TI-84 Plus series

Last updated

TI-84 Plus
TI-84 Plus graphing.jpg
TI-84 Plus
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced2004
Latest firmware2.55MP
Predecessor TI-83 Plus
Successor TI-Nspire
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog Z80
Frequency6/15 MHz
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, Z80 Assembly
User memory128 KB or 48 KB RAM (depending on hardware revision), of which 24 KB are user-accessible.
Firmware memory1 MB Flash ROM (480 KB user-accessible)
Other
Power supply4 AAAs,
1 SR44 button cell for RAM backup
TI-84 Plus SE
TI-84 Plus Silver Edition.JPG
TI-84 Plus Silver Edition
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced2004
Discontinued2013
Latest firmware2.55MP
Predecessor TI-83 Plus Silver Edition
Successor TI-Nspire
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog Z80
Frequency6/15 MHz
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, Z80 Assembly
User memory128 KB or 48 KB RAM (depending on hardware revision), of which 24 KB are user-accessible.
Firmware memory2 MB Flash ROM (1.5 MB user-accessible)
Other
Power supply4 AAAs,
1 SR44 button cell
TI-84 Plus C SE
The proposed Ti-84+ C Edition SE.jpg
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced2013
Latest firmware4.2
Predecessor TI-84 Plus Silver Edition
Successor TI-84 Plus CE
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog Z80
Frequency6/15 MHz
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, Z80 Assembly
User memory128 KB RAM, of which 21 KB are user-accessible.
Firmware memory4 MB Flash ROM (3.5 MB user-accessible)
Other
Power supplyRechargeable lithium-ion battery
TI-84 Plus CE
TI-84 Plus CE (red).jpg
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced2015
Latest firmware5.8.1
Predecessor TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog eZ80
Frequency48 MHz max.
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, eZ80 Assembly, C, Python (Python Edition only)
User memory256 KB RAM, of which 154 KB are user-accessible.
Firmware memory4.0 MB Flash ROM (3.0 MB user-accessible)
Other
Power supplyRechargeable lithium-ion battery

The TI-84 Plus is a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments which was released in early 2004. There is no original TI-84, only the TI-84 Plus, the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition models, the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, the TI-84 Plus CE, and TI-84 Plus CE Python. The TI-84 Plus is an enhanced version of the TI-83 Plus. The key-by-key correspondence is relatively the same, but the TI-84 features improved hardware. The archive (ROM) is about 3 times as large, and the CPU is about 2.5 times as fast (over the TI-83 and TI-83 Plus)[ citation needed ]. A USB port and built-in clock functionality were also added. The USB port on the TI-84 Plus series is USB On-The-Go compliant, similar to the next generation TI-Nspire calculator, which supports connecting to USB based data collection devices and probes, and supports device to device transfers over USB rather than over the serial link port. It is also able to connect to a special TI application for calculator screenshots and image download. [1]

Contents

Versions

TI-84 Plus Silver Edition

The TI-84 Plus Silver Edition was released in 2004 as an upgrade to the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition. Like the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, it features a 15  MHz Zilog Z80 processor and 24  KB of user-available RAM. The chip has 128 KB, but Texas Instruments has not made an OS that uses all of it. Newer calculators have a RAM chip that has only 48 KB. All calculators with the letter H or later as the last letter in the serial code have fewer RAM pages, causing some programs to not run correctly. [2] There is 1.5  MB of user-accessible Flash ROM. Like the standard TI-84 Plus, the Silver Edition includes a built-in USB port, a built-in clock, and assembly support. It uses 4 AAA batteries and a backup button cell battery. The TI-84 Plus Silver Edition comes preloaded with a variety of applications. These programs are also available for the TI-84 Plus, but some must be downloaded separately from TI's website. It is manufactured by Kinpo Electronics.

TI offers a special yellow version of the TI-84 Plus, inscribed with the words "School Property", for schools to loan out to students. This special design was produced in an effort to combat theft. [3] Owners can buy other interchangeable colored face-plates and slide-cases online. A kickstand-style slide case and other accessories are also available.

