0: Get Graph-Link | 1: Backup | 2: Screen Shots
| 3: Download a Program | 4:
Write Program
5: IVIEW and Images | 6:
Flash Downloads
The connections: It is
not necessary to have both an Internet connection and a
calculator connection simultaneously, but it sure helps!
If you have an internal modem and an available serial
port on the back of your computer, then you can probably
have a simultaneous Internet and calculator connection.
If you use an external modem, you might be able to
connect the modem to one serial port and the Graph-Link
cable to the other serial port. If you use an external
modem and have only one serial port (as on most laptops)
then you cannot connect the Internet and your calculator
simultaneously.
Types of files you'll find on the
World Wide Web:
- HTM or HTML: these are "Web pages", files that
a Web browser displays.
- ZIP: compressed files containing other files. Use
a program like WinZip (http://www.winzip.com)
or PKzip (http://www.pkware.com).
- UUE: (Unix to Unix Encoded) files. These are
usually 'binary' files (program files) converted to text
files so that they can be transmitted via email or posted
to Usenet newsgroups. Avoid them.
- EXE, COM: these files are 'computer programs' or 'executable'
files. EXE files may be DOS or Windows programs. COM
files are DOS 'commands' but may run through Windows in a
DOS box. The Graph-Link programs are EXE files.
- OCX, DLL, VBX: Windows 'support files'. These are files
that a Windows EXE file might use. They are usually
stored in c:\windows\system on your computer, but
may also reside in the program's home directory.
- 73*, 8**, 9**: TI calculator files. There are many
different types of files. Some can be opened in the Graph-Link
software. All can be sent directly to your calculator
using Graph-Link.
- PDF: (Portable Document Format) Adobe Acrobat
documents. You can read these files using the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html).
Many of the Calculator Activities on TI's Website can be
downloaded in PDF format for offline reading and high-quality
printing (http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/activities.htm).
Must-haves:
- Internet access and a Web browser.
- TI calculator with a link port (this
leaves out the TI-81).
- Graph-Link cable. All TI calculators use
the same cable. This is a PC to calculator cable
with a 1/8" jack on one end and a 25-pin
serial connector on the other. You may also need
a 25-pin to 9-pin adapter or a 25-pin to MAC
cable. These extras are included in the 'full'
Graph-Link package.
- Graph-Link software for your computer.
Each TI calculator requires a different Graph-Link
program. These programs can be downloaded for
free from the TI Website (http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/link.htm)
|
Activity 0: Get the Graph-Link software
- Establish an Internet connection, and load your browser.
- Browser tip #1: NEVER DOUBLE-CLICK on a link!
- Browser tip #2: If the BACK button changes from 'enabled'
to 'disabled', click the 'X' button in the upper right
corner of the browser window to close it.
- Get the Graph-Link software from http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/link.htm.
It comes in an EXE (setup) file. Download it to c:\temp.
Run the EXE file to set up the Graph-Link software.
- Connect your Graph-Link cable to the computer and to the
calculator.
- Run the Graph-Link software and set up the COM port that
the cable is connected to (see the Link menu). To
test your connection, use the Link/Receive menu item.
- The Graph-Link programs are all slightly different!
Activity 1: Back up your
calculator Note: The
TI-82 and TI-85 calculators require you to work with both
the calculator keyboard and the
computer software to transfer files. The other
calculators let you do all transfers without touching the
calculator ("Live-Link").
Tip: Know where your files
are! For this session all your data files are
going into the c:\temp folder or to your own diskette (a:\).
|
- Assuming calculator and computer are connected and ON...
- Run the Graph-Link software.
- On the Link menu, choose Get Backup or Link/Receive
(and select "all files").
- Troubleshooting: If you get a "Transmission
Error":
- Is the Graph-Link cable connected securely
at both ends?
Is the calculator ON and on the HOME
screen?
Is the correct COM port selected in the Link menu?
- (82/85) additional step: The Graph-Link program should
display "Waiting
". Go to the calculator
and perform Link/Backup/Transmit.
- The default filename is backup.??b. You can change
the filename but do not change the extension. Save
it in c:\temp or on your disk (a:\).
Activity 2: Paste calculator screen
shots into your word processor
- Run Graph-Link and your word processor.
- Display any desired screen on the calculator.
- In Graph-Link, select Link/Get Screen and send it
to the (important!) clipboard.
- Switch to the word processor.
- Place the cursor at the point where you want the picture
to go.
- Select Edit/Paste.
- You may be able to do custom editing, but the methods
depend on the word processor.
Activity 3: Download a calculator
program from the Internet and send it to the calculator
Part 1: from Internet to Computer
- Aim your browser at ftp://ftp.ti.com/pub/graph-ti/calc-apps
- FTP stands for "File Transfer Protocol", a way
to copy files over the Internet. The 'page' you now see
is a directory listing of the TI calculator
program archive. Navigate to a directory (/83/math).
Each program consists of two files: a TXT file that
describes the program and a "P" or
"G" file that contains the Program
or a Group of calculator stuff. Avoid "UUE"
files.
