I'm planning to buy the non-CAS version of the TI-NSpire. However, I would like to know a few things about the 84+ emulation mode:

1) How much ROM does it dispose of? I've heard somewhere that it's more like a SE...

2)How does it connect to the PC and other calcs? Does the old black calc-to-calc cable work?

3) Is there a program that can solve the compatibility problems that occur with some of the asm programs? If not, is it possible to make one?
First off, I recommend that you not buy an Nspire because it's garbage. Its only saving grace is the 84+SE emulator, but as it's just an emulator and not the real thing (with its own quirks and glitches), the real thing is far better.

1. It emulates an 84+SE, so you have 1.5MB of Flash to mess with, and it's a 2MB ROM from page 0 to page 7F.

2. The 84+SE keypad contains an I/O port just like all the other calculators, so yes, you can use the old blacklink cable or any other I/O cable. I'm pretty sure it also fully supports direct USB through the Nspire's USB port as well.

3. No, any program that uses certain undocumented instructions will not work on the Nspire's 84+SE emulator, no questions asked.
I toyed with the idea of creating a Flash application that would patch the OS on-the-fly (which is very fast in the emulator) and intercept undocumented instructions and replace them with documented equivalents, but an application like that is by its very nature unstable and unpredictable, and probably not worth it in the long run.

If you want the power of an 84+SE, get an 84+SE. I personally keep the 84+SE keypad snapped into my Nspire at all times because the Nspire keypad really is useless.
Also note that the NSpire is huge, and if its for school its a hassle to carry it around all of the time. I suggest investing in another 84+ or a different version if its for school (89?)
I recommend finding and 83+ SE, because the 84s are unnecessarily massive. An 83+ on the other hand, fits easily into most pockets. And the 83+SE does BASIC slightly faster than an 84+SE *I think*
I recommend Matlab and a netbook.
Try and fit those in your pocket.
Will_W wrote:
Try and fit those in your pocket.


I fit mine into my cargo pocket (I have a Kohjinsha SC3)
Thanks a lot guys for all these tips!
Anyway, I still decided to buy the NSpire.
brandonw wrote:
I toyed with the idea of creating a Flash application that would patch the OS on-the-fly (which is very fast in the emulator) and intercept undocumented instructions and replace them with documented equivalents,

As I'm studying the C language at school, I might restart learning asm to make this kind of program... This really motivates me to learn asm!

And a quick question: how does the MirageOS patching program works? Does it modify the MirageOS application itself to make it work?
Yes. There is one (afaik) instruction used (somewhere in the startup?) that is patched to an equivalent series of supported instructions.

That's all supposition, but how I'd implement it.
You actually bought that garbage? Sucks to be you...
The Tari wrote:
Yes. There is one (afaik) instruction used (somewhere in the startup?) that is patched to an equivalent series of supported instructions.

That's all supposition, but how I'd implement it.


Two instructions, but yes, that's correct.
Well, I didn't buy it yet, but I'll do it tommorow. Razz

I also came up with an idea about fixing the comptability problems: is it possible to make a PC program that analyzes a .8xp program (or .8xk app) and replaces the unsupported code by its supported equivalent? This seems to be easier than to patch the OS on-the-fly...
Since one instruction cannot be replaced by multiple instructions without shifting the rest of the program, it would be very difficult to make a universal patcher. However, a computer-based patcher that specifically works on files that people such as brandonw have written patches for already would be rather simple. Brandon just likes to show off his flash unlocking code whenever he can Laughing
Flash unlocking code isn't even necessary on the NSpire 84+ emu afaik.
ZagorNBK wrote:
I also came up with an idea about fixing the comptability problems: is it possible to make a PC program that analyzes a .8xp program (or .8xk app) and replaces the unsupported code by its supported equivalent? This seems to be easier than to patch the OS on-the-fly...


No. You can't reliably differentiate between code and data.
Mapar007 wrote:
Flash unlocking code isn't even necessary on the NSpire 84+ emu afaik.


Wrong. Even more exploits are necessary on the Nspire 84+SE emulator.

They have prevented writing to OS space (pages 0-7 and 74h-7Dh), but there are ways around it. And yes, they do implement regular old Flash unlocking via port 14h. It would be crazy not to.

elfprince13 wrote:
No. You can't reliably differentiate between code and data.


Precisely why I didn't finish the oncalc OS patcher thing.
Although if you could, then what you could do is patch the OS at 0000h to jump into your own code and figure out what instruction you're supposed to "emulate" (by looking at the stack and seeing where we were before 0000h). The invalid instructions can be replaced with "rst 00h", which is only one byte.
Then was it port 14 not being protected? (ooh, I'm confusing things)
Hmmmm... I was wondering, does the emulator gives access to 48 or to 128 Kb of RAM?
And also, do you guys think that making a petition asking TI to implement the unsupported commands is a good idea? Or maybe send them an e-mail?
'Cuz I would like a lot to be able to play on the GB emulator Razz
scuse the necrpost


The gb emulator uses undocumented instructions...
qazz42 wrote:
scuse the necrpost

The gb emulator uses undocumented instructions...
Well, as evidenced by my quick fix for Tokenizer DE v1.0, it's not too painful to fix undocumented instructions. Smile
  
Register to Join the Conversation
Have your own thoughts to add to this or any other topic? Want to ask a question, offer a suggestion, share your own programs and projects, upload a file to the file archives, get help with calculator and computer programming, or simply chat with like-minded coders and tech and calculator enthusiasts via the site-wide AJAX SAX widget? Registration for a free Cemetech account only takes a minute.

» Go to Registration page
Page 1 of 2
» All times are UTC - 5 Hours
 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 

Advertisement