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 (Central Processing Unit) | 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+.