Basic Calculator Operation

Q- My calculator won’t turn on! What do I do?

A- First, open your battery cover and make sure the batteries are in the correct direction. If your calculator still will not turn on, try changing your batteries.

A- Yes, all TI-83+ games work on the TI-84+, so you can just download the TI-83+ version and send it to your calculator.

Sending Programs to your Calculator

Q- What program do I use to transfer games to my calculator?

A- You can use the TI Connect program from Texas Instruments, which can be found on their website. If you are transfering to a TI-NSpire, use the TI-NSpire Computer Link Software.

A- This is most commonly caused because the files you wish to be transferred were not extracted from the ZIP file first. You can visit our tutorial for transferring files in the tutorial section.

Running Programs on your Calculator

Related to running programs in Mirage OS

Q- After I run a program, Mirage OS flashes a blank screen. Why?

A- This is a common occurance on the calculators–it simply means that you do not have the required amount of free RAM on your calculator.

How to solve- Delete or archive programs in order to continue.

A- To exit Mirage OS, press the [MODE] key on your calculator. For more key shortcuts, refer to the Mirage OS manual.

Related to Mario 2.0 by Sam Heald

Q- Mario says “No Levels Found”! What do I do?

A- First, make sure a level set was sent to your calculator. The default levels that come with Mario are called “NAGEL”. If program “NAGEL” (or another level set) is not on your calculator, download a level set from the TI Wizard Downloads Archive.

A- On some newer TI-84+ and TI-83+ Silver Edition calculators, Texas Instruments decided to take a shortcut and buy slightly cheaper LCD screens. This slanted effect is the result of a defective driver and is not the fault of the programmer.

How to fix- Download and run ALCDFIX everytime you reset your RAM. This only works on TI-83+ Silver Editions, TI-84+, and TI-84+ Silver Edition calculators.

By far the most advanced calculator on the market, the TI NSpire once again increases the number of functions available to the student with operating system upgrade version 1.6.4379.

Deep Sleep Mode

With new and more powerful devices comes shorter battery life. Fortunatly, the life of the 4 AAA batteries in your TI NSpire will be better used over long periods of inactivity with the new Deep Sleep mode. After four days of no use, the calculator will automatically switch into “Deep Sleep”. Once turned back on with the “On” key, the calculator will boot up as if you had switched the keypads.

This new mode enables the calculator to sit over long breaks, such as winter or summer breaks, without draining the batteries.

Battery Indicators

In addition to Deep Sleep, you are better warned when your batteries are low with the new battery indicator. With five states, instead of the previous three, you have a greater chance to save your work and change your batteries before unsaved documents are lost.

New Math and Science Functions

In addition to the new power saving features, the TI NSpire is now able to preform a variety of new math and science functions.

First, the TI NSpire can now manipulate quadradic equations in their normal form. Students are enabled to drag and move the graphs to discover how the A, B, and C values are changed in the equation.

In addition, there are now documents that can be used to aid in graphing differentials and sequences.

While graphing on the TI NSpire, you can use the new “Point of Interest” menu to find values like the Minimum and Maximum values, as well as intersection points.

Lastly, you may use the new “approximate fraction” function when using the TI NSpire.

Finance Calculator

In addition to graphing functions, the TI NSpire has a new Finance Menu to aid in the calculation of cash flow, and other finance related variables.

Variable Width Spreadsheets

The last important enhancement will be a big relief to the heavy spreadsheet users– you may now save your spreadsheets with user-defined column widths. Unlike in previous OS versions, you can now drag the columns to be as wide, or narrow, as you like.

In addition to these promanent features available to all users, bug fixes have been made in the software in order to provide a more streamlined experience.

However, it does not end at the calculator OS– the TI NSpire Computer Link Software has been updated to allow for automatic OS upgrades. Now, when you connect your calculator to your computer through the TI NSpire Computer Link Software, you will recieve a notice if there is an operating system upgrade available.