DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-73 Explorer
| Date of introduction: | March 2003 | Display technology: | LCD dot matrix |
| New price: | $69.99 (SRP 2008) | Display size: | 8 * 16 characters |
| Size: | 7.2" x 3.2" x 0.80" 182 x 81 x 20 mm3 |
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| Weight: | 6.4 ounces, 182 grams | Serial No: | 2242007236 |
| Batteries: | 4*AAA + CR1620 (35mA) | Date of manufacture: | mth 04 year 2004 (D) |
| AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | China (S) | |
| Precision: | 14 | Integrated circuits: | CPU: Zilog Z84C0008 ASIC: TI REF 9815455 Flash: F29LV400 RAM: HY62WT081 Display: Toshiba T6A04A |
| Memories: | |||
| Program steps: | 25k Bytes, 128k Bytes Flash ROM | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
The
TI-73 Explorer followed the TI-73 and serves as a bridge between the TI-15
Explorer and the TI-83 Plus.
Dismantling
the TI-73 Explorer reveals no surprises, the printed circuit boards (PCBs) are
still identical with the TI-83 Plus and based on 5 main Integrated Circuits:
| • Zilog Z84C00 microprocessor • TI REF 9815455 ASIC • Fujitsu F29LV400 512k Bytes Flash ROM • Hyundai HY62WT081 • Toshiba T6A04A: Single-chip 64*120 pixel display driver |
The
picture on the right gives an enhanced view of the ASIC "TI-REF 9815455"
integrating some support
logic.
A
component not easily detected on the printed circuit board (PCB) of the TI-73
Explorer is the driver circuit of the LC-Display. It is just a bare chip mounted on
a flexible piece of circuit board attached between the display and the main PCB.
A special "teacher version" called TI-73
Explorer VSC combines the standard TI-73 features with a port to connect to a ViewScreen
panel via a cable. Placing the panel on the overhead projector
enlarges the image of the handheld screen so that each student can follow along.
A serial port of the calculators allows the connection to the Calculator-Based Laboratory system CBL, its successor CBL 2, the Calculator-Based Ranger CBR and its successor CBR 2.
Don't muss the colorful slide cases developed for the TI-83 Plus, they fit on the TI-73 Explorer, too.
Texas Instruments reduced in 2006 the chip count of both the TI-73 Explorer and its technical twin TI-83 Plus with the integration of the Z84C00 microprocessor, 32k Bytes RAM and TI REF 9815455 ASIC into a single-chip solution. Learn more about the Hardware Architecture of TI’s Graphing Calculators. In 2009 the grandfather of all Flash-ROM based calculators, the TI-73, morphed into the skin of the TI-84 Plus. Don't miss the new TI-73 Explorer.
Stokes Publishing Company, Inc. based in Sunnyvale, California sold a companion for the teacher, view the wonderful TI-73 Explorer.
Explorer™ is a trademark of Texas Instruments.
ROM-Versions:
1.60 (December 16, 2001)
1.80
1.85
1.90 (February 6, 2006)
1.91 (March 20, 2008, actual in February 2009)
You can check the ROM version of your TI-73
Explorer using the following key sequence and reading the number on your screen:
