Ben Heck connects TI-84 Plus CE Python to a serial port

[ijabbott]

It seems that the regular TI-84 Plus CE chip talks to the ARM chip (running the CircuitPython shell) via a serial link.

[toml_12953]

(03-10-2022 12:01 AM)ijabbott Wrote:  It seems that the regular TI-84 Plus CE chip talks to the ARM chip (running the CircuitPython shell) via a serial link.

Just the same way as their non-Python model talks to the TI-Innovator (Python peripheral.)

TI-Innovator

[Kevin Ouellet]

I wouldn't be surprised if the TI-84 Plus CE Python successor ended up being an ARM calculator running a TI-84 Plus CE Python emulator with extra RAM.

[Dave Britten]

(03-10-2022 01:40 PM)Kevin Ouellet Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised if the TI-84 Plus CE Python successor ended up being an ARM calculator running a TI-84 Plus CE Python emulator with extra RAM.

I'm surprised they haven't gone that route already. Surely a modest ARM SoC running the necessary Z80 emulation would bring down the build costs.

[robve]

I am curious if the captan tape under the 3 key was intentional or just got loose from the PCB and reattached there? Ben did not elaborate. Either way not good. I wouldn't expect this for a quality Ti product ?

- Rob

[Steve Simpkin]

(03-10-2022 05:11 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  

(03-10-2022 01:40 PM)Kevin Ouellet Wrote:  I wouldn't be surprised if the TI-84 Plus CE Python successor ended up being an ARM calculator running a TI-84 Plus CE Python emulator with extra RAM.

I'm surprised they haven't gone that route already. Surely a modest ARM SoC running the necessary Z80 emulation would bring down the build costs.

Yes it looks like they just added an existing Python ARM module and didn’t really have to do much of any new hardware/software development.