TI-84 Plus series

TI-84 Plus

TI-84 Plus
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced 2004
Predecessor TI-83 Plus
Successor TI-Nspire
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog Z80
Frequency 6/15 MHz
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, Z80 Assembly
User memory 128 KB or 48 KB RAM (depending on hardware revision) of which 24 KB are user accessible.
Firmware memory 1 MB Flash ROM (480 KB user-accessible)
Other
Power supply 4 AAA's,
1 SR44 button cell
TI-84 Plus SE

TI-84 Plus Silver Edition
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced 2004
Predecessor TI-83 Plus Silver Edition
Successor TI-Nspire
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog Z80
Frequency 6/15 MHz
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, z80 Assembly
User memory 128 KB or 48 KB RAM (depending on hardware revision) of which 24 KB are user accessible.
Firmware memory 2 MB Flash ROM (1.5 MB user-accessible)
Other
Power supply 4 AAA's,
1 SR44 button cell
TI-84 Plus CSE
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced Spring 2013
Predecessor TI-84 Plus Silver Edition
Successor TI-84 Plus CE
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog Z80
Frequency 6/15 MHz
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, Z80 Assembly
User memory 128 KB RAM of which 21 KB are user accessible.
Firmware memory 4 MB Flash ROM (3.5 MB user-accessible)
Other
Power supply Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
TI-84 Plus CE
Type Graphing calculator
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Introduced Spring 2015
Predecessor TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition
Calculator
Entry mode Algebraic Operating System
CPU
Processor Zilog eZ80
Frequency 48 MHz max.
Programming
Programming language(s) TI-BASIC, eZ80 Assembly
User memory 256 KB RAM of which 154 KB are user accessible.
Firmware memory 4.0 MB Flash ROM (3.0 MB user-accessible)
Other
Power supply Rechargeable 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 and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition models. The TI-84 Plus is an enhanced version of the TI-83 Plus. The key-by-key correspondence is relatively the same, but the 84 features some improved hardware. The Archive (ROM) is about 3 times as large, and CPU about 2.5 times as fast (over the TI-83 and TI-83 Plus). 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.[1]

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 user available RAM. The chip has 128 kB, but TI has not made an OS that uses all of it. Newer calculators have a RAM chip that is 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 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. Although graphing calculators have been called inexpensive in education reform research,[4] the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition costs $139.00 as of 2013 on the TI online store. This calculator has been discontinued in favor of the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition.

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

The TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition was first publicly referenced in October 2012 in a tweet from TI.[5][6] Even though this tweet had gone unnoticed, in November 2012, it was discovered[7] through a leak from a pilot class that TI was developing a color-screen TI-84 Plus, tentatively called the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition. It has a high-resolution 320x240-pixel color screen, a modified version of the 2.55MP operating system, a rechargeable battery and keystroke compatibility with existing math and programming tools. It has the standard 2.5mm I/O linkport and a mini-USB port. More details about the calculator's math and programming features were published when TI began distributing review models in February 2013,[8] and even more when the calculator was released in 2013.

The TI-84 Plus CE was publicly previewed by TI Education in January 2015,[9] and released Spring 2015. The calculator retains the 320x240-pixel color screen, rechargeable battery, and key layout of the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, while removing the 2.5mm 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. The calculator has 154KB of user-accessible RAM and 3.0MB of Archive memory. It uses the eZ80 processor from Zilog, making all Z80 assembly programs from previous 84 Plus series calculators incompatible. The CE comes 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). Like the rest of the 84 Plus series, it is allowed on most standardized tests.[10]

Software

There are three different types of programs which can be downloaded or programmed into the calculators: TI-BASIC, Z80 assembly language (or for the Plus CE, eZ80), and Flash applications (also written in Z80 assembly). In addition, there are programs available that are able to compile or interpret other programming languages. There are a wide range of applications that this produces, from science classes, to games, to calculus to 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.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14] The current OS version is 2.55MP which was released in January 2011.[15]

In July 2009, a community-made patch now allows 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.[16]

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, unofficially 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 assemblers, such as SDCC.[17]

The TI-84 Plus 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ USB Peripherals for the 84+ - ticalc.org
  2. ↑ Multiple authors (3 October 2009). "Topic: TI-84+ hardware change info (causing all APPs using extra RAM pages to crash)". p. 1, Third post. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  3. ↑ School Bus Yellow for TI-84 Plus
  4. ↑ Graphing Calculator Intensive Calculus
  5. ↑ https://twitter.com/seemathrun/status/256867680974422017
  6. ↑ "TI-Planet : L'histoire de la découverte de la TI-84+ C Silver Edition...". TI-Planet. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "Cemetech - News - TI-84 Plus C Color-Screen Calculator Discovered". Cemetech. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Hands-On with the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition: Full Review - Cemetech - News". Cemetech. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "TI-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator by Texas Instruments". TI Education. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Get Started with the TI-84 Plus CE". Cemetech. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "TI-84 Plus Silver Edition". Texas Instruments. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "OS 2.30 Distinguishes Asymptotes". Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  13. ↑ "Press-to-Test for TI-84 Plus & TI-84 Plus Silver Edition" (PDF). Texas Instruments. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  14. ↑ TI-OS 2.53 Released for TI-84+ Family - ticalc.org
  15. ↑ Release Notes for TI-84 PLUS OS Version 2.55MP
  16. ↑ "Flashy, le programmateur de Boot Code TI-83+/84 est sorti!" (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  17. ↑ http://www.cemetech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7087

External links

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