In 2011, TI launched the TI-84 Pocket.fr, a miniaturized version of the TI-84 Plus for the French market. [4] In 2012, TI launched the TI-84 Plus Pocket SE, a miniaturized version of the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition for the Asian market. [5]

In 2015, Texas Instruments released the TI-84 Plus T in the Netherlands. This model is very similar to the original TI-84 Plus, but features an LED to indicate whether or not the calculator is in Exam Mode. The hardware of the TI-84 Plus T is similar to the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, with ninety-six 16 KB pages of archive memory, for a total of 1540 KB. However, unlike the TI-84 Plus, the TI-84 Plus T does not allow users to execute assembly programs. The TI-84 Plus T has 2 different Exam Modes available with different levels of restrictiveness. The most restrictive level does not allow for any existing programs to be accessed, and does not allow any new programs to be created. This mode makes the LED blink green. The second, more moderate Exam Mode is the same, apart from three additional applications being allowed (PlySmlt2, Inequalz and Conics). This mode makes the LED blink orange.

TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition

The TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition was released in 2013 as the first Z80-based Texas Instruments graphing calculator with a color screen. It had a 320×240-pixel full-color screen, a modified version of the TI-84 Plus's 2.55MP operating system, a removable 1200 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and keystroke compatibility with existing math and programming tools. [6] It had the standard 2.5 mm I/O (DBUS) port and a mini-USB port for connectivity and charging. The calculator was praised for its high-resolution (relative to contemporary graphing calculators) color screen, which allowed new pedagogical approaches such as graphing multiple functions together in different colors. It was widely criticized for its slow performance by educators and hobbyists/hackers alike[ citation needed ]; the performance was attributed to the calculator retaining its monochrome predecessors' CPU to drive a screen displaying 300 times as much image information. Nonetheless it demonstrated the value of a color-screen TI-84 Plus-family calculator and was superseded two years later by the TI-84 Plus CE which was embraced by the calculator hobbyist community. Notable third-party milestones included overclocking the device from 15 MHz to 22 MHz [7] and the third-party Doors CS shell. [8]

TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus CE-T

The TI-84 Plus CE (known as the TI-83 Premium CE in France) was publicly previewed by TI Education in January 2015 [9] and released in 2015. The calculator retains the 320×240-pixel color screen, rechargeable battery, and key layout of the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, while removing the 2.5 mm I/O ("DBUS") linkport and moving the USB port and charging LED to the right side of the handheld. The calculator's OS 5.x is incompatible with the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition's hardware. In addition, the RSA signing key length has been increased to 2048 bits, making infeasible previous efforts to unlock the calculator to unrestricted third-party software development. The calculator has 154 KB of user-accessible RAM and 3.0 MB of Archive memory. It uses the eZ80 processor from Zilog, making all Z80 assembly programs from the previous TI-84 Plus series calculators incompatible. The CE was introduced in multiple colors (Classic (black), Silver Linings, Radical Red, True Blue, Denim (navy blue), Lightning (light blue), Plum Pi (purple); Positively Pink (as of March 2015), Golden Ratio, and Bright White (as of June 2016) were added later), and further colors have since been released. Like the rest of the TI-84 Plus series, certain countries permit its use in examinations. [10] The calculator comes programmed with seven different languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish).

In 2016, the TI-84 Plus CE-T was released for the European educational market. The only significant difference from the CE model is the addition of an LED that blinks while the calculator is in Press-to-Test mode.

CE calculators in hardware revisions M and later (which happened to have been manufactured on and after May 2019) have a revamped PCB [11] [12] and contain an improved architecture, with caching with a more recent flash chip (Winbond 25Q32JVSIQ), compared to previous revisions (up to L [13] ), which contained a Winbond W29GL032C. Due to this change, these more recent revisions have seen a significant improvement in overall speed.

In 2020, TI Education announced its decision to remove support for assembly and C programming on these calculators in response to a video posted on YouTube detailing how to bypass the test mode on OS version 5.2.2. TI's response was widely considered unnecessary, and led to anger from users. The changes are reflected in OS version 5.5.1 for the European models and OS version 5.6 for the US models. Currently, an exploit called ArTIfiCE has been released that allows for native code execution through a bug in the CabriJR app.

TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition and TI-84 Plus CE Python

The TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition was released in 2021 and provides OS version 5.6 and above with the ability to program the calculator in Python and includes a preloaded bundle of applications. [14] The Python implementation is extremely slow compared to NumWorks and HP calculators due to the use of an ARM coprocessor running CircuitPython, which communicates to the calculator via 115200 baud UART serial. [15] In the North American market, the TI-84 Plus CE Python replaced the existing TI-84 Plus CE in 2021. [16]

Around 2021, Texas Instruments removed the charging light to simplify and reduce costs (notably on the black model).[ citation needed ]

Software

There are three different types of programs which can be downloaded or programmed into the calculators: TI-BASIC, Z80 assembly language, and Flash applications (also written in Z80 assembly). The TI-84 Plus CE is different in that programs are written in TI-BASIC, eZ80 assembly language, or in the C programming language. In addition, there are programs available that are able to compile or interpret other programming languages. The TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition supports the Python programming language. Also, there are several languages developed by community members for the calculators, notably ICE, which is for the TI-84 Plus CE, and Axe, which is for the TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus SE. There are a wide range of applications that this produces, including science classes, games, calculus, and note taking (when put together with a separately sold keyboard).

The TI-84 Plus series is exactly like its predecessor in that it can be used on the SAT and ACT examinations as well as International Baccalaureate examinations. However, in some cases those administering the exam may reset the calculator's memory beforehand to prevent cheating through the use of built-in programs or other data. [17]

When OS 2.30 was initially released, users noticed the speed of graphing was greatly reduced. The explanation was that the update added asymptote checking in graphing. [18]

In January 2006, Texas Instruments released v2.40 of the operating system for the TI-84 Plus series. The most noticeable addition to the new OS was the "Press-To-Test" feature that allowed a teacher to disable any programs installed on the calculator, so they cannot be used on tests, etc. [19]

As of OS version 2.53MP which was released in February 2010, support was added for prettyprinted expressions. However, some programs stopped working correctly in this OS version, or were running slower. [20] The current OS version is 2.55MP, which was released in January 2011. [21]

In July 2009, a community-made patch was released which allowed user-made operating systems to be easily uploaded onto the TI-84 Plus series. Shortly after the patch was developed, the RSA keys for the calculator's operating system were factored via the General number field sieve (GNFS) algorithm, making a software patch unnecessary. In response to this, Texas Instruments released a newer hardware revision which only accepts other, stronger RSA keys, making it harder to load user-made operating systems or older TI operating systems (2.53MP and earlier). The community has found a way around the newest limitation by discovering a way to revert to older versions of the boot code. [22]

The TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition supports using CircuitPython, a Python 3 variant, developed by Adafruit. Only the math and random modules are initially supported, but it is possible that wider support will become available either from TI or from the community.

Critics point out that the basic design of the TI-84 has not changed since it was released in 2004, contrary to the trend of rapid design change occurring in other areas of electronics manufacturing. [23] [24]

Technical specifications

Programming

The TI-84 Plus is based heavily on its predecessor, the TI-83 Plus. As with all other calculators in the series, the TI-84 Plus supports native Z80 assembly as well as TI's interpreted, BASIC-like language for calculators, dubbed TI-BASIC. Programming for the TI-84 Plus is nearly identical to programming for the TI-83 Plus, with a few new functions in both TI-BASIC and the calculator's assembly support that do not exist on earlier models and OS versions. Several attempts have been made at creating a C to Zilog Z80 assembly assembler, such as SDCC. [26]

The TI-84 Plus CE series can be programmed in TI-BASIC, eZ80 assembly, or with the C programming language. To aid in programming, a USB keyboard can be attached to the TI-84 Plus CE via a USB On-The-Go adapter.

In 2021, the TI-84 Plus CE Python Edition was released, which supports native Python programming via an ARM coprocessor.

The TI-84 Plus series calculators' dialect of TI-BASIC is the same as that of the TI-83 Plus series, but with a few more commands including ones for date and time.

On 20 May 2020, Texas Instruments revealed that support of assembly and C programming would be removed starting in OS version 5.5.1 for the TI-84 Plus CE and TI-83 Premium CE. [27] 4 months later, a jailbreak called arTIfiCE, which exploits the application Cabri Jr. to run arbitrary code, was written that restored compatibility. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-89 series</span> Series of graphing calculators

The TI-89 and the TI-89 Titanium are graphing calculators developed by Texas Instruments (TI). They are differentiated from most other TI graphing calculators by their computer algebra system, which allows symbolic manipulation of algebraic expressions—equations can be solved in terms of variables, whereas the TI-83/84 series can only give a numeric result.

