Hidden Function In Ti-83 Pluses

[Brazucs]

Press
[MODE]
[ALPHA]
S


This'll get you to the "Self-Test" screen. Press "On" then archive all your stuff and try this.
On the Self-Test Screen, press [ENTER]. It will say, "START?". Press [ENTER] once more.
Then, it should give you a 5-digit number, however, if you are using VTI, it will say, "ID FAIL". Press [ENTER]
It will then start counting from 0 on.... with long breaks between each number.

If you press the [ON], it will show a weird screen! Press [ENTER] a few times and it will show you a full screen, then an empty screen, then a "grayscale" screen, then a horizontally stripped screen, then a verticaly stripped screen, then a blue screen. The test will then be ceased.
Press [ON] twice and the RAM will clear.


What is this "Self-Test"?? What is its use and why does the calculator keep counting from 0 to, my guess, infinity. I am running VTI now and I'm on number
400 and the test has not ceased.
My guess is that this is a test that every calc goes through after production. Anyone else got any guesses??

[DigiTan]

This question came up a month or 2 ago. I have a TI-82 that goes: number count -> colums -> darkened screen -> clear screen -> dotted screen -> horizontal bars -> verticle bars -> verticles bars that alternate between black and dark grey -> back to last number shown -> reset. Earlier, someone suggested this was a "factory test" used by TI technicians to verify the hardware before shipping off each calc. It also shows your calc's ROM version number under "Enter Self-Test."

Here something strange... Whenever I do a self-test, I get one verticle column of pixels that refuse to light up in the "dotted screen" and "horizontal bars" tests. This is the only time I've noticed this effect. Does anyone know what this is supposed to mean?

[Ray Kremer]

[DarkerLine]

In VTI it says "ID FAIL" at the beginning.

[62 52 53 53]

and DS has a few references to it. So do we, actually. For example, someone posted it as a suggestion for fixing some calculator problem (I think it wouldn't turn on, but then again, I also seem to remember it being in something about a perpetually blue screen, so it might be both)
It turns every single bit of flash on and off, reading to make sure that the flash actually goes on and off.

[Jeremiah Walgren]

This function is also a way to pass the time, watching the numbers increment... Not recommended, though.

[Brazucs]

[JoeImp]

brazucs16 said to archive your stuff, then try it, I've done it before, but I cant remember if it reset all of your memory, or just the ram. Brazucs says to just archive, other places says it wipes everything, which one is it.

[Edit] - DigiTan, what's your avatar from? It looks like the animation of Last Exile, but I haven't seen much of it, so I can't tell for sure.

Imp

[Jeremiah Walgren]

I'd make a backup of everything before doing it, if I were you. Just to be on the safe side. As for the highest, I read somewhere that some one got up to 35000 (or around there) before pulling the batteries. (Needed calc for math or something.)

[DarkerLine]

It wipes the ram if you do it normally, but I think it might get to everything else if left alone for a while.

[Toksyuryel]

What it does is turn every byte from 0000 to ffff in turn from on to off, checking each time that it's working correctly. After it's done, your calc's memory will be COMPLETELY WIPED. You will need to re-install the OS too.

[DarkerLine]

So it will count up to 65535 correct?

[Adm.Wiggin]

should...

doesnt it store 1 in the byte, then 0, then moves on? I think I read that somewhere... dunno

[DigiTan]

It's weird that they don't mention self-tests in the user manual. They seem ~sort of useful. I should probably phone TI and ask them what the missing pixels on my calc mean.

[Toksyuryel]

It's not in the manual because 1) it's not supposed to be used by normal users (just testers) and 2) it WIPES ALL MEMORY. Were it in the manual it'd sure get the attention of people who don't really know what they're doing and before you know it they've accidentially wiped their calc. They'll raise a racket about it and then TI will remove it altogether.

[62 52 53 53]

I got all the way to the end. It was the only way I could get my calculator to a state where it would turn on. (don't ask, and yes, there are 2 ways of getting it to run.)

[Jedd]

I did this on my calc today just for fun, and completely forgot it clears your Ram. Lucky I had my Basic games backed up, but it deleted Tiny Car! Bummer.

-J

[Madskillz]

Well...I don't know if this has been stated or not, but that "hidden function" you speak of was put in by the makers of the calc. ie Texas Instruments. Duh right...It was never meant to be found out by the public. It is very old, I knew about it since I was in the 7th grade, I am now in the 10th!

It was put in the calc, I believe as a way for the calc. testers to make sure everything was running fine and working good. Thus the # count down and the ram clearing at the end. I can't remeber exactly I found it on a website...like I said in the seventh grade. So don't hold it to me! Go goole it!
I mean there is more to it than that, but it is a simple explanation!

[DarkerLine]

[Newbie]

When I went to it on the SE it said it would clear all your memory.