TI-83 Plus Asm Tutorials

Version 1.02, 2.01

Authored by Jeff Chai

Quick Start to: === Table of Contents ------- Z80 Instructional References ------ Credits ====== Web Links

Introduction

What is a TI-83 Plus? If you don't know this, delete this help file immediately and pray for mercy... Just kidding:) A TI-83 Plus is a Graphing Calculator made by Texas Instruments . Take a look at the specs below:



TI 83+ Specifications

CPU ( C entral P rocessing U nit) 8MHz Z80 (running at 6Mhz) Available Flash ROM (Archive Mem) 160KB Available RAM (User Memory) 24KB user RAM Power 4AAA batteries (Main) 1 CR 1616 (Back-UP) Display (Lcd) 64 x 96 Pixels Built in Programming Languages TI-Basic and Assembly Mean Price $140CDN, $95US

The TI-83 Plus isn't that much different from the TI-83. Besides the added Flash ROM and different key pad setup, the TI-83 Plus is almost the exact same thing. After all, they are designed to work side by side with each other. A cool fact about the Z80 processor is that it is the same processor used in Nintendo's Game Boy!

What should I do to learn TI-83 Plus Asm ?

For starters, you should read each tutorial and follow along with what each one says. This tutorial was not meant to replace ASMguru, well sort of, at least for purposes of getting the user acquainted with TI-83 Plus Asm. Skipping tutorials is not recommended because each one will likely build off the previous one.

Programming Languages

There are two built-in languages you can program in on the TI-83 Plus, z80 Assembly language and TI-Basic.

TI-Basic

Have you ever heard of Visual Basic or QBasic ? Both of them are powerful programming languages. They are rather easy to learn and understand. TI-Basic, which can be programmed directly on the calculator, takes the most common commands from the latter and adds a few calculator commands. It can be programmed directly on the calculator, or written on the computer, and then sent to the calculator. TI-Basic should be mastered before attempting Assembly language. TI-Basic programs are generally slower than Asm programs due to the fact that the calculator reads each command line in the TI-Basic program one at a time.



Assembly Language

Assembly Language, also called Asm or Assembler language, is the lowest level language you can program on a CPU. In other words, programs written in Asm are given access to restricted areas in the CPU's (calculator's) memory, therefore any bugs in the program could cause the calculator to crash and reset. Sometimes ALL the batteries in the calculator need to be removed to recover from a crash. Using a calculator emulator such as Virtual TI is the only safe way to test an Asm program. Asm programs run faster than their TI-Basic counterparts because Asm programs are compiled into the calculators native language.



About the Author

The author of this great tutorial is Jeff Chai. I am (believe it or not) an eighth grader at Kingsview MS. I have a 4.0 GPA (pretty good...). Yes, I was really excited when I got my TI-83 Plus and TI-89 though I was disappointed when no one knew how to program in Asm for the TI-83 Plus. I live in Gaithersburg, Md. I play the Piano and the Violin. I can program in Visual Basic (and QBasic), C, C++, TI-Basic and Z80 Assembly. My favorite computer game? That would have to be Command & Conquer. I learned Asm with the help of Robert Senser. He's a great guy, knows his stuff...



I'm currently making this tutorial as I learn TI-83 Plus Asm. If you need help, contact me at ecchai@netzero.net . Please report any false information in this tutorial to me immediately. You will receive the proper acknowledgements, just don't scrutinize my work (That includes spelling errors). If I forget to give someone credit, don't kill me, I'm only human, let me know as soon as possible. If text or font compatibility problems arise, let me know and I will send you a version with corrected text formatting.

About the HTML porter

The porter of this file in HTML is [ftp83+]. I'm also the author of www.ftp83plus.zip.to, a site that talks about TI83+, only TI 83+.

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