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Texas Instruments TI-XXXXXXX (Voyage 200 Engineering Sample)

Date of introduction:  Jan.6, 2002 Display technology:  LCD dot matrix
New price:  $199.99 (SRP 2008) Display size:  12 lines by 40 char
 128 * 240 pixels
Size:  4.6" x 7.3" x 1.1"
 117 x 185 x 27 mm3
   
Weight:  9.6 ounces, 272 grams Serial No:  Engineering Sample 086
Batteries:  4*AAA + CR1616 Date of manufacture:  mth 11 year 2001
AC-Adapter:   Origin of manufacture:  Taiwan (I)
Precision:  14 Integrated circuits:  CPU: MC68EC000
 ASIC: TI-REF 200C040
 Flash: LH28F320
 RAM: 2* TC55V1001
 Display: 3*T6B07, 2*T6B08
Memories:      
Program steps:  188k Bytes, 2.7M Bytes Flash ROM Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner

We recently were able to acquire this rare Engineering Sample of the Voyage 200 Symbolic calculator with the interesting nameplate TI-XXXXXXX. Dismantling the calculator reveals an almost 6 years old design in new clothes!

We wrote January 5, 1996 when Texas Instruments released with the TI-92 their first Symbolic calculator using a powerful 16/32-bit microcomputer, a full ASCII keyboard, a wide graphics screen and tons of built in software. The TI-92 received since its introduction two upgrades:

TI-92 II: Language selectable Operating System and 128k Bytes additional User memory.

TI-92 Plus: Flash ROM technology for re-programmable Operating System and downloadable applications.

The printed circuit board (PCB) of this early Voyage 200 Engineering Sample manufactured in November 2001 makes use of the TI-92 Plus hardware, but doubles the capacity of the Sharp LH28F320 Flash ROM from 1Mx16 bits (2M Bytes) to 2Mx16 bits (4M Bytes).

The main components of the Voyage 200 Engineering Sample manufactured in November 2001:

CPU (Central processing Unit): The Motorola MC68EC000 - the original M68000 16/32-bit microprocessor introduced in 1979 - optimized for embedded applications is supported by the TI-REF 200C040 and replaces the Application Specific CPU SC414181 solution if the TI-92. 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 Flash ROM chip LH28F320 of this Voyage 200 Engineering Sample was manufactured by Sharp, Japan. The capacity of the memory is 2Mx16 bits, or the equivalent of 4M Bytes.  

RAM (Random Access Memory): The RAM is used as data memory and is used to store both variables, user programs and intermediate results. This Engineering Sample makes use of two Static RAM chips TC55V1001 manufactured by Toshiba, Japan. The capacity of the memory chips is 128k Bytes, each.

DISPLAY: The Voyage 200 uses - in opposite to the handheld graphing calculators from this era - display drivers in conventional packages. We noticed in this Voyage 200 three T6B07 column drivers and two T6B08 row drivers manufactured by Toshiba, Japan. 

 



A serial port of the calculators allows the connection to the Calculator-Based Laboratory system CBL, its successor CBL 2 and the Calculator-Based Ranger CBR. Texas Instruments announced June 2002 an optional full-sized QWERTY Keyboard for a more convenient entry of notes into the handhelds but it even matched the Voyage 200.

Within the long history of TI calculators between 1972 (the famous Datamath) and today (June 2003) we never discovered a nameplate without the leading TI-xx designation. Even the engineers of Texas Instruments were surprised when marketing decided for the unusual Voyage 200 name!
Don't miss this
TI-XXXXXXXXXXX, you are right: 11 X vs 7 X.

ROM-Versions:

2.06 Beta (February 4, 2002)

You can check the ROM version of your Voyage 200 using the following key sequence and reading the number on your screen:

[F1] [A]

Information provided by ticalc.org and Xavier Andréani.

Exam acceptance:

Since the TI-92 Series and Voyage 200 feature a QWERTY keyboard they are not allowed on ACT, SAT, PSAT and AP exams.  

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

© Joerg Woerner, October 5, 2011. No reprints without written permission.