiciels seront gratuites.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXG/MNX Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 USB 1.1 cool I can connect it to my usb cartridge on my Atari 130XE aswell... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 USB 1.1 cool I can connect it to my usb cartridge on my Atari 130XE aswell... :-)In theory that's possible, but someone would need to write the drivers for the USB "glue" chip we're using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swapd0 Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Hi, just wondering if catnip is finished, and if is Mac compatible... My PC is dying, and new ones usually don't have a parallel port, and since i hate windows... maybe i'll buy a Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerosquare Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Hi swapd0! Here are the latest Catnip news. First, we've decided to integrate the USB updating and high-speed serial communication directly into the JagCF. This will be easier and cheaper for the users (and it simplifies a few things for us too ). My work is currently focused on this, so as to be able to release the JagCF (hopefully) soon. For the BJL uploading feature, we have not decided what to do yet (there's no point of including it in the JagCF, since a custom protocol will be much faster and more reliable). One option I'm considering is releasing the PCB and schematics for free. Regarding the Mac compatibility : I did a test port of the software to MacOS X some time ago, and it seemed to work fine. However I don't own a Mac (someone kindly lent me a iBook for the test), and I know next to nothing about Mac development, so I would need a volunteer to maintain the port and produce the binaries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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