

Attached is version 0.9 of the Calc-TI Unofficial FAQ.



I've made a few additions here and there, but am about to work on a few

sections (ie TI-92 among others).



Sorry for the lag between mailings (the last mailing was June 8th I

believe), but life got hectic. :) Soon that pesky school thing is going to

be getting in the way too... but oh well <g>



As usual, comments, additions, suggestions, etc. to jordan@ipfw.indiana.edu.



-Shawn :)







+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

|                           "Unofficial" Calc-TI FAQ                         |

|             Compiled by Shawn Jordan, <jordan@ipfw.indiana.edu>            |

|                                 Version 0.9                                |

|                               August 20, 1995                              |

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+



        This FAQ attempts to answer some of the more frequently-asked

questions on the Calc-TI mailing list. Suggestions, submissions,

corrections, comments, etc. should be emailed to jordan@ipfw.indiana.edu.



NOTE: Some topics are purposely left out of this FAQ, because they are in

the official TI FAQ or already have documentation available separately

(Assembly language for example). Also note that much of the information

here was gathered directly from posts to the list, official statements from

TI, and submissions. If you have further questions after reading this,

download and read the official FAQ. Also take a look around some of the

FTP, WWW, telnet, etc. sites mentioned below for more information.



To receive the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file, send an email message

to "majordomo@lists.ppp.ti.com" with the command "index Calc-TI" in the

body of the message. Once you have this list, send an email message to

"majordomo@lists.ppp.ti.com" with the command "get Calc-TI <filename>" in

the body of the message.



*******************************************************************************

To UNSUSCRIBE from either Graph-TI or Calc-TI, send an email message to

"majordomo@lists.ppp.ti.com" with "UNSUSCRIBE GRAPH-TI" or "UNSUSCRIBE

CALC-TI" in the body of the message. Do NOT send unsuscribe messages to the

list!

*******************************************************************************



LEGAL NOTE: The information presented here is provided "as is" without any

warranty, guarantee, or promise, express or implied, concerning the content

or accuracy of this "Unofficial FAQ". In no event shall the compiler of

this FAQ or people who have submitted information be liable for any damages

whatsoever including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental,

consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if someone

has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This FAQ is not

officially supported by TI in any way. The bottom line is: USE THE

INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK. :)



Please email me (jordan@ipfw.indiana.edu) if you wish to distribute this

FAQ (say, to another newsgroup, mailing list, FTP site, etc.) before you

do. I'd like to keep tabs on where it's going :)



** What's new? **



1. WWW versions of this FAQ are now available!!



        http://metro.turnpike.net/~jordan/tiunfaq.html OR

        http://uptown.turnpike.net/~jordan/tiunfaq.html



(Note: Due to MAJOR time constraints, these aren't finished and at this

point are only current with the last version of the FAQ [0.8].)



Magnus Hagander <mha@algonet.se> has also made the Unofficial FAQ available

at the following sites:



        http://www.rbk.sollentuna.se/~mha_92/ti-faq/

        http://www.algonet.se/~mha/ti-faq



2. I'm working on setting up my own FTP site with most every program and

file I've gathered from my time on Graph-TI and Calc-TI. If anyone knows of

a site on the Internet that gives people free FTP space, please let me

know. :)





>>>----------------------- Quick Table of Contents -----------------------<<<



1.0: Sources for TI-8x calculator programs/resources/etc.

     1.1: FTP/Gopher Sites

     1.2: Telnet Sites

     1.3: World Wide Web (WWW) Sites

     1.4: Mailing Lists

     1.5: Newsgroups

     1.6: Email addresses

     1.7: Other Resources

     1.8: How to access the official TI-8x archives using Internet email

     1.9: Ways to contact Texas Instruments



2.0: The TI-Graph Link for the TI-82 and the TI-85

     2.1: Description

     2.2: Where to buy a TI-Graph Link, TI-8x, or CBL System

     2.3: The Link-85 link

    *2.4: Using the TI-Graph Link (Quick guide to transferring programs from

          Internet)

     2.5: How to build a TI-85 Graph Link (See "Build your own Graph-Link FAQ")

          -Not available yet

     2.6: Converting PC Link program files to Mac or vice-versa

    *2.7: Translating TI-82 programs into TI-85 programs and vice versa

     2.8: The story behind "nonexistant" characters in ASCII programs

     2.9: Where to get the latest versions of the TI-Graph Link software

     2.10: Graph-Link Tricks

     2.11: Troubleshooting



3.0: Hacking the TI-8x (Software)

    *3.1: Assembly language programming on the TI-8x

     3.2: Finding the ROM version of a TI-8x (Self test)

     3.3: Edit locking/proofing/protecting programs on the TI-8x

     3.4: Trapping the [ON] key on a TI-8x

     3.5: Password-protecting your TI-8x

     3.6: Deleting programs from within other programs

     3.7: Turning off the calculator from a program

     3.8: Speeding up graphics display

     3.9: ZShell

     3.10: ASCII conversion codes



4.0: Hacking the TI-8x (Hardware)

     4.1: Adding memory to a TI-8x

     4.2: Upgrading the ROM(s) in a TI-8x

     4.3: Address and phone numbers for Zilog, Inc.

    *4.4: TI-8x Processor Speeds/ROM Sizes/Latest known ROM versions

     4.5: Troubleshooting

     4.6: Idea Shop :)

    *4.7: Easter Eggs



5.0: Misc. Information

     5.1: Information on the TI-95

     5.2: Information on the upcoming TI-87

    *5.3: Information on fake "Mem Cleared" programs (And how to defeat them)

     5.4: Submitting programs to TI to include in their archives

     5.5: The non-existent threat of viruses on the TI-8x

     5.6: TI representatives active on this list





------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'*' indicates that I need to do more work on that particular item

(description, testing, etc.) in the FAQ.



