So we've bought two new TI-84 Plus CE Python calculators from Amazon in the last month (both Shipped and sold by Amazon). The first was the "silver" color and the second one was the basic "black" version. Both have the "Python" printed above the screen.

First of all, please, nobody ever buy the silver one lol. The alpha key labels are lime green on silver and you need a flashlight and a magnifying glass to tell which key is which. Horrible design.

Anyhow, the silver one came in a blister-pack and has the expected red/green charging LED next to the USB port.

But the black version came in a box and there is no charging LED at all! I looked around but haven't found a reference to the LED being removed and I'm curious if this is a new thing. The plastic case is smooth and solid where the other new calc has a very obvious LED there.
TI just decided to stupidly remove the charging LED. The only reason that it could possibly have been for was to lower production costs, but it was really just another one of those "What the heck did TI just do?" kind of things. TLM has some more information in a video he made about it here.

I'm not surprised you didn't know about it, because it's been a relatively new thing and took place over night. As far as I know, the only documentation of this is TLM's video, and the only reason that any of us figured it out is by looking at TI's website and noticing it was gone.
TI confirmed they removed the charging LED on the latest hardware revision* of the CE, except for the "school property" variants.

____
* which appears to be revision T from June 2021 on. Can you tell us what the serial/datecode is on the back of your calculator? That will confirm the revision. It may look like just a set of characters or a serial + characters like "L-0621S". Thanks.
Cool beans, thanks for the info.

I feel like the change to the plastic molding might cost them more than they'll ever save in LEDs.

Z.
Well so far no one has opened their revision T calc, it's possible the LED isn't the only change/removal on the PCB. Please share a picture if you're able to open it yourself Smile

Also the mold is simpler now, so likely cheaper in the mid/long run.
Oh, and firing up my magnifier and flashlight again, the value after the serial number is indeed:

L-0621T

Calculator Info in Ti Connect CE sez:

Calculator: TI-84 Plus CE
Product ID: 1300C010C1
OS Version: 5.6.1.12
RAM: 262 kb (150 kB available)
Archive: 4,194 (1,324 available)
Language: ENGLISH
ROM Version 5.6.1.6
Hardware Version: 8

And the "Artifice" ASM / Calibri jailbreak worked just fine.
Thanks!
What if someone decided that the charging LED could be used to send messages in Morse code to permit cheating, or something similarly ridiculous? 🙃
I think that LED was not software-controllable though?

possibly contrary to the PTT one, but the non-european CEs don't have them
KermMartian wrote:
What if someone decided that the charging LED could be used to send messages in Morse code to permit cheating, or something similarly ridiculous? 🙃

Didn't someone (TLM?) make exactly that but using the screen brightness?
I guess its time to also discontinue screens Rolling Eyes
Addition Edition revision T:
On the comments about having to make a new mold, TI produces enough calculators that they likely wear out the mold many times so slight design changes like that are not much of a cost.

Besides the fact that they could likely just weld up and remachine that area or redo the mold core inserts cost is likely not a factor here.

Considering their mold tooling already has to have inserts for different markings on the back depending on the region the calculator is destined for its likely even cheaper to change that sort of thing out.
wanna know where the light went?
I broke into the factory and stole them all to make a billboard.
TL;DR i stole them.
  
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