Anyone remember the TI-86?

[bucketdrop]

I just found a new one for sale. What do you think they're worth now?

[Eddie W. Shore]

$10 to $30? Make sure that the screen is intact.

[toml_12953]

(02-22-2019 11:18 PM)badaze Wrote:  In flea markets I attended over the years I have seen hundreds of TI 82, 83.
But only 1 TI 86 ! I didn’t buy it because of battery leakage.

There's one NIP on eBay right now.

[jgharris]

In my humble opinion the ti-86 was ti's best engineering/STEM calculator 2nded by the earlier ti-85. The unit conversion was great, as was the solver. I wished years ago that they would make a ti-86+ with the bells & whistles like the ti-89 had [flash hard drive, updatable firmware, without the gimmicky CAS etc.].

We all know why they went with making the ti-89 their new engineering calculator... higher price tag, fancy CAS that move the focus away from learning & applying concepts to simply data entry, better games, etc. No kid in high school needs a ti-89. The ti-86 was a great calculator.

Now of course my daily driver as an engineer is my DM42. I'd still would like an updated ti-86+

[Dave Britten]

I'm with you, I'd be thrilled if there were a new 86+. Or an 86 Plus CE running on more or less the same hardware as the 84 Plus CE.

[rprosperi]

That would be nice. The TI-86 is one of the few modern TI machines I really like. Though I suppose calling it "modern" dates me...

[Dave Britten]

Well it DID come out only... 26... years... ago... Oh god.

[badaze]

(04-03-2023 04:04 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 11:18 PM)badaze Wrote:  In flea markets I attended over the years I have seen hundreds of TI 82, 83.
But only 1 TI 86 ! I didn’t buy it because of battery leakage.

There's one NIP on eBay right now.

Thanks.

Since 2019 I have bought one boxed for 20 € and one not boxed at a charity store.

[WallyEmm]

There's a listing for a new TI-86 on TAS that says "Saying this is "open box" as the packaging is damaged but not opened" - but the photo clearly shows the package as a TI-82.

Don't sellers look at what they are selling?

[Eddie W. Shore]

(04-10-2023 05:25 AM)WallyEmm Wrote:  There's a listing for a new TI-86 on TAS that says "Saying this is "open box" as the packaging is damaged but not opened" - but the photo clearly shows the package as a TI-82.

Don't sellers look at what they are selling?

That listing is definitely one to avoid.

I am going to dig up my TI-86. I still have the old connect software and cord.

[WallyEmm]

(04-10-2023 01:53 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote:  I am going to dig up my TI-86. I still have the old connect software and cord.

I have been playing with one today; I picked it up from TAS because of this thread. The price was ok and it looks pretty much like new. It won't replace my HPs but it seems more user friendly than other TI calculators I have tried. I have been using RPN since I bought a new HP-25 (sadly, not C) back in the '70s so I fumble with algebraic entry.

The thing that amazes me is the capability of these old calculators that are available at bargain prices. Of course my perception is colored by minor details like they weren't invented until several years after getting my engineering degree. On the other hand, I have never had battery corrosion problems with my Post Versalog slide rule.

[Dave Britten]

It really is one of the best that TI made. There are a few things I would improve about it though:

- Speed it up a bit (noticeably slower than the 85 due to bank switching to handle the larger RAM)
- Use pre-tokenized commands like the 82/83/84, to eliminate the long parsing/tokenization delay the first time you run a program after editing
- In the stat/list editor, allow pressing up at the top of a list to wrap around and go directly to the bottom (the 85 does this)