1.0: Sources for TI-8x calculator programs/resources/etc.



     1.1: FTP/Gopher Sites



          1. ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti or /pub/list_archives

                Run by: Texas Instruments <ti-cares@lobby.ti.com>

                This site contains a variety of programs, including games,

                utilities, software, information, etc. on TI calculators. It

                also has list archives with searching capabilities.

          2. gopher://archive.ppp.ti.com

                Run by: Texas Instruments <ti-cares@lobby.ti.com>

                Same as the official FTP site; see description above.

                Select the menus...

                     4. InterNIC Directory and Database Services (AT&T)/

                        4. InterNIC Database Services (Public Databases)/

                           9. Graph-TI Program Archive/



          3. ftp://math.ohio-state.edu/pub/graph-ti

                Run by: Ohio State University

                The original official FTP site; contains many of the older

                TI-8x programs available in the new official archive.



          4. ftp://ftp.svf.stuba.sk/ti/ (147.175.16.10)

                Run by: Branislav Bozgai <bozgai@svf.stuba.sk>

                This FTP site contains many useful TI-8x programs, and

                includes libraries of games and assembly language information

                among other things. Check it out.



          5. ftp://ftp.rbk.sollentuna.se/pub/TI-Calc/

                Run by: Magnus Hagander <mha_92@rbk.sollentuna.se>

                                        <mha@algonet.se>

                This FTP site contains many of the programs available on TI's

                official site, along with a lot of aassembly language stuff. In

                addition, it's the "home site" of Connect-85. A must-FTP.



          6. gopher://archives.math.utk.edu:70/11/teaching.materials/calculator

             /other/ti

                Run by: Ohio State University

                Links to Graph- and Calc-TI mailing list archives, along with

                Ohio State's TI archives.



     1.2: Telnet Sites



          1. telnet://archive.ppp.ti.com

             Login as "gopher"

             Identical to the official TI gopher; see description above.

             This gets you into an area where you can search databases of

             current Calc-TI and Graph-TI mailing list messages. The interface

             can be clumsy, but it's better than browsing through messages by

             hand. To retrieve a file, look at the file, type q to quit

             browsing it, and then enter m to mail the file to your e-mail

             address.



     1.3: World Wide Web (WWW) Sites



          1. http://www.ti.com/calc

                Run by: Texas Instruments

                This official WWW site lets you subscribe to the newsletters,

                request literature, access the archive, email technical

                questions, place calculator requests to the Workshop Loan

                Program, sign up for summer workshops, and receive information

                on all of TI's products.



          2. http://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/

                Run by: Texas Instruments

                This site is a WWW version of the official FTP site.



          3. http://ivory.lm.com:80/~alp/ti.html

                Run by: Adam L. Pollock <alp@telerama.lm.com>

                This is an excellent WWW site for getting information

                regarding TT-8x calculators. It is still under construction;

                however, it has a nice selection of assembly language

                programming-related resources.



          4. http://www.prairienet.org/~solso/ti.html

                Run by: Stan Olson <solso@prairienet.org>

                This site contains some useful links to some TI-related

                resources. It specifially addresses the TI-82 in part, and has

                some useful (and fun) programs.



          5. http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~stevek

                Run by: Philaelphia Graphic Calculator Committee

                This WWW site is geared at graphic calculators in general. It

                is still under construction, but it looks like it's going to be

                really neat.



          6. http://www.rbk.sollentuna.se/~mha_92/ti.html or

             http://www.algonet.se/~mha/ti.html

                Run by: Magnus Hagander

                These sites contain the hypertext version of this FAQ and many

                other resources, including an assembler, hardware information,

                etc.



          7. http://www.grfn.org/~shdwsft

                Run by: Shadow Software <shdwsft@grfn.org>

                A large collection of high-quality games for the TI-85. A

                must-see for any TI-85 gamer!



          8. http://www.well.com/www/isaac/ti85.html

                Run by: Isaac C. Dziga <isaac@well.com>

                A well-done general introduction to TI calculators and

                resources on the Internet.



          9. http://www.kuai.se/~piett/zshell

                Run by: Henrik Edlund <piett@kuai.se>

                This is "The Official ZShell Homepage" with the latest version

                of ZShell, ZShell programs, and other ZShell related files.



          10. http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~xuubx/ti.html

              or http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~xuubx/ti/index.html

                Run by: Chris Johnson <cjohnso0@pine.shu.ac.uk>

                A nice collection of links to TI information.



          11. http://www.uwm.edu/~ndell

                Run by: Mike Waddell <ndell@csd.uwm.edu>

                Links to various TI sites around the Internet.



          12. http://dnclab.Berkeley.EDU/~smack/ti

                Run by: Smack <smack@dnclab.berkeley.edu>

                A *supurb* collection of TI info! Has all of the major

                information, a good intro, and links to many other sites.



          13. http://www.hcsinc.com/~jdavis/

                Run by: Jeffrey C. Davis <jdavis@hcsinc.com>

                A program archive, TI resources, a HTML'ed version of this FAQ,

                and TI classified ads, among other things.



         *14. http://darwin.clas.virginia.edu/~mfk6s/ti.html or

              http://darwin.clas.virginia.edu/~mfk6s/lanceabit/ti.html

                Run by: ?

                ? Something to do with Eric Ries' programs.



