I understand you are turning the rPI into a calculator but how are you achieving this? Are you having the builders use their own ROM or are you using the TI-83 as a host? I'm rather lost on your goal for this project.
comicIDIOT wrote:
I understand you are turning the rPI into a calculator but how are you achieving this? Are you having the builders use their own ROM or are you using the TI-83 as a host? I'm rather lost on your goal for this project.
The goal is to combine a Raspberry Pi board running a graphing calculator emulator with a TI calculator case and keyboard to make a calculator that looks like the original calculator but is in fact an emulated TI-83+ or TI-84+. He was originally going to re-use the monochrome 96x64 LCD as a display for the computer, but the latest update was that he decided to skip that and just use an off-the-shelf 320x240 color LCD. The project is quite similar to my TI-87, except that my goal is to emulate many different calculators, and his was originally to emulate a single calculator, maintaining the LCD so it still looked exactly like the original.
So it sounds like he's emulating the style, not the functionality? So ability to run programs - or to program - is not supported?
comicIDIOT wrote:
So it sounds like he's emulating the style, not the functionality? So ability to run programs - or to program - is not supported?
Since he'll be running an emulator on the Pi, that takes input from the keyboard, and displays a calculator screen on the Pi's screen, it can do everything a real calculator can. Imagine running a calculator emulator on a computer, but with a real calculator LCD and keyboard connected.
Okay. So he'll be using a TI-84 ROM then? You left that question unaddressed so I wasn't sure. That's kinda cool, so one could theoretically load a TI-83 ROM or something to it and emulate similar hardware calculators?
comicIDIOT wrote:
Okay. So he'll be using a TI-84 ROM then? You left that question unaddressed so I wasn't sure. That's kinda cool, so one could theoretically load a TI-83 ROM or something to it and emulate similar hardware calculators?
Correct. I believe his goal is specifically to emulate the calculator type that the case is from (a TI-84 Plus, in this case).
I noticed you edited thia topic's title to say that the project is on hold and/or canceled. May I ask what led you to make that call and what would make you resume the project?
Well, I just don't get it done. And it is getting way too expensive (cost is way over 100€; nope it's NOT over 9000 Very Happy).
It was first thought as a joke (at school we were joking about an internet and linux enabled calculator inside original housing, and how teacher wouldn't be able to see any difference) and then developed itself into a real project. And finally I lost the fun building the project, as it is never going to be how I imagined it.
But that doesn't mean, that there won't be a chance that I will resume the project. One of my biggest problems is, that my original LCD broke and I won't ever have a chance getting a new one. And I'm afraid that the Raspberry Pi won't fit inside it and at this point it wouldn't be helpful in any other project, as all ports and connectors will be removed permanently! Maybe if I find another screen (my one is too small; would fit with small 0.5cm foam border; and it has way too much wires (parallel); spi would be better) and a worse power pack (that doesn't look to nice to be destroyed Razz) I will revive the project.
Ok, as I already said, I'm continuing the project. Smile
OK, I had a look at Kerms project and it looks great! I am thinking about getting me some kind of a usb keyboard controller too.
I killed another TI-83+ and monitored the display during writing and standby using a oscilloscope. I can now tell how the LCD is wired and I'm trying to write an Arduino sample again to test, if anything works. If so, I'm going to attach it to my Raspberry Pi.
About the charging: I'm going to use a power pack designed for charging smartphones on the go. I drilled out the whole battery department where my pi and my battery and my keyboard controller must fit. Huh, that's going to be a close fit! Any suggestions for the keyboard controller? I will be sharing the pinout and protocol description for the LCD if anybody is interested in it.
So, now I bought another USB power bank and two arduino micros from amazon. One of the micros will be powering the usb matrix. The LCD is going to be driven by the PI itself. The powerbank will be also taken apart and put into the case for power. The other micro is saved for other projects.
THE LCD HAS BEEN DESTROYED FOR THE 4TH TIME NOW.
I GIVE UP ON USING AN ORIGINAL LCD. I WILL STICK WITH THE TFT TOUCHSCREEN AGAIN!
Mad

HERE'S THE RESULT OF MY LOGIC ANALYSING ANYWAYS:
I did get the information, by using an oszilloscope with logic analyser software and a real TI-83+ that WAS working. The LCD is broken AGAIN!
comicIDIOT wrote:
or to program - is not supported?

Yes, definitively. GCC is going to be implemented in ANY case!
I finally want to code c on my calc. And I will also install TiLP on it to copy stuff to my real calculator. Also I want to be able to emulate different models, although I don't have roms for them.
But for simple math just use bc Razz
The project is cancelled and I disposed of the parts.
RIP Sad
Oh no, you disposed of them?! You didn't even save them in case someone else would be interested in resuming this project? I'm sorry to hear it, and I hope you have the time and inclination to work on similar hardware + graphing calculator projects soon.
Muessigb wrote:
The project is cancelled and I disposed of the parts.
RIP Sad


Sad to hear. I guess you could of kept the parts around, used them for another project. It'd be so cool to have a Pi inside a calc! Hopefully someone can successfully complete this type of project.
Well after all the trouble I had to give up. I recently bought a Raspberry Pi Zero, which I thought about using to finish it, but then I got carried away by another challenge that i set me.
Building it into a standard keyboard that has a small USB hub integrated into it. Less space, but its cool to have a full PC inside a keyboard that has ports to hook up a mouse and maybe a memory stick or WiFi.
Out of curiosity, what happened with that project you mentioned in your last post? Did you succeed in integrating the Zero and a USB hub inside the keyboard? If not, I'm tempted to ask if you'd be willing to lend your Zero to a fellow hardware hacker for a project. Wink
KermMartian wrote:
Out of curiosity, what happened with that project you mentioned in your last post? Did you succeed in integrating the Zero and a USB hub inside the keyboard? If not, I'm tempted to ask if you'd be willing to lend your Zero to a fellow hardware hacker for a project. Wink

Is the Odroid-W not working out for you?
Ivoah wrote:
KermMartian wrote:
Out of curiosity, what happened with that project you mentioned in your last post? Did you succeed in integrating the Zero and a USB hub inside the keyboard? If not, I'm tempted to ask if you'd be willing to lend your Zero to a fellow hardware hacker for a project. Wink

Is the Odroid-W not working out?
It's working out rather well, but I need a Zero for another non-(Raspberry-Pi-in-a-calculator) project, I have utterly failed to get one anywhere, including in MagPi magazine, and I remember Muessigb was thinking of throwing out his parts from the earlier parts of this project.
  
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