I know they can be emualted, but is there anything out that will do it yet?

I dunno about the 73 and 92, but TI has released the Software Developer's Kit for the 83+, and it's capable of emulating the 83+.

someone please explain the flash download thing to me????

There are two ways you can update the ROM on your TI-73 or TI-92 Plus calculator. Either by installing the upgrade from another calculator or instaliing it through Windows and the TI-Graph Link cable. You basically download the software from TI's site, plug the graphlink into your calculator, run the program, and it upgrades the ROM for you. It does take a _long_ time to send the ROM over though. I hope that helps.

So can you use this for an emulator? Could Tiger be changed to use this? I know that TI has been very sticky about not letting us download ROMS, but now they're offering them for download?

Daniel Plaisted
-dsplaisted@bigfoot.com

Actually TI has said from the first announcements of the TI-92 Plus and on that the ROM updates would be free. It's additional software (i.e. assembly programs that integrate into the OS and extend the calcs capabilities) that will cost money. I think that if they charge too much and there's programmers willing to do it, freeware replacements will appear.

What *I* need to know is wether you can flash the Plus with the $5 parallel cable...

I'm sure it is possible to use the TI-92 Plus with the $5 parallel link cable, except right now there is no software out there for it.

Wrong! Obviously you can use the $5 cable with your Ti92 Plus! And no special software is needed! Just use the flink.exe in the fargo package! Most of the downloads will work. If some doesn't (so far it didn't happen to me) then you have to fill the description file with $0 and it will work. check: http://home1.gte.net/river for more informations on the Ti92Plus! It's already possible to write Assembly programs with the assembly development kit at http://home1.gte.net/river

For sending files and backups and stuff like that, yes. But I was talking about flashing, updating the so-called ROM. And I *know* that FLink can't do that (yet?).

I think that TI should always have the Flash downloads free because you spend $80 to $150 on the calculator and then they want to CHARGE you for the upgrade to a newer version where they fixed problems that the old ROM had. They should just have it for free.
Pat

So, is anybody interested in trying to make a replacement ROM for the 89 when it comes out? We could make a program-oriented OS to replace TI's. I envision built-in greyscale and sprite movement calls, sound controls, multiple user interrupts, etc.
We would then need to hack one of TI's Flash ROM updates to upload _our_ ROM instead.
This could be _very_ cool...

how about 1 for the 86 too?

The TI-86 does not have TI's Flash ROM so you can't change the ROM.

Well I for one will work on a rom uploading utility for the ti89 at least ( well as soon as I can get one over here in the UK.... may have to try and get one from the US... ) and maybe the 92+ aswell, and I will also make my own link program compatible with the 92 series ( at some point )