     1.4: Mailing Lists



          1. Graph-TI

                Run by: Texas Instruments <ti-cares@lobby.ti.com>

                How to subscribe: Send an email message to

                  "Majordomo@lists.ppp.ti.com" with "subscribe graph-ti" in

                  the body.

                Description: A mailing list for the discussion of educational

                  uses of TI graphing calculators.



          2. Calc-TI

                Run by: Texas Instruments <ti-cares@lobby.ti.com>

                How to subscribe: Send an email message to

                  "Majordomo@lists.ppp.ti.com" with "subscribe calc-ti" in

                  the body.

                Description: A mailing list for the free discussion of all uses

                  of TI graphing calculators, including programming (especially

                  game programming), hardware information, interfacing, etc.



          3. List-ZShell

                Run by: Henrik Edlund <piett@kuai.se>

                How to subscribe: Send an email message to "majordomo@kuai.se"

                  with "subscribe list-zshell" in the body

                Description: A mailing list to discuss ZShell and related

                  topics.



     1.5: Newsgroups



          1. bit.listserv.graph-ti

             (See above description)



          2. bit.listserv.calc-ti

             (See above description)



     1.6: Email addresses



          1. mailto://mailserv@archive.ppp.ti.com

                Run by: Texas Instruments

                Send an email message to this address with "HELP" in the body

                for information on how to use the mail server. This includes

                information on having the server send you files.



     1.7: Other Resources (Thanks to Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>)

          Check out  the list of third party resources available in the

          archive. To have a copy of the file sent to you via mail, Send a

          message to "mailserv@archive.ppp.ti.com" with a message of "file

          /ftp/pub/graph-ti/text/bibliog.txt"



     1.8: How to access the official TI-8x archives using Internet email

          (Thanks to Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>)



          The Graph-TI archive can be accessed by sending commands through

          e-mail. Such commands should be sent to mailserv@archive.ppp.ti.com.

          For a list of all available commands, send an e-mail message to

          mailserv@archive.ppp.ti.com. The message should contain only the

          word HELP.  A help file will be mailed to you.



     1.9: Ways to contact Texas Instruments

          1. Phone: 1-800-TI-CARES or 1-800-TI-TEXAS

          2. Email: ti-cares@lobby.ti.com

          3. Snail-mail:

                Texas Instruments

                PO Box 6118

                Temple, TX 76503





2.0: The TI-Graph Link for the TI-82 and the TI-85



     2.1: Description (Thanks to Terrie Donahue

          <AET3.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>)



Lets your TI-82 or TI-85 link with an IBM-compatible or Macintosh..

*  Send or receive a selected data file or files between your calculator and

   computer.

*  Create and edit calculator programs on your computer (Macintosh only).

*  Back up the entire memory of your calculator to your computer.

*  Save calculator screen image as a TIFF or EPS file (PC) or as a PICT file

   (Mac).

*  Print calculator data or screens either from the computer or directly from

   the calculator.

*  Group related data files together in a single file.

*  Import and export data to or from an ASCII file.



PC System Requirements

*  IBM-compatible

*  MS-DOS 2.0 or later

*  EGA, MCGA, or VGA video adapter

*  400K bytes of available RAM

*  Serial port

*  For printing, a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet. (or DeskJet.) compatible or an

   Epson.-FX compatible printer



Macintosh System Requirements

*  Macintosh Plus or better

*  System 6.0.5 or better with or without Multifinder or System 7

*  512K bytes of available RAM



TI-GRAPH LINK is available through the Volume Purchase Program.  To

purchase TI-GRAPH LINK ($55.00 plus handling directly from TI, price varies

elsewhere), contact your area instructional products dealer, or call

1-800-TI-CARES.



If you have any product comments or suggestions for future versions of Graph

Link, please send them to calc-tech@ti.com.



     2.2: Where to buy a TI-Graph Link, TI-8x, or CBL System (Thanks to

          Michael Lloyd <LLOYDM@holly.hsu.edu>, Dominic Neumann

          <numan@grfn.org>, and Ron Dirkse <rdirkse@asij.ac.jp>)

          Note: A current list of dealers is available at http://www.ti.com



          Prices valid as of November 1994.



State       Company            Phone        TI-82   TI-85   LINK    CBL

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

(CA) Bach's ............... 800-248-2224    ?????   ?????   44.00  ??????

(CA) Educalc .............. 800-633-2252    97.95  119.95   61.95  199.95

(IL) Elec-Tek ............. ????????????    ?????   ?????   52.99  ??????

(IL) Klaus Radio .......... 309-691-4840    83.00   99.50   ?????  ??????

(GA) Scantex .............. 800-241-0348    82.95   98.91   59.95  199.00

(MD) Davis Distributors ... 800-422-1789    81.90   99.90   45.50  184.90

(MD) Schoolmart ........... 800-285-2662    82.50   99.50   60.00  180.00

(MO) Advantage Marketing .. 800-937-9777    81.25   97.92   43.10  175.00

(OH) COPCO ................ 800-589-3006?

(OH) Service Merchandise .. ????????????    89.99   99.99

(OH) Wal-Mart ............. ????????????            92.99

TI-80 $59.95

(OR) Vernier Software ..... 503-297-5317    90.00  105.00   55.00  185.00

(TX) Wholesale Electronics  800-880-9400    84.00   98.00   47.50  175.00

(TX) Texas Instruments .... 800-TI-CARES    ?????   ?????   55.00  ??????



Note: If anyone knows of other places to purchase any of the equipment on

this list, please e-mail the information to me.



