Hello, i am looking into controlling a shift register such as the 595 or this using the link port on the ti84+. I know that the link port has a left and right channel, plus what i presume is ground. Could i use the left and right chanels as the data and clock for the shift register? It seams like i could, but i don't realy know much about electrical engineering, so i wanted to make sure/get help on how to do this. I want to allow the calculator to control two h-bridges, (using the link port+shift registers seemed the esiest way to do this), plus maybe recive distance data from a sonar. (And yes i know you cant simultaneously send/read data, thats why i have the usb port suggestion below.

On a side note, could/should i use the usb port instead to do this? If so, what kind of ICs will i need?[/url]

Controlling a shift register from the linkport is totally possible. A while ago I made a program that could control LEDs from the linkport over SPI, and that's kinda how a shift register works. Feel free to look at the code and borrow parts, just be sure to give credit where credit is due Here's the link to the topic: https://www.cemetech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11712

1) Yes, you could control a shift register, using one line as data and one as clock. The hardest part would be that you wouldn't be able to reset/output the shift register.
2) A better option, if you have an Arduino, MSP432, or similar around, would be to use ArTICL to control your motors and sensors with your calculator.

Took a look at it; thankyou for trying to help, but it would be a lot more useful to me if you included a schematic



I have thought about using an arduino, but i want to make a calc powered robot (powered as in controlled). If i add an arduino, then i might as well use the more powerful arduino to control the robot :-/ On a side note, would it be possible to control the shift register via the usb port? I would also like to add an SR04, but i don't know if that will be possible. (As far as i can tell you cant use the usb port to get input from the SR04)

Not necessarily. The calculator has 12x more RAM and >10x more Flash than an Arduino, depending on the calculator model. The calculator has a 50-key keypad and a 96x64-pixel screen (at least), which the Arduino lacks. Combining a calculator with an Arduino for a robot does make sense to me, despite the faster processor and GPIO capabilities of the Arduino. On the pre-CE calculators, you can bitbang communication through the USB port, but if you're adding even more hardware that would work well through GPIO ports, you have even more good reason to use an Arduino (or Launchpad).

I agree with Kerm here, combining the GPIO capabilities of an Arduino and the interactivity of a calculator makes perfect sense. If you're really ambitious, you could have the Arduino interpret the norland robot commands, so you could use their app.

Well ... after some considerations, i decided that will probably use one. I mean, it might be possible with out one, but using an arduino might be easier. Still, i think it will look cooler/more impresive without an Arduino XD

It will definitely be easier to interface a large number of motors and sensors, if you so choose; I think that's something that you should strive for rather than the impressiveness of minimal components, in this case. Duly noted, and I very much understand where you're coming from. I constantly grumble about people using Arduinos for things that could have been solved with 74-series logic or a simple 555.