DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM

Texas Instruments TI-83 Plus Silver Edition

Date of introduction:	June 19, 2001	Display technology:	LCD dot matrix
New price:	$129.95	Display size:	8 * 16 characters
Size:	7.2" x 3.2" x 0.80" 182 x 81 x 20 mm³
Weight:	6.4 ounces, 182 grams	Serial No:	2164009336
Batteries:	4*AAA + CR1620 (35mA)	Date of manufacture:	mth 12 year 2003 (C)
AC-Adapter:		Origin of manufacture:	China (S)
Precision:	14	Integrated circuits:	ASIC: TI REF 83PL2M/TA2 Flash: F29LV160 RAM: CY62128VLL Display: Toshiba T6K04
Memories:
Program steps:	24k Bytes, 1.5M Bytes Flash ROM	Courtesy of:	Joerg Woerner

The TI-83 Plus added Flash technology to the Graphing calculators. This technology gives you the flexibility to add calculator software applications and additional functionality beyond math and science, providing long-term value.

If your applications are memory hungry you can get more than 1.5M Bytes of Flash ROM with this TI-83 Plus Silver Edition. Compared with the already optimized TI-83 Plus the new design dropped another integrated circuit. The Z-80 microprocessor was merged with the supporting ASIC into one chip and you'll notice only 4 chips on the two printed circuit boards (PCBs):

• TI REF 83PL2M/TA2: Z80 microprocessor plus supporting logic
• Fujitsu F29LV160: 2M Bytes Flash ROM
• Cypress CY62128VLL: 128k Bytes Static RAM
• Toshiba T6K04: Single-chip 64*120 pixel display driver

The picture on the right gives an enhanced view of the ASIC that clocks the Z80 microprocessor with 15 MHz instead the original 6 MHz design of the TI-83 Plus.

A component not easily detected on the printed circuit boards (PCBs) of the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition 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.

One of the loaded applications is a simpler Organizer, do you remember the PocketMate 300?

A special "teacher version" called TI-83 Plus S.E. VSC combines the standard TI-83 Plus S.E. 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. Texas Instruments announced June 2002 an optional full-sized QWERTY Keyboard for a more convenient entry of notes into the handhelds.

Glitter-packed and translucent, this is how Texas Instruments described the wonderful TI-83 Plus Silver Edition in its press release dated June 19, 2001. Already for the Back-to-School campaign 2001 retailed Target started to sell the TI-83 Plus Cool Blue, in 2002 the TI-83 Plus Ultra Violet and in 2003 the TI-83 Plus Blue. In 2004 we got from Staples the wonderful TI-83 Plus Lime Green and the TI-83 Plus Blue. In 2007 Target introduced a nice looking TI-83 Plus Light Blue. Texas Instruments surprised the French market in 2006 with a translucent TI-83 Plus Cool Blue, changed the design in 2007 and introduced a strange looking TI-83 Plus Pink.

Don't miss the colorful slide cases developed for the TI-83 Plus, they fit on the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, too.

Texas Instruments announced January 7, 2004 with the TI-84 Plus S.E. the successor of the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition. Main differences are:

• More stylish housing
• Integrated USB port for computer connecitivity
• Internal clock
• Advanced display
• 30 pre-loaded software applications
• Interchangable faceplates

This TI-83 Plus Silver Edition was donated by Barbara Geist-Woerner. Thanks!

The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition was mentioned in TI's press release dated August 15, 2002 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its invention of the electronic calculator.

ROM-Versions:

1.13 (April, 2001)
1.14 (December 16, 2001)
1.15 (August 26, 2002)
1.16
1.17
1.18
1.19 (January 16, 2006, actual in February 2008)

You can check the ROM version of your TI-83 Plus S.E. using the following key sequence and reading the number on your screen:

[2nd] [MEM] [1]

Information provided by ticalc.org and Xavier Andréani.

Exam acceptance:

The TI-83 Plus S.E. is permitted (as of September 27, 2007) for use on SAT, ACT, PSAT and AP exams.

Obsolete / Discontinued Products:

The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition Graphing Calculator has been discontinued (as of June 8, 2008) and is no longer available at most retail locations.

Find here the original press release dated June 19, 2001:

Texas Instruments unleashes its coolest and fastest teen handheld yet: The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition

DALLAS, June 19, 2001

Texas Instruments, the leader in handheld educational technology, today launched the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, the ultimate handheld companion for teenagers. This techno-cool silver sensation has more than nine times the memory and is 2.5 times faster than the TI-83 Plus, the most popular educational handheld in today's schools.

Glitter-packed and translucent, the Silver Edition, in fact, is too cool for only school. With a multitude of classroom applications applying to everything from math and science to language arts and history, the Silver Edition is also equipped with a powerful organizer so teens can track and store tasks, class schedules, appointments, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and other important information. It also remembers when tasks are due and summarizes tasks that have been completed.

"First and foremost, the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is the supreme school handheld for students, with a rich array of educational applications that enhance the classroom experience for teenagers," said Tom Ferrio, vice president of Education Technology for Texas Instruments. "Secondly, the Silver Edition was developed specifically for the teen lifestyle. It has the speed and strength for students to manage daily and weekly tasks, create spreadsheets, measure scientific data and study with electronic flashcards for all their classes."

The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is customizable so that students can install their own software features with room for up to 94 applications - more than nine times the TI-83 Plus model. As part of the $129.95 retail price, the handheld comes with a TI-GRAPH LINK™ cable so owners can connect with a computer to upgrade and add software, and transfer files and data to be printed or stored on a disk. The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition can also be customized with stylish slide cases in the translucent colors of red, yellow, green and purple, which are sold through the TI Web site at education.ti.com.

In conjunction with the release of the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, TI is making it easier for teen software developers to create their own applications and distribute them to an unlimited number of peers. TI's Freeware Signing Key, now packaged with TI's TI-83 Plus SDK, allows students who have learned to develop their own TI-83 Plus applications to distribute their work to others. To date, hundreds of student developers across the nation have created sophisticated educational applications on their TI handhelds on topics like astronomy, time-zone computations, fractions and decimals, and crossword puzzles.

"With the release of the Freeware Signing Key, the developer community will be much more likely to develop programs for the Silver Edition," said Dan Englender, an 18-year-old TI-83 Plus owner who just graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School in Bingham Farms, Mich. "This means there will be more applications available for everyone to use. Teens will see people using all these applications for the Silver Edition and say, 'Hey! I want one of those, too.'"

If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.