     2.3: The Link-85 link

          The Link-85 is the predecessor to the Graph Link, and only works on

          TI-85's. It has a black cable, and will NOT work with the Graph Link

          software. Note that it is out of date and not sold anymore.

          Link-85 connects a TI-85 to an IBM-compatible PC. The connecting

          cable and PC software let you exchange TI-85 programs and data, print

          TI-85 programs and data, and print TI-85 screens.



          Hardware and software requirements are an IBM compatible, 400K bytes

          of available RAM, MS-DOS 2.0 or later, EGA, MCGA, or VGA video

          adapter, a color or monochrome monitor, at least one 5 1/4 inch or 3

          1/2 inch disk drive, and a serial port configured as COM1, COM2,

          COM3,or COM4.



          Printer requirements are a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet or an Epson FX

          printer.



          The package includes a 5 1/4 inch disk, 3 1/2 inch disk, and a black

          interface cable with a single-pin connector on one end and a 25-pin

          serial port connector on the other end. A 25-to-9 pin adapter in

          included for PCs with a 9-pin serial port.



          (Thanks to Lenda Hill <AELH.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>)





     2.4: Using the TI-Graph Link (Quick guide to transferring programs from

          Internet) (Thanks to Peter Kolbus <ae607@detroit.freenet.org>)

          Read the manual that came with your Graph-Link for more detailed

          instructions.



          1. Download the files to your computer (FTP, Gopher, etc.)

          2. Decompress/decode the file if it is compressed/encoded.

                a) UUEncode/Decode (.UUE)

                   1. PC: Run UUD20.COM, which comes on the Link disk.

                   2. Mac: Open LINK82 or LINK85 and choose "UUDecode file..."

                      from the Utilities submenu in the File menu.

                b) PKZip (.ZIP)

                  *1. PC: Run PKUnzip, available at major archive sites

                   2. Mac: Run ZipIt, available at any major archive site,

                      including:

             ftp://mac.archive.umich.edu/mac/util/compression/zipit1.31.cpt.hqx

             ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/pub/tidbits/tisk/util/zip-it-131.hqx

          3. PC: Move the program into the Graph-Link directory.

          4. Connect your calculator to the Graph Link cable.

          5. Run Link82 or Link85, depending on the calculator (TI-82/TI-85)

          6. Choose the option to open/send the program.

                a) PC: Select "Send | Program" (or Group, if the file is 8xg).

                b) Mac: Choose the appropriate file type from the "Send" menu.

          7. Put your calculator in Link Receive mode

                a) TI-82: Press 2nd-LINK and choose "Recieve".

                b) TI-85: Press 2nd-LINK, followed by F2 (RECV).

               (Thanks to Stephane Jantzen <Stephane.Jantzen@scinfo.u-nancy.fr>

                   for TI-85 info)

          8. Send the program.

               *a) PC: Press F2 (select), followed by F1 (transmit).

                b) Mac: Click "Send" when ready.

          Note: If you get a transmit error, check to make sure all of the

          cables are plugged in tightly.



    2.5: How to build a TI-85 Graph Link

          See "Build your own Graph-Link FAQ", also posted to the list.

        -Not available at this time (I havn't written it yet :))

          Instructions on how to build your own TI<-->PC link are available at:

          http://www.algonet.se/~mha/ti.html or

          http://www.rbk.sollentuna.se/~mha_92/ti.html



    2.6: Converting PC Link program files to Mac or vice-versa



          1. Using your Link software, UUEncode the program file(s) you wish to

             transfer or convert them to ASCII.

            *a) PC: ?

             b) Mac: Choose "UUEncode file..." from the Utilities submenu in

                the File menu and select the file you wish to encode.

          2. Transfer it over to the computer you're trying to get the file on

             (Since it's an ASCII text file, you can just do a straight

             TEXT->TEXT conversion)

          3. UUDecode the file(s)

                   1. PC: Run UUD20.COM, which comes on the Link disk.

                   2. Mac: Open LINK82 or LINK85 and choose "UUDecode file..."

                      from the Utilities submenu in the File menu.



    *2.7: Translating TI-82 programs into TI-85 programs and vice versa

          PC:

          Mac:

          Method A: FTP the following file, UUDecode it, and run the program:

            ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/sw-apps/link/dos/translat.uue

          Method B: Use the software that is provided with your Graph-Link.



     2.8: The story behind "nonexistant" characters in ASCII programs

          (Thanks to Linda Hill <AELH.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>)

          The ASCII representation of special TI-82 and TI-85 characters uses

          special characters such as the \ at the beginning and the end to

          identify and separate the multi-character strings that represent the

          special characters. A complete listing can be found at:

            ftp://pub/graph-ti/sw-apps/link/dos/ascii.txt.



     2.9: Where to get the latest versions of the TI-Graph Link software

          (Thanks to Nina Bayer <NINA.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>)

        ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/sw-apps/link/windows/setup82.exe

        ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/sw-apps/link/windows/setup85.exe



        If you have previously installed a beta version of WinLink, you may

        need to delete your current TI fonts.  Be sure to follow the

        instructions in the installation dialog.



        ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/sw-apps/link/mac/link82s.hqx

        ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/sw-apps/link/mac/link85s.hqx



        You will need to run Binhex 4.0 to translate the internet file into a

        self-extracting archive image.



        The Macintosh update contains the following changes:

        - Lists are now displayed vertically, rather than horizontally, in the

          edit window. This allows easy copying and pasting of data into

          spreadsheet columns or word processor tables.

