TI-86
Encyclopedia
The TI-86 is a programmable graphing calculator
introduced in 1997 and produced by Texas Instruments
. The TI-86 uses the Zilog Z80
microprocessor
. It is partially backwards-compatible with its predecessor, the TI-85
.
The TI-86 can be thought of as the tier among various Texas Instruments calculators directly above the TI-83 and TI-84
line. In addition to having a larger screen than the TI-83, the TI-86 also allows the user to type in lower case and Greek letters and features five softkeys, which improve menu navigation and can be programmed by the user for quick access to common operations such as decimal
-to-fraction conversion. The calculator also handles vectors, matrices
and complex numbers better than the TI-83. One drawback, however, is that the statistics package on the TI-83 range doesn't come preloaded on the TI-86. However, it can be downloaded from the Texas Instruments
program archive and installed on the calculator using the link cable.
The TI-86 has been discontinued.
Graphing calculator
A graphing calculator typically refers to a class of handheld calculators that are capable of plotting graphs, solving simultaneous equations, and performing numerous other tasks with variables...
introduced in 1997 and produced by Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
. The TI-86 uses the Zilog Z80
Zilog Z80
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
. It is partially backwards-compatible with its predecessor, the TI-85
TI-85
The TI-85 was a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments based around the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. Designed in 1992 as TI's second graphing calculator , it has since been replaced by the TI-86, which has also been discontinued....
.
The TI-86 can be thought of as the tier among various Texas Instruments calculators directly above the TI-83 and TI-84
TI-84 Plus series
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. It is an enhanced version of the TI-83 Plus. The key-by-key correspondence is relatively the same, but the 84...
line. In addition to having a larger screen than the TI-83, the TI-86 also allows the user to type in lower case and Greek letters and features five softkeys, which improve menu navigation and can be programmed by the user for quick access to common operations such as decimal
Decimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
-to-fraction conversion. The calculator also handles vectors, matrices
Matrix (mathematics)
In mathematics, a matrix is a rectangular array of numbers, symbols, or expressions. The individual items in a matrix are called its elements or entries. An example of a matrix with six elements isMatrices of the same size can be added or subtracted element by element...
and complex numbers better than the TI-83. One drawback, however, is that the statistics package on the TI-83 range doesn't come preloaded on the TI-86. However, it can be downloaded from the Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
program archive and installed on the calculator using the link cable.
The TI-86 has been discontinued.
Specifications
- CPU: Zilog Z80Zilog Z80The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
6 MHz - RAM: 128 KB, 96 KB user-accessible
- ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
: 256 KB non-upgradable - Display: 128×64 pixels high-contrast monochrome LCD
- Data Communication: SerialSerial communicationsIn telecommunication and computer science, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at a time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where several bits are sent as a whole, on a link with several parallel channels...
link port; allows two TI-86 calculators to be connected to each other, or one TI-86 to be connected to a PC, for data transfer via a special link cable - Programming Languages: TI-BASIC, Z80 AssemblyAssembly languageAn assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
(ASM)
External links
- Official Texas Instruments TI-86 page (Internet Archive)
- A large collection of downloadable freeware programs for the TI-86 can be found at ticalc.org
- CalcG.org - Very organized and large archive of games and programs.
- TI-86 Z80 assembly language programming guide
- [ftp://ftp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/calc-apps/86/asm/ti-apps/ Texas Instruments Program Archive]
- Complete Disassembly of a TI-86