DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-86
| Date of introduction: | January 6, 1997 Available: May 1997 |
Display technology: | LCD dot matrix |
| New price: | $150.00 | Display size: | 8 * 21 characters |
| Size: | 7.2" x 3.2" x 0.80" 182 x 81 x 20 mm3 |
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| Weight: | 5.9 ounces, 165 grams | Serial No: | 1362018852 |
| Batteries: | 4*AAA + CR1620 (35mA) | Date of manufacture: | mth 04 year 2000 (K) |
| AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | Taiwan (I) | |
| Precision: | 14 | Integrated circuits: | CPU: Toshiba T6A43 ROM: LH532©1998 RAM: TC551001 Display: T6A40, |
| Memories: | |||
| Program steps: | 96k Bytes | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
The
TI-86 added more functions and memory to the it's predecessor TI-85
and carried the new, smoother housing.
The main features of the TI-86 in a short summary:
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• Graphing of up to 99 functions at one time. |
Disassembling this
TI-86 manufactured in April 2000 reveals
no big surprises. It makes use of just 5 main components on the printed circuit
boards (PCB’s):CPU
(Central processing Unit): The Toshiba T6A43
is a so-called Application Specific
CPU and combines a Z80 core with an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated
Circuit). You’ll find different approaches within the graphing calculator line
of Texas Instruments, sometimes the use of an individual CPU (e.g. Z80 and
M68000) with a supporting ASIC or – like with this TI-86 - the integration of
the CPU into the ASIC. Learn more about the
Hardware Architecture of TI’s Graphing Calculators.
ROM (Read Only Memory): The ROM contains the operating
system of the calculator. The first products on the market used
mask-programmable ROM, the program was stored already during the production
of the Integrated Circuit. Later calculators changed to Flash ROM, a
technology allowing the programming of the software during the final production
stage of the calculator. With the TI-83 Plus and all later graphing calculators
from Texas Instruments even the user was able to reprogram the operating system.
The
Mask ROM LH532 T886L-01©1998
of this TI-86 was manufactured by Sharp, Japan. Please notice the late Copyright
of the ROM, the TI-86 was introduced in 1997. We noticed in an early TI-86
calculator a one-time programmable (OTP) ROM
DISPLAY:
The Toshiba T6A23 is a column driver for small-to-medium-sized dot matrix graphic
LCD, while the T6A40
is a row driver. They are compatible with Z80 based CPUs and drives displays with up to
128 columns, resp. 64 rows. The display size of the TI-86 is 128 * 64
pixel, therefore
one display driver each is necessary.
A special "teacher version" called TI-86
VSC combines the standard TI-86 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 miss the colorful slide cases developed for the TI-83 Plus, they fit on the TI-86, too.
Don't miss the TI-89,
a pocket sized
Symbolic calculator.
ROM-Versions:
1.4
1.5
1.6