        - Programs for the TI-82 can be protected so they cannot be edited from

          the calculator. This feature prevents accidental modification of a

          program in a TI-82 calculator. These protected programs can now be

          modified on the computer using the Graph Link software.

        - The software now supports the CBL commands, including file utilities

          for converting programs between the TI-82 and TI-85.



     2.10: Graph-Link Tricks

          1. You can get semi-ASCII programs into Link82 or Link85 for Mac by

             opening the file in another program, selecting the text, changing

             the font to TI-82-8, and using cut and paste to transfer the

             program to Link82 or Link85.

             (Thanks to Amitai Schlair <SphinxSoft@aol.com>)



    2.11: Troubleshooting



          Q: "I've got a Macintosh Powerbook and can't get my new Graph-Link

             to work. What am I doing wrong?"

          A: The computer is probably set to recognize an internal modem.

             Choose "Control Panels" from the Apple menu and go into the

             "Powerbook" control panel. Change the modem setting from internal

             to external, and try the Link again.



    2.11: Where can I buy modular connectors used to plug probes into a CBL?

          (Thanks to Clyde Davis <ced2@axe.humboldt.edu> and Phil Kline

           <pkline@nike.heidelberg.edu>)

                Vernier Software

                8565 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy

                Portland, OR 97225

                (503) 297-5317

                orders@vernier.com

                Email your CBL-related questions to rsonensen@vernier.com



3.0: Hacking the TI-8x (Software)



    *3.1: Assembly Language (Much work to do on this)

          (Thanks to Branislav Bozgai <bozgai@svf.stuba.sk> & others)



* Would someone more knowledgable in assembly language be interested in

keeping an Assembly FAQ? I would do it myself, but I truthfully don't know

much of anything about assembly and only have an 82. If you're interested,

let me know so I can mention it here in this FAQ.



          Note: An excellent source for many of the resources mentioned here is

                Adam Pollock's WWW site (http://ivory.lm.com:80/~alp/ti.html)



          1. To my knowledge, it is not possible to program the TI-81 in

             assembly language without cracking the case, messing with the

             hardware itself, etc. Is it worth it?

          2. Tools useful/needed for assembly programming:

             1. Z80 assembler

                Note: Higher-level language compilers won't work.

                PC: TASM (ftp://mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/pcsig/disk0643.zip)

               *Mac:

                *Anyone found any Mac Z80 tools? I found an old (1988-ish) demo

                of a Z80 assembler on CIS, but that's about it.

             2. Z80 disassembler (to look at other people's programs):

               *PC: ? (ftp://sco.svf.stuba.sk/ti/msdos/dasmz80.zip)

               *Mac: See above comment

             3. Hex Editor

               *PC: DiskEdit (Part of Norton Utilities)

               *Anyone know of a shareware/freeware editor for the PC?

                Mac: HexEdit, available at any major archive site, including:

                 ftp://mac.archive.umich.edu/mac/util/developer/hexedit1.05.sit



     3.2: Finding the ROM version of a TI-8x (Self test)

          1. On the TI-81, enter the "Test" menu and press [Alpha][S]

          2. On the TI-82 and TI-85, enter the "Mode" menu and press [Alpha][S]

            WARNING: Running the self test will _ERASE THE MEMORY_ of your

             calculator. Make sure to quit out of it or backup the memory of

             your calculator before proceeding.

            TI-81 Notes: Once you press [Alpha][S] the screen says "Self-test?

             1.6K". You press [Enter] to go on, and any other key backs you

             out. Then it counts from 0 at a rate of approx. 2 counts/sec. If

             you interrupt it by hitting [ON] and press [Enter] again, it

             shows patterns on the screen. Keep on pressing [Enter] and the

             number 11 pops up on the screen. Then press any key to turn off

             the calculator.

            Note: Once this has finished, the contrast on your screen is set

             too low to see. To increase the contrast, press [2nd][Up-Arrow]

             until it's dark enough for you.



          According to Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>, the self test does three

          things:

            1. Displaying the ROM version of the calculator

            2. Checking the screen by showing different patterns

            3. Testing the keypad

          The counting the unit does is a testing method to make sure the unit

          will run. It will keep counting until the batteries die.

          The self test is a quality control and repair technician tool. TI

          does not recommend or suggest this tool for customer use. In

          addition, the self test WILL completely reset your calculator. This

          causes the same effect as if you removed all the calculators

          batteries, including the backup battery.



(Thanks to Magnus Hagander <mha@aristotle.algonet.se> and Avi Drissman

<ad406@detroit.freenet.org> for the TI-81 info)



     3.3: Edit locking/proofing/protecting programs on the TI-82 or 85

          To edit-lock and un-edit-lock programs, you need a TI-Graph Link,

          knowledge of hexadecimal, knowledge of checksums, and a hex editor,

          OR download the latest versions of the Graph-Link software. See

          section 2.8.



          --- 82 ---

          (Thanks to Bernard Domroy <domroy@nexus.chapman.edu> for this info)

          1. Open your hex editor and go to byte 3Bh. If the file is

             unprotected, it will be 05h. If it's protected, it will be 06h.

             Change this byte to either 05h or 06h, depending on whether you

             want to lock or unlock the file.

          2. Update the checksum (the last two bytes of the file). If you go

             from 05h to 06h, you must add 1 to the checksum, and if you go

             from 06h to 05h, you must subtract one. (Note the low order 8 bits

             are in the next to last byte in the file)

             You can also use WinLink to get information on a file and protect

             it, although you can't unprotect it.

