Fall in line!! Awkward TI-36X Pro behaviour.

[Matt Agajanian]

Hi all.

I started up my calc. Started wit setting modes—RAD, FIX 4.

Next, I pressed Quit to exit. The 36X Pro threw a blank screen at me. I just tried to turn the 36X Pro back on. No response. I then gave it the reset jab. Yeah, the Memory Reset message. So, I tried to just go through calculations. I'd get two results back. No such luck with the third calculation. That annoying blank expression.

Yeah, I gave the 36X Pro another reset. And yes, I tried again starting with setting up FIX 4 & Radians. Boom. Another blank face.

Battery drain? A malfunctioning 36X Pro? Flaky column of keys? A completely flaky keyboard or PCB?

Has anyone seen these problems before?

[Steve Simpkin]

Definitely try changing the battery. It uses one CR2032.
From page 77 of the manual:

Change the battery when:
• ON does not turn the unit on, or
• The screen goes blank, or
• You get unexpected results.

[Matt Agajanian]

(11-02-2024 12:02 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  Definitely try changing the battery. It uses one CR2032.
From page 77 of the manual:

Change the battery when:
• ON does not turn the unit on, or
• The screen goes blank, or
• You get unexpected results.

Just wondering… how do we know it’s a weak/flatlined battery instead of a malfunction?

[Steve Simpkin]

(11-02-2024 12:18 AM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  

(11-02-2024 12:02 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  Definitely try changing the battery. It uses one CR2032.
From page 77 of the manual:

Change the battery when:
• ON does not turn the unit on, or
• The screen goes blank, or
• You get unexpected results.

Just wondering… how do we know it’s a weak/flatlined battery instead of a malfunction?

Replace the battery with a new one (a reputable brand is strongly recommended) and see if that fixes the issues.

[carey]

(11-02-2024 12:18 AM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  

(11-02-2024 12:02 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  Definitely try changing the battery. It uses one CR2032.
From page 77 of the manual:

Change the battery when:
• ON does not turn the unit on, or
• The screen goes blank, or
• You get unexpected results.

Just wondering… how do we know it’s a weak/flatlined battery instead of a malfunction?

In another recent thread on a similar topic, note the many remote diagnoses of hardware malfunctions before Steve’s sensible suggestion to just replace the batteries. We’re accustomed to think that bad batteries only keep products from turning on, however, for calculators, bad batteries can lead to all types of unexpected behavior.

[Matt Agajanian]

Hi. Just wondering… I’ve seen 36X Pro MathPrint models with the silver directional keys. I’ve also noticed them with a dark grey (or whatever that shade is) color. Is that a new design for the calc? Is this model a firmware improvement or just a keyboard design change?

[Steve Simpkin]

(11-02-2024 02:49 AM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  Hi. Just wondering… I’ve seen 36X Pro MathPrint models with the silver directional keys. I’ve also noticed them with a dark grey (or whatever that shade is) color. Is that a new design for the calc? Is this model a firmware improvement or just a keyboard design change?

They appear to be material changes only.

Here is the original TI-36X Pro from 2011 with the silver directional pad and 6 engraved silver keys (math/aprox/Enter) on the right. Note my copy of this version did not have black paint in the engraving of the 6 silver keys on the right so I had a very hard time telling some of the keys apart.
http://www.datamath.org/Sci/Modern/TI-36X-PRO.htm

Here is the 2021 refresh of the TI-36X Pro with the silver keys replaced by black keys with painted legends. Datamath notes "Everything else seems to be identical with its predecessor."
http://www.datamath.org/Sci/Modern/TI-36X-PROV2.htm

Edit: Later in the description of the second version, Datamath notes:
"Dismantling this TI-36X Pro with Date code L-0321E and manufactured in March 2021 in the Philippines reveals a pretty common construction with two printed circuit boards (PCBs). The main PCB hides the single-chip calculating circuit under a small protection blob of black epoxy and drives the graphing display with a heat sealed fine-pitch connector. The keyboard makes use of a much simpler second PCB and a heat sealed connector, too. The prominent SR-21 designation on the main PCB proves that this calculator was manufactured by Kinpo Electronics, Inc., a famous company located in Taiwan and doing calculator production for well established companies like Texas Instruments, Hewlett Packard, Casio, Canon and Citizen."

Edit 2:
Comparing the internal layout and PCBs of the 2011 and 2021 version shows very minor differences in component layouts. They appear to be equivalent.
2011: http://www.datamath.org/Sci/Modern/Image...RO_PCB.jpg
2021: http://www.datamath.org/Sci/Modern/Image...1E_PCB.jpg

[Matt Agajanian]

Steve,

Thanks for the extended analysis (instead of the Cliff Notes version). Quite illuminating and informative.

[Steve Simpkin]

(11-03-2024 05:26 AM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  Steve,

Thanks for the extended analysis (instead of the Cliff Notes version). Quite illuminating and informative.

No problem I really like the Datamath site.

[Ren]

I bought one of these battery testers a few years ago, and it really works nice!
It tests coin cells, both 1.2 and 3.0 volts, as well as AAA, AA, C, D cells and 9 volt.
(P.s. I'm not shilling for the company, just it is a product of theirs I'm quite satisfied using)

https://www.lacrossetechnology.com/produ...7896039470