- Click on the text file (ALGEBRA.TXT) to load it in
the browser, read it, and print it from the browser (File/Print).
- Click the BACK button on the browser's toolbar to
go back to the directory.
- Click on the calculator file (ALGEBRA.83G) and
download it to c:\temp.
Note: some browsers try to display these
files. If that happens, you will see 'garbage' on the
screen. Click the BACK button to go back to the
directory listing and right-click the ALGEBRA.83G
file. On the menu, select "Save Target As
"
or "Save Link As
".
Part II: from Computer to Calculator
- Run Graph-Link. Make sure the Link cable is plugged
into the calculator and the calculator is ON.
- (82/85) On the 82/85, press Link/Receive. The calculator
screen should display "Waiting
". The
other calculators should just be on the HOME screen.
- In Graph-Link, select Link/Send.
- Navigate to c:\temp.
- Select the file (ALGEBRA.83G), click the ADD
button, then click the OK button. Several files
are downloaded to your calculator. A "G" file
is a "Group" of calculator files stored in one
computer file.
- Press the PRGM key on the calculator to see the
programs that were downloaded!
Activity 4: Write and send a program
with Graph-Link
All the Graph-Link programs have a
built-in program editor and shortcuts to the programming
commands in the calculator. You can edit and send a
program quickly to the calculator right from the program
editor. You can type in programs 'by hand' or select
programming statements from a menu.
- Run Graph-Link.
- If there is no program window,
select File/New.
- Type a program into the program
window: (do not type the colons; they will appear
each time you press the Enter key) (Where
do you get that 'square root' symbol?)
- Save the program in c:\temp
or on your diskette.
- (82/85) be sure the calculator is
'Waiting
"
- Click the SEND button in
the program editor window to 'quick send' this
program to the calculator.
- If you want the program to be 'un-editable'
in the calculator, check the 'Protected' or 'Edit
Lock' check box before sending.
- Press the PRGM; or Var-Link key on the
calculator to verify that the program is in the
calculator.
- Run the program in the calculator,
not on the computer.
- If there is an error, do not fix
it in the calculator: fix it on the computer and
re-send it.
- You can save this program on the
computer (in a "P" file). You can open
other programs (and have multiple program windows
open simultaneously for copying chunks of code).
- In the 92 and 89 Graph-Link you
can also edit TEXT files and DATA files.
|
|
Activity 5: Fun with Image files
Image files are calculator PIC files sent to the computer,
not 'Screen Shots'. Using IVIEW for Windows 95, you can open,
edit, and print these "I" files on your computer.
- Get IVIEW:
- On the Internet, go to http://www.bergen.org/~tejohhan/iview.html
- Download a "Setup package" for the
calculator you use into c:\temp. This is a
ZIP file.
- If you don't have WinZip or PKZip, get it and
install it (see page 1).
- Unzip the IVIEW Setup package (if you installed
WinZip, just double-click the IVIEW.ZIP file to
run WinZip on it and extract the files.
- Run SETUP.EXE. This will install the IVIEW
program on your computer.
- Run IVIEW and Graph-Link simultaneously.
- On your calculator
- Get a graph screen that you like.
- Save the picture in a PICture variable in the
calculator. The calculators differ in the method:
- 82/83/73: Use Draw/STO/StorePic, then
Vars/Picture, and choose one, then press Í .
- 85/86: Use Draw/StorePic and enter a name
for the picture, then press Enter.
- 92/89: On the graph screen, press F1:
Save copy as. In the dialog box,
change the type from GDB to Picture,
choose a folder from the second list, and
enter a filename in the Variable box.
Press Enter to save it. This saves the
entire screen.
- Use Graph-Link to get the PICture from the calculator to
the computer
- Get the picture file from the calculator and save
it in c:\temp. The file extension will end
in "I" (89I, 92I, 73I, etc.)
- In IVIEW
- Open the file, edit it and save it.
- Use Graph-Link to send it back to the calculator.
- Back on the calculator
- Use RclPic <picvar> to
display an image. It helps to first clear the
graph screen and turn off all functions,
plots, and the axes so they dont mess up
the picture.
Activity 6: Flash downloads
The TI-73, TI-89, and TI-92+ have 'Flash' memory. This
makes the operating system of the calculator 'upgradeable'.
Software is available at
http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/downloads.htm
|
Flash software comes in EXE files that install the APP or OS.
Just
- back up your calculator files using Graph-Link (see
Activity 1)
- download the Flash upgrade program
- run the Flash upgrade program on your computer with the
calculator connected
TI-73:
The base operating system: http://www.ti.com/calc/flash/73winbase.htm
The CBL/CBR application: http://www.ti.com/calc/flash/73wincbl.htm
TI-89:
The base operating system: http://www.ti.com/calc/flash/89winbase.htm.
TI-92+:
The base operating system: http://www.ti.com/calc/flash/92pwinbase.htm.
TI-83+:
All information on this new (11 Jan 1999) is
at http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/83plus.htm
last updated 08/23/1999
(c) John Hanna, all rights reserved
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