          3. Transfer the file back over to your calculator. It's now locked!

          --- 85 ---

          (Thanks to Dan Eble <dan.eble@commlink.org> and Adam L. Pollock

          <alp@telerama.lm.com> for this info)

          1. Make sure there is a blank line at the end of your program (add

             one if there isn't)

          2. Transfer your program to your computer using a TI-Graph Link

          3. Edit the program file on your PC using a program that will let you

             edit files in hexadecimal (such as ZipZap)

          4. Go to the end of the file when editing it in hexadecimal. The

             third byte from the end should be 6Fh. Change it to FFh.

          5. Update the checksum (the last two bytes) of the file. It's a

             32-bit number stored little-endian-wise (or use fix.com) (Thanks

             to CEBram@aol.com and David Boozer for this info)



             From David Boozer's "Hacking the TI-85 Calculator":



               (Size of .8xB file in bytes)

             - (35 bytes for the header)

             - (2 bytes for the size word)

             - (2 bytes for the checksum)

             ------------------------------

               (# of data bytes)



               (# of data bytes) = (Size of .85x file in bytes) - 39



             The checksum word is calculated by adding together all the data

             bytes (but NOT bytes from the header, size word, or checksum word)

             MOD 10000. I (David Boozer) wrote a little assembly program called

             FIX.COM to automatically adjust the checksum word of a .85B file

             to the correct value:



begin 644 fix.com

MOX``B@6*R#+M@_D`='E)1XH%/"!T\T&+][^2`?.DN`(]NI(!S2&+V')4M#^Y

M`("Z,0+-(:.0`7)%OV8"BPTSP#/2B_F!QV@"3XH5`\+B^8L^D`&!QR\"B06X

M`$(SR3/2S2%R&K1`BPZ0`;HQ`LTA<@VT";H4`LTAM#[-(<T@NN(!M`G-(>OQ

MNO0!M`G-(<T@````````````````````````````````````````````````

M````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

M`$9I;&4@22]/($5R<F]R+@T*)$EN=F%L:60@;G5M8F5R(&]F('!A<F%M971E

C<G,N#0HD0VAE8VMS=6T@:&%S(&)E96X@=7!D871E9"X-"B0`

`

end



          6. Transfer the program back to the calculator.

          7. When you try and edit it, it gives you an "Out of Memory" message.



Here is a simple edit-locking program:

(Thanks to Mike Waddell <ndell@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu>)



Put a stop at the end of your program, go in to the editlock program

(below) and delete the character (using the DELc command).  Go back into

your program and undelete it. (Don't run your editlock program - you'll

editlock the editlock)  As soon as you run your program, it

will become editlocked.



begin 640 editlock.85p

M*BI423@U*BH:#`!0<F]G<F%M(&9I;&4@9&%T960@,#(O,#8O.30L(#$X.C0V

A``!1-2!@O)H5``P`!0`2"$5$251,3T-+!0`#``#_UE<$

`

end



The following comes from Dan Eble:

  I'm not exactly sure how it works, but here's my theory: FFh is used as a

marker when the caculator tokenizes the basic code. The end of program is

signaled by 00h. So, you're okay running the program, but when you try to

edit it, the calulator gets to the FF and tries to expand what's after it,

but since no 00 follows, it keeps retrieving what's in the memory after the

program, until it fill itself up. If anyone else out there knows by more

than theory what happens, please give information.



  Make sure you run the program on the calculator before you transfer to

the PC, because you need to have the file in tokenized form. If you get an

"Invalid File" error when you try to send it back, you probably just added

the checksum wrong (remember: the low byte comes first).



     3.4: Trapping the [ON] key on a TI-8x

          This can only be done in assembly language.



     3.5: Password-protecting your TI-8x (Thanks to Branislav Bozgai,

          <bozgai@svf.stuba.sk> and <DamienDen@aol.com>)

          This could be done if you reprogram the ROMs, or by protecting

          individual programs and encrypting data.



     3.6: Deleting programs from within other programs

          This can *not* be done in BASIC, and must be done in assembly.



     3.7: Turning off the calculator from a program

          (Thanks to <DamienDen@aol.com>)

          This can *not* be done in BASIC, and must be done in assembly.



     3.8: Speeding up graphics display

          The graphics display speed can be increased by:

            a) Optimizing your code

            b) Rewriting the program in assembly language



     3.9: ZShell (Thanks to Dan Eble <dan.eble@commlink.org>, author of ZShell)

          1. What is ZShell?

             ZShell enables one to run machine code programs on TI-85s with

             ROMs 3.0A, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and 8.0. These programs are conveniently

             stored in strings. Since the processor runs them directly, without

             having to be interpreted (like BASIC), they are very fast and very

             versatile. It is not available for the TI-81 or TI-82.

          2. Where can I get ZShell?

             Try some of the FTP sites mentioned near the beginning of this

             document.

          3. Why won't ZShell work with ROM 9.0 or 10.0?

             ZShell will not work with CBL (ROM 9.0 and 10.0) calculators

             because the ROM is fundamentally different from provious ROMs.

             Earlier versions of the ROM differ from each other by a small

             offset. ROM 9.0 and 10.0is completely shuffled about, like those

             games with the 15 tiles and 16 squares in which to slide them. If

             someone ever makes ZShell-like program for ROM 9.0 and 10.0, my

             guess is that it will work exclusively on the CBLs.

          4. How do I transfer .85S's to my calculator using LINK85X.EXE?

             Rename the file extension to .85G and transfer the program.



    *3.10: ASCII conversion codes

           *Anyone have the file FREEWARE.TXT on their FTP/WWW/etc. site so

I can post a link to it here? It's a few pages long... don't want to make

the FAQ any longer than it needs to be.