BBC BASIC is an interpreted version of the BASIC programming language. It was developed by Acorn Computers Ltd when they were selected by the BBC to supply the computer for their BBC Literacy Project in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphing calculator</span> Electronic calculator capable of plotting graphs

A graphing calculator is a handheld computer that is capable of plotting graphs, solving simultaneous equations, and performing other tasks with variables. Most popular graphing calculators are programmable calculators, allowing the user to create customized programs, typically for scientific, engineering or education applications. They have large screens that display several lines of text and calculations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-83 series</span> Series of graphing calculators produced by Texas Instruments

The TI-83 series is a series of graphing calculators manufactured by Texas Instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-86</span> Graphing calculator produced by Texas Instruments

The TI-86 is a programmable graphing calculator introduced in 1996 which was produced by Texas Instruments. The TI-86 uses the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. It is partially backwards-compatible with its predecessor, the TI-85.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-85</span> Graphing calculator by Texas Instruments

The TI-85 is a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments based on the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. Designed in 1992 as TI's second graphing calculator, it was replaced by the TI-86, which has also been discontinued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-82</span> Graphics calculator produced by Texas Instruments

The TI-82 is a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments. The TI-82 was designed in 1993 as an upgraded version of and replacement for the TI-81. It was the direct predecessor of the TI-83. It shares with the TI-85 a 6 MHz Zilog Z80 microprocessor. Like the TI-81, the TI-82 features a 96×64 pixel display, and the core feature set of the TI-81 with many new features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-81</span> Graphing calculator produced by Texas Instruments

The TI-81 was the first graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments. It was designed in 1990 for use in algebra and precalculus courses. Since its release, it has been superseded by a series of newer calculators: the TI-85, TI-82, TI-83, TI-86, TI-83 Plus, TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, TI-Nspire, TI-Nspire CAS, TI-84 Plus CE, and most recently, the TI-84 Plus CE Python. Most of them share the original feature set and 96×64-pixel display that began with this calculator, with the exceptions of the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition and the TI-84 Plus CE family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-80</span> Handheld graphing calculator (1995–98)

The TI-80 is a graphing calculator designed by Texas Instruments in 1995 to be used at a middle school level.

TI-BASIC is the official name of a BASIC-like language built into Texas Instruments' graphing calculators. TI-BASIC is a language family of three different and incompatible versions, released on different products:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-73 series</span> Series of graphing calculators produced by Texas Instruments

The TI 73 series is a series of graphing calculators made by Texas Instruments, all of which have identical hardware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zilog eZ80</span> 8-bit microprocessor

The Zilog eZ80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog as an updated version of the company's first product, the highly-successful Zilog Z80. The eZ80 is binary compatible with the Z80, but operating almost three times faster at the same clock frequency.

Programmable calculators are calculators that can automatically carry out a sequence of operations under control of a stored program. Most are Turing complete, and, as such, are theoretically general-purpose computers. However, their user interfaces and programming environments are specifically tailored to make performing small-scale numerical computations convenient, rather than general-purpose use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-Nspire series</span> Series of graphing calculators

The TI-Nspire is a graphing calculator line made by Texas Instruments, with the first version released on 25 September 2007. The calculators feature a non-QWERTY keyboard and a different key-by-key layout than Texas Instruments's previous flagship calculators such as the TI-89 series.

A graphing calculator is a class of hand-held calculator that is capable of plotting graphs and solving complex functions. There are several companies that manufacture models of graphing calculators. Texas Instruments is a major manufacturer.

The Casio fx-9860G is a series of graphing calculators manufactured by Casio, successor of the fx-9750G PLUS/CFX-9850 PLUS/CFX-9950 PLUS/CFX-9970 family of calculators. All of them are capable of being programmed by means of sophisticated languages and tools including assembly language, Basic variants, and ports of programming languages such as C, as well as hosting add-ins which are compiled on a computer and then downloaded to the calculator.

In computing, a character set is a system of assigning numbers to characters so that text can be represented as a list of numbers. For example, ASCII assigns 61 to "A". As part of the design process, Texas Instruments (TI) decided to modify the base Latin-1 character set for use with its calculator interface. By adding symbols to the character set, it was possible to reduce design complexity as much more complex parsing would have to have been used otherwise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Instruments signing key controversy</span> Refers to Texas Instruments response to a project to factorize cryptographic keys.

The Texas Instruments signing key controversy resulted from Texas Instruments' (TI) response to a project to factorize the 512-bit RSA cryptographic keys needed to write custom firmware to TI devices.

