why are TI graphing calculators still so expensive

[grsbanks]

(04-10-2018 02:23 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote:  

(01-18-2016 08:41 PM)damaltor Wrote:  Well, my trusty old 83+SE brought me through my degrees. The answer is, at least for me, simple: because they are friggin good calculators!

Seriously, TI calculators are well-made machines with good algorithms and also usually very good usuability. The fact that you can put games on them is funny, too - but no exclusive to TI.

If you are searching for a good, fast and reliable (though huge) calculator from TI, go for the TI-92 plus - they usually sell cheap. i bought mine for 10 bucks.

$10, that is a bargain! I paid about $150 when I bought the TI-92 Plus back when it was released, at least ten years ago.

Indeed! You can't find them that cheap this side of the pond. They typically go for £80 to £100 on TAS over here (roughly $115 to $140).

If size is an issue then you could always look for a Voyage 200, which is basically the same thing as the TI-92+ but with some more flash memory, a slightly faster CPU and a real-time clock built in but quite a bit less bulky.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

(04-10-2018 05:02 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  If size is an issue then you could always look for a Voyage 200, which is basically the same thing as the TI-92+ but with some more flash memory, a slightly faster CPU and a real-time clock built in but quite a bit less bulky.

Yes indeed. The Voyage 200 is an incredibly good calculator in all respects. A little bit on the large side as an everyday carry-on device maybe. Beats the 92+ in every respect. Not long ago (3 weeks maybe) I bought my second one from eBay here in Germany for the incredible amount of 6 Euros. Simply couldn't resist... (Some Amazon sellers list it for over 200$, I wonder what they are dreaming of).

[pier4r]

(04-10-2018 05:02 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  Indeed! You can't find them that cheap this side of the pond. They typically go for £80 to £100 on TAS over here (roughly $115 to $140).

It is not true. ti 89, 200, 92 - if one has patience - are sold as little as 20 eur.

I wanted to pick one, but then I remember that I want to use them and I prefer what can be kept running via usb / external battery.

The best would be some sort of usb powered "box" that simulates AAA batteries. In that way I could use whathever graphing calculator.

[grsbanks]

(04-10-2018 10:14 AM)pier4r Wrote:  It is not true. ti 89, 200, 92 - if one has patience - are sold as little as 20 eur.

The operative phrase here is "if one has patience".

As I said, they typically go for £80-£100, but not always. I got my TI-92+ for £50 and my TI-89 and 89 Titanium for £60 each and considered it a bargain. I also got a TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition for under £40, which really was a bargain. However, I paid £90 for the Voyage 200 and seriously considered a different one at £150 at the time.

[damaltor]

I have bought a 92 for about 10 Euro. I like it, it works fine, the display is nice, no RPN/RPL though. I like that it works similar to TI derive, the pc program which was long ago bundled with the calculators, which for me still is one of the best (and easiest to use, and smallest) math pc programs.

[Zaphod]

(04-11-2018 08:20 AM)damaltor Wrote:  , no RPN/RPL though

if only someone could repurpose it with a RPN system ...... after all they do have two very nice Enter keys edit ... THREE Enter keys

(I have two voyage200's , one still BIN)

[Manolo Sobrino]

(04-11-2018 08:47 AM)Zaphod Wrote:  

(04-11-2018 08:20 AM)damaltor Wrote:  , no RPN/RPL though

if only someone could repurpose it with a RPN system ...... after all they do have two very nice Enter keys edit ... THREE Enter keys

(I have two voyage200's , one still BIN)

Actually there is such a system. It's called RPN Interface, by Lars Frederiksen. IIRC it works up to HW2, and you have to apply a patch to HW3 that maybe works in HW4 as well. It's brilliant, IMO its UI is superior to anything else (including HP) for algebraic expressions with RPN.

Alas, it can't be perfect in the 89, because there is no 1/x key in the 89. The 92 has a shifted 1/x key (and a shifted EE key). I haven't tested it in the 92, because I don't bother with calculators that don't have a primary EEX key. That idea makes as much sense as not having a primary key for the decimal separator... yes, I'm a bigot.

(BTW, any TI graphing calculator -albeit obsolete- costs more to make than 20$... For instance they've been using polycarbonate for years now. It's nicer, yet way more expensive than the usual ABS you can find in the competition, e.g. Kinpo's HPs. They don't get much love, but these are solid calculators.)