4.0: Hacking the TI-8x (Hardware)



     4.1: Adding memory to a TI-8x

          This isn't easily possible.



     4.2: Upgrading the ROM(s) in a TI-8x

          (Thanks to Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>)

          TI does not upgrade calculators because of their ROM version.



     4.3: Address and phone numbers for Zilog, Inc., the makers of the Z80

          microprocessor. Call them to order books on programming the Z80. Most

          are free; some have a nominal charge attached.

          (Thanks to Dan Eble <dan.eble@commlink.org> and Russel Christensen

           <2261@704engl.nebo.edu>)



Country ------- State/Prov. --- City ---------- Phone Number ------------------



United States   California      Agoura          818-707-2160

                                Campbell        408-370-8120    Main office

                                  Zilog, Inc.

                                  Mail Stop C1-1

                                  210 E. Hacienda Ave.

                                  Campbell, CA 95008-9694

                                Irvine          714-453-9701

                                San Diego       619-658-0391

                Colorado        Boulder         303-494-2905

                Florida         Clearwater      813-725-8400

                Georgia         Duluth          404-931-4022

                Illinois        Schaumburg      708-517-8080

                Minnesota       Minneapolis     612-944-0737

                New Hampshire   Nashua          603-888-8590

                Ohio            Independence    216-447-1480

                Oregon          Portland        503-274-6250

                Pennsylvania    Horsham         215-784-0805

                Texas           Austin          512-343-8976

                                Dallas          214-987-9987

                Utah            Salt Lake City  801-264-9665

Canada          Ontario         Toronto         905-850-2377

China                           Shenzhen        86-755-2236089

                                Shanghai        86-21-4370050, x5204

                                                86-21-4331020

Germany                         Munich          49-8967-2045

                                Sommerda        49-3634-23906

Japan                           Tokyo           81-3-3587-0528

Hong Kong                       Kowloon         852-7238979

South Korea                     Seoul           82-2-577-3272

Singapore                       Singapore       65-2357155

Taiwan                          Taipei          886-2-741-3125

United Kingdom                  Maidenhead      44-628-392-00



    *4.4: TI-8x Processor Speeds/ROM Sizes/Latest known ROM versions

          (Thanks to Adam Pollock, Isaac Salpeter <zbadba@m-net.arbornet.org>,

           and Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com> for this info)

          Note: The clock speed will vary with the condition of the batteries.

         *1. TI-81 - 3.9 MHz Z80 processor with 32k of ROM (?)

         *2. TI-82 - 6.0 MHz Z80 processor with 128k of ROM (?)

          3. TI-85 - 6.0 MHz Z80 processor with 128k of ROM (v10.0)



     4.5: Troubleshooting (If all else fails, call 1-800-TI-CARES <g>)



          Problem: "I dropped my TI-8x and now it won't work."

          Possible Solution: (Note this solution RESETS THE MEMORY IN THE

            CALCULATOR)

            1. Take out one battery.

            2. Press the [ON] key 10 times.

            3. Put the battery you removed back in the calculator.

            4. Press the [ON] key EXACTLY one time and release it.

            5. Press the [2nd] key EXACTLY once time and release it.

            6. Press and hold the up arrow key for 10-14 seconds.

            7. Adjust the contrast as needed.



          Problem: "The tip of my Link cable broke off inside my calculator!

                    How do I get it out?"

          Solution: First, try and get the tip out with a paperclip. If that

                    doesn't work, you have two choices: send the calculator

                    back to TI or open it up and pop the tip out. The case of

                    the calculator is friction-fitted. To open the case without

                    marring it:

            1. Take off the battery cover and take out the 4 AAA batteries.

            2. Using a small screwdriver, take out the two screws at the bottom

               back of the case and the screw holding in the backup battery.

               You don't have to take out the backup battery - your memory

               should (may) stay intact.

            3. Pull the back of the case apart with your hands. When the crack

               between the top and bottom half is about two millimeters wide,

               stick the edge of the battery cover in it.

            4. Slide the edge of the battery cover along the edges of the

               calculator to enlarge the crack between the two halves.

            5. Poke something in the link port to push the broken tip through

               into the calculator. Pull the case farther apart if it won't pop

               out inside.

            6. Shake the calculator until the tip falls out.



          Problem: "For some reason the LCD on my TI-8x calculator is missing a

                    few pixels/lines. What do I do?"

          Solution: Send your calculator to the repair center in Lubbock for

                    repairs.



                        Texas Instruments Repair Center

                        2305 N. University Avenue

                        Lubbock, TX 79408



          TI's warranty runs one year from the date of purchase. If your unit

          fails within this period, simply make a copy of your receipt, write a

          brief note detailing the problem you are encountering, and send them,

          along with the unit, to the above address. If you have bought your

          calculator through your school, talk to your math teacher. If your

          unit is out of warranty there will be a flat rate service charge for

          the repair. Please call 1-800-TI-CARES for information regarding this

          charge. Also, please send units via insured mail. Do not send

          manuals, batteries, or display boxes, as these items may not be

          returned.



          (Thanks to Peter Voigt <PODO.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com> and

           <DamienDen@aol.com>)



     4.6: Idea Shop :)

          This section addresses some of the many hardware-related ideas I've

          come up with or read on Calc-TI. If you pursue any of these ideas,

          let us know! We'd all like to hear how you're doing, whether the idea

          works or not, your research, etc. :)



          Idea 1: A wireless link. Try using shortwave, IR, RF, etc.

          Idea 2: Use the computer to process information and send it back to

                  the calculator over a link.