Cemetech is a programming and hardware development group and developer community founded in 2000. Its primary focus is developing third-party software for TI and Casio graphing calculators, along with a focus on mobile and wearable computing hardware. Among its most notable projects are the Doors CS shell for the TI-83+ series of graphing calculators, the Clove 2 dataglove, the Ultimate Calculator, and the CALCnet / globalCALCnet system for networking graphing calculators and connecting them to the Internet. The Cemetech website also hosts tools for calculator programmers, including the SourceCoder TI-BASIC IDE and the jsTIfied TI-83+/84+ emulator. The founder of the site, Dr. Christopher Mitchell, began the site to showcase his personal projects, but it has since branched out to become one of several major sites in the TI calculator hobbyist community and a source for hardware and programming development assistance. It has incubated many software and hardware projects which began in the calculator community but included microprocessor development, general electrical engineering, desktop applications, and mobile/web applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI-BASIC 83</span> Calculator programming language

TI-BASIC 83,TI-BASIC Z80 or simply TI-BASIC, is the built-in programming language for the Texas Instruments programmable calculators in the TI-83 series. Calculators that implement TI-BASIC have a built in editor for writing programs. While the considerably faster Z80 assembly language is supported for the calculators, TI-BASIC's in-calculator editor and more user friendly syntax make it easier to use. TI-BASIC is interpreted.

References

  1. ↑ USB Peripherals for the 84+ - ticalc.org
  2. ↑ Multiple authors (2009-10-03). "Topic: TI-84+ hardware change info (causing all APPs using extra RAM pages to crash)". p. 1, Third post. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  3. ↑ School Bus Yellow for TI-84 Plus
  4. ↑ "TI-84 Pocket.fr". Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2020-06-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ↑ "TI-84 Plus Pocket SE". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ↑ "Hands-On with the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition: Full Review - Cemetech - News". Cemetech. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  7. ↑ "On overclocking a Ti 84+ SE - Cemetech | Forum | Electronics/Hardware Development [Topic]". Cemetech. Retrieved 2021-02-10. "Overclocked CSE". Cemetech. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  8. ↑ "Doors CSE 8.2 Released". Cemetech. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  9. ↑ "TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator by Texas Instruments". TI Education. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  10. ↑ "Get Started with the TI-84 Plus CE". Cemetech. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  11. ↑ codename SG95, see "TI graphing calculators (+ accessories) revisions with motherboard(s) codename(s) and label(s)".
  12. ↑ PCB photo showing the new architecture "TI-84 Plus CE-T; HW Rev M (PCB)".
  13. ↑ codenames SG92 and SG93, see "TI graphing calculators (+ accessories) revisions with motherboard(s) codename(s) and label(s)".
  14. ↑ "TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition graphing calculator".
  15. ↑ Heckendorn, Ben (2022-03-09). "Inside the TI 84 Python Calculator!". YouTube.
  16. ↑ "TI-84 Plus CE Python| Graphing Calculator| Texas Instruments".
  17. ↑ "TI-84 Plus Silver Edition". Texas Instruments. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  18. ↑ "OS 2.30 Distinguishes Asymptotes" . Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  19. ↑ "Press-to-Test for TI-84 Plus & TI-84 Plus Silver Edition" (PDF). Texas Instruments. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  20. ↑ TI-OS 2.53 Released for TI-84+ Family - ticalc.org
  21. ↑ Release Notes for TI-84 PLUS OS Version 2.55MP
  22. ↑ "Flashy, le programmateur de Boot Code TI-83+/84 est sorti!" (in French). Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  23. ↑ "Cracks in the TI-84 calculator monopoly?". youtube.com. CNN Business. 2017-05-12. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  24. ↑ McFarland, Matt (2014-09-02). "The unstoppable TI-84 Plus: How an outdated calculator still holds a monopoly on classrooms". Washington Post .
  25. ↑ "Welcome to the usb8x homepage!" . Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  26. ↑ "[HOWTO] Write TI-83+/84+ C Programs for GlassOS and TIOS - Cemetech | Forum | Calculator Programming [Topic]".
  27. ↑ "TI-83 Premium CE/TI-84 Plus CE ASM/C Removal: Updates | News | Cemetech". www.cemetech.net. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  28. ↑ "CE jailbreak allows ASM programs to work again! - ticalc.org". www.ticalc.org. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.