[Zaphod]

(04-11-2018 10:18 AM)Manolo Sobrino Wrote:  Actually there is such a system. It's called RPN Interface, by Lars Frederiksen. IIRC it works up to HW2, and you have to apply a patch to HW3 that maybe works in HW4 as well. It's brilliant, IMO its UI is superior to anything else (including HP) for algebraic expressions with RPN.

Interesting , goes off looking for it .....thanks

[damaltor]

I found this:
http://www.technicalc.org/tiplist/en/fil...ip9_19.pdf
is there any link to the archive itself?

[Manolo Sobrino]

(04-11-2018 01:26 PM)damaltor Wrote:  I found this:
http://www.technicalc.org/tiplist/en/fil...ip9_19.pdf
is there any link to the archive itself?

It lived at Roberto Perez-Franco's symbulator site, sadly these things are vanishing from the web, try here:

https://web.archive.org/web/200809150852...d/rpn.html

Check also the download area:

https://web.archive.org/web/200808242159...index.html

Lars Frederiksen's Diff Eq is very nice too. And of course Bhuvanesh Bhatt's MathTools.

[Zaphod]

(04-11-2018 01:26 PM)damaltor Wrote:  is there any link to the archive itself?

I found this earlier which is a working download , just by googling ‘rpn interface voyage200’


http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fil...34340.html

[Manolo Sobrino]

(04-11-2018 04:42 PM)Zaphod Wrote:  

(04-11-2018 01:26 PM)damaltor Wrote:  is there any link to the archive itself?

I found this earlier which is a working download , just by googling ‘rpn interface voyage200’


http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fil...34340.html

I've not recommended this (never seen it before), I've recommended Lars program, which he withdrew from ticalc for some reason, so it's (almost) never been there. Lars program is good assembly code, not TI-Basic, therefore it has native speed. You can get the files at their links in the Internet Archive snapshot I've posted.

It works very well with HW1 TI-89s, and should work equally well for everything else after applying HW3Patch. You have to, because starting with the HW2 hardware version TI put a size limit to ASM programs. I don't think you need to patch anything for non plus TI-92s.

(Is it my English?)

[Zaphod]

(04-11-2018 07:34 PM)Manolo Sobrino Wrote:  I've not recommended this (never seen it before), I've recommended Lars program, which he withdrew from ticalc for some reason, so it's (almost) never been there. Lars program is good assembly code, not TI-Basic, therefore it has native speed. You can get the files at their links in the Internet Archive snapshot I've posted.

It works very well with HW1 TI-89s, and should work equally well for everything else after applying HW3Patch. You have to, because starting with the HW2 hardware version TI put a size limit to ASM programs. I don't think you need to patch anything for non plus TI-92s.

Thanks for the clarification , I just searched and thought I'd found the right thing , I've not had chance to download and try it just yet, so I'll download the correct one now..... so at least I have a copy.
I've not used my Voyage for ages, so I'll have to research what HW level I have.

Quote:(Is it my English?)

Certainly not , it's (in this case) my googling error.

[Eddie W. Shore]

(04-11-2018 04:42 PM)Zaphod Wrote:  

(04-11-2018 01:26 PM)damaltor Wrote:  is there any link to the archive itself?

I found this earlier which is a working download , just by googling ‘rpn interface voyage200’


http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fil...34340.html

I almost forgot I did this. I'm going to have to reload this program on my TI-89 Titanium. 2004? Time sure flies by!

[Guenter Schink]

(04-10-2018 10:26 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  

(04-10-2018 10:14 AM)pier4r Wrote:  It is not true. ti 89, 200, 92 - if one has patience - are sold as little as 20 eur.

The operative phrase here is "if one has patience".

As I said, they typically go for £80-£100, but not always. I got my TI-92+ for £50 and my TI-89 and 89 Titanium for £60 each and considered it a bargain. I also got a TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition for under £40, which really was a bargain. However, I paid £90 for the Voyage 200 and seriously considered a different one at £150 at the time.

I got a Ti89 as a door prize last year at the HHC2017. But didn't succeed to make myself familiar with it.
Günter

[Dave Britten]

(04-12-2018 08:59 AM)Guenter Schink Wrote:  I got a Ti89 as a door prize last year at the HHC2017. But didn't succeed to make myself familiar with it.
Günter

They're wonderful for programming and CAS work, but they're awful number-crunchers due to the goofy keyboard layout, lack of MathPrint, and OS designed for a device that originally had a full QWERTY keyboard.

[damaltor]

Thanks for the links. will try.