          Idea 3: How about a QWERTY keyboard?

          Idea 4: More RAM... more RAM... more RAM (An external memory tank)

          Idea 5: A joystick or a mouse maybe?

          Idea 6: Wireless TI networks from calculator to calculator - a whole

                  classroom of students can be talking to each other over the

                  calculator! We can call the network tiWorld <g>

          Idea 7: Controlling other various external devices through the TI.

                  Try a microwave, toaster, Cray supercomputer, etc.

          Idea 8: How about a cross-calculator link that allows the transfer of

                  programs, etc. from an '82 to an '85 or vice-versa?

          Idea 9: Making sound through the TI-85link port (Thanks to Doug

                  Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>)

                  This can be accomplished with the CBL digital output port.

                  The frequency of the tone is determined by the sampling time

                  set up in command 3. The higher the impedance of the piezo or

                  speaker the louder the sound will be since it loads the

                  digital output line less. If the impedance is too low you

                  will need an amplifier between the speaker/piezo and the

                  CBL. You only use ground and one digital out line to connect

                  to the piezo so you only need to send out 0's and 1's, for

                  instance, if you use D0. But you might get some neat sounds

                  by playing with other output values and digital lines.



     4.7: Easter Eggs



         *1. TI-81



         *2. TI-82



         *3. TI-85

            *a) Press [2nd][Mode][Alpha], followed by pressing [M] repeatedly

                for about 10 seconds. The calculator will then "break down" and

                the screen will fill with garbage.

                (Thanks to Matt Christian <mattc@winternet.com>)



5.0: Misc. Information



     5.1: Information on the TI-95 (Thanks to Terrie Donahue <ti-cares@ti.com>)

          The TI-95 was introduced by Texas Instruments in mid 1986 and was

          discontinued in late 1989. It had 36K of built-in ROM and 8K of



          built-in RAM, with 7200 bytes of RAM available to the user. It had a

          QWERTY keyboard with 65 keys. It also used software cartridges (32K)

          and RAM cartridges (8K). It used an algebraic operating system, had

          15 levels of parenthesis, 8 pending operations, and over 200

          functions. It also had an "ASM" function which increased program

          execution by converting label addresses used by the program into

          absolute addresses. This product is not to be mistaken with TI's

          newest graphing calculator, the TI-92.



     5.2: Information on the upcoming TI-92

          (Thanks to Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>)

          1. The dimensions will be approximately 8" wide by 4.5" high by 1"

             thick.

          2. It will be horizontal instead of vertical like the TI-8x's.

          3. It will be programmable.

          4. There is a complete news release on the archive:

             ftp://archive.ppp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/calc-apps/92/ti-92.txt

             Also check out ftp://ftp.rbk.sollentuna.se/pub/TI-Calc/Infotext

          5. The list price will be $250, with street around $150

             Additional questions should be sent to ti-cares@ti.com.



     5.3: Information on fake "Mem Cleared" programs (And how to defeat them)

          (Thanks to <DamienDen@aol.com>)

          To find out whether a fake memory program is running, look to see if

          there is a "busy" or "waiting" indicator in the upper right hand

          corner of the screen. If there is, press [ON] to break the running

          program. If there isn't, press [PROG] to see if there are any

          programs in memory. Then, proceed through the normal memory-clearing

          process.



     5.4: Submitting programs to TI to include in their archives

          (Thanks to Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com> for this info)

          If you have a program for any of the TI graphing calculators that you

          would like to share please mail it to ti-cares@ti.com. They are

          interested in a wide variety of programs, such as games, mathematical

          processes, CBL experiments, general use, or any other program that

          you think another person might have a use for. TI will verify that

          the program contains an abstract, documentation, ASCII equivalent of

          the program, and the uuencoded program itself. If any of the above

          sections are missing the program will be returned to you.



          The program must be uuencoded, and you must include the manual and

          the abstract. The precise format for this command is as follows:



          {abstract}

          ----begin documentation----

          {documentation}

          ----begin ASCII----

          {text equivalent of program}

          ----begin uue----

          {uuencoded program}



          The ASCII section (from ----begin ASCII---- to ----begin uue----) is

          optional, but all three ----begin xxx---- lines must be present.



          Also, Magnus Hagander <mha_92@rbk.sollentuna.se>,<mha@algonet.se> has

          an FTP site open for uploads. Upload any TI-related files you have to

          ftp://ftp.rbk.sollentuna.se/pub/TI-Calc/incoming



     5.5: The non-existent threat of viruses on the TI-8x

          Recently, someone posted a fake claim of getting a virus on their

          TI-85 from their computer. This is not possible, because viruses are

          transmitted by running executable files, which .8xx files are not. In

          addition, the viruses are not transmittable because of the difference

          in processors.

          Also, the threat of TI-8x-specific viruses is not a major one, due to

          the architecture of the calculators themselves. The built-in

          BASIC-like programming language doesn't have any commands that could

          in any way be destructive, besides the ability to erase a few lists,

          matricies, and variables. The only conceivable way your programs

          could get modified or deleted would be through an assembly language

          program, but even then the threat is not very great.



     5.6: TI representatives active on this list

          Nina Bayer <NINA.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>

          Doug Harnish <dharnish@ti.com>

          Linda Hill <AELH.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>

          Peter Voigt <PODO.DPCPO004@dpcbgw1.itg.ti.com>



+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

* Shawn Jordan * jordan@ipfw.indiana.edu * 73044.1617@compuserve.com *

*\\\\\\\\\\\ http://metro.turnpike.net/~jordan/index.html ///////////*





