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Datamath Calculator Museum
Posted by Michael on 14 November 2004, 06:40 GMT

I was doing my customary random browsing this evening and I rediscovered one of the nerdiest calculator sites you will ever find on the Internet. Everyone should visit the Datamath Calculator Museum. The creator, Joerg Woerner, has compiled pictures, specifications, circuit board scans, and tons of information on all Texas Instruments calculators. If the calculators in the album aren't enough for you, there's a "Technology" page where you can view everything from the evolution of display technologies to calculator x-ray images.

You can spend an entire week browsing through the Datamath museum, at least. It's a fantastic site that every calculator aficionado should have bookmarked (or URL memorized).

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Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
DarkSlasher117 Account Info

http://www.rskey.org/

is another massive database

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 07:05 GMT

Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Nikky Southerland  Account Info
(Web Page)

Woahhhhh, this is beyond cool! I can't believe that anyone would make a site like this, but now that it's up, I can't believe I never found it before. I'll be spending time there, I can tell you that right now.

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 07:21 GMT


Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Ayial Account Info

A big ditto to all that!

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 23:59 GMT

Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Morgan Davies  Account Info
(Web Page)

Check out the link. It is a picture of the actual museum. Notice what they have in a circle pattern near the main enterance. :-)

Now imagine getting you picture taken in front of them!

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 07:58 GMT

Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Michael Vincent  Account Info
(Web Page)

There is no actual museum. That's a picture of TI headquarters :)

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 15:14 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
lalu Account Info

Yeah, I believe it's the one close to highway 75.

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 16:09 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Morgan Davies  Account Info
(Web Page)

Meh, my point still stands :-)

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 19:06 GMT

Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
no_one_2000_  Account Info
(Web Page)

*squints eyes* Are those... humongous calculators? Haha, that's cool!

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 19:32 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Morgan Davies  Account Info
(Web Page)

I wonder if they ever upgrade them :-)

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 08:35 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
no_one_2000_  Account Info
(Web Page)

Haha! Having a big calculator would be fun. You could play DDR on it! ;-)

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 20:59 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
W Hibdon  Account Info
(Web Page)

Only if it was one of those slanty screened ones.

-W-

Reply to this comment    16 November 2004, 01:17 GMT


Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
saitei Account Info

Calchenge?

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 03:16 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
takuanitromars36 Account Info

Probably.

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 04:06 GMT

¤
burntfuse  Account Info

120d

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 22:14 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
anykey  Account Info

This looks like a job for *dadadadaaaaa* PHOTOSHOP!!!!

Reply to this comment    16 November 2004, 01:48 GMT

Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Kevin Kofler Account Info
(Web Page)

Hmmm... That page claims the TI-80 has a Z80 processor, the description here at ticalc.org claims the opposite. Compare:
http://www.datamath.org/ SCI/Modern/TI-80.htm
"TI-80 uses a standard Z-80 compatible CPU"
http://www.ticalc.org/ basics/calculators/ ti-80.html
"CPU 980 KHz proprietary"
Which is true?

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 08:11 GMT

Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Michael Vincent  Account Info
(Web Page)

I would think it's a Z80. But without the actual calculator, I'm not sure.

Reply to this comment    14 November 2004, 15:27 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
elbarto  Account Info

maybe it's a custom made chip based on the z80 ? kind of like the 83+s (or is it only the SE's) and later have ?

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 16:12 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Michael Vincent  Account Info
(Web Page)

That would count as a Z80 then. The 83+ SE is clearly a Z80, even if the CPU and other hardware functions are all integrated into one chip.

Reply to this comment    18 November 2004, 03:49 GMT

Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
W Hibdon  Account Info
(Web Page)

I think that the key word there might just be "compatible". If it is a custom chip, then both resources could be true.

-W-

Reply to this comment    15 November 2004, 21:21 GMT

Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Joey Gannon  Account Info
(Web Page)

I've actually tested this, with a cross-platform prime factorer. My TI-80 processes data significantly slower than my TI-83, which would indicate that the TI-80 almost certainly does not have the same 6MHz Z80 as the rest.

Reply to this comment    16 November 2004, 02:47 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
JcN  Account Info
(Web Page)

Didn't you burn your TI-80?

Reply to this comment    16 November 2004, 23:51 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Morgan Davies  Account Info
(Web Page)

I believe he had 2.

Reply to this comment    17 November 2004, 09:04 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
ti_is_good_++  Account Info

That was a TI-81.

Reply to this comment    28 November 2004, 15:45 GMT

Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
nyall Account Info
(Web Page)

how much slower what if the ti80 had a 980kHz z80?

Reply to this comment    17 November 2004, 02:21 GMT


¤
burntfuse  Account Info

It could have just had a Z80 running at a lower speed...

Reply to this comment    18 November 2004, 21:47 GMT


980 KHz Z80 Derivative?
ti_is_good_++  Account Info

Exactly. Specifically, if it was 6.12 times slower under controlled conditions, it could very well be a proprietary version of a Z80 running at 980 KHz. I don't think there's a way to send anything to it, so there probably isn't a way to see if the chip will accept Z80 instructions.

Reply to this comment    28 November 2004, 15:45 GMT

Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
Datamath  Account Info
(Web Page)

Please remember that the TI-80 uses only two small Lithium batteries instead the 4 AAA-sized cells.
Probably a reason to reduce operating current of the calculator - one solution is a reduced clock frequency.
I'm not sure that it is a 100% Z80 kernel inside the Toshiba chip, but it's most likely.

Regards, Joerg

Reply to this comment    17 November 2004, 18:33 GMT


Re: Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
anykey  Account Info

*gasp* The Creator!

Reply to this comment    18 November 2004, 03:37 GMT


Re: Re: Datamath Calculator Museum
critor  Account Info
(Web Page)

Using an EPROM programmer, I've managed to dump the TI-80 4.0 ROM.

Various system strings (memory screen, self-test screen, error strings...) are readable in the ROM file, so it isn't garbage.

I've shown that file to 3 persons.
Nobody is recognizing z80 machine code...

2 of the 3 persons, are saying it looks like a 16-bits processor.

Isn't that strange for a cheap calculator?
Why not reuse what allready existed?

The most frequent byte pattern is DE00 which appears 1786 times and only at even addresses.

Anybody who has some information about the cpu type is welcome...

Reply to this comment    25 February 2010, 12:05 GMT

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