mViewer is my BMP viewer for Ndless 1.7.



The code is based on the demo b JayTe that was published on TI-Bank for Goplat's emulator allmost a year ago.
It also includes some come from Levak (zoom).


Of course nothing very impressing... you allready have such a tool in another topic.


But if I tell you that:

* you can browse the whole filesystem (you can put the reader and the bitmaps in different folders)

* you can scroll while viewing the image (yes, you're not limited to the screen dimensions any more)

* you can zoom in/out on the image (keys: * / )

* you can set the constrat while viewing the image (keys: + -)

* you can open any BMP file:
- included support for 1/2/4/8/16/24/32 bits images
- included support of RGB/RGBA/RGBAX encoding (yes, 'Alpha' is supported - 'X' is ignored)
- included support for BITFIELD mode (specified RGBAX)
- included support for raw or RLE-compressed data


What do you say ?

Drawing on the TI-Nspire screen without using Ndless...
And if it was possible?...


What do you think of this:

The TI-82Stats.fr and TI-76.fr are 2 cheap graphic calculators available in France.


They include a 256Kb TI-83 compatible OS translated in french.
(TI-Connect detects them as TI-83 calculators - TI-83 assembly programs are working on them - and the dumped ROMs can be used with any TI-83 emulator)

But those calculators become quite interesting when you look at the PCB:
TI-76.fr: http://www.datamath.org/Graphing/Images/TI-76FR_PCB.jpg
TI-82Stats.fr: http://www.datamath.org/Graphing/Images/TI-82STATS_FR_P0509G_PCB.jpg

1st big surprise, unlike TI-83 calculators they don't have a 256Kb EPROM, but a 512Kb FlashROM.
The FlashROM is either a Spansion S29AL004D70 either a MX29LV400, which are both pin compatible and used in recent TI-73 and TI-83+ calculators.

2nd big surprise, the CPU/ASIC is a TI-REF TI-738X, which is also used in recent TI-73 and TI-83+ calculators.

So, the TI-76.fr and TI-82Stats.fr PCB are very similar to recent TI-73 or TI-83+ PCB:
TI-73: http://www.datamath.org/Graphing/Images/TI-73_P0803G_PCB.jpg
TI-83+: http://www.datamath.org/Graphing/Images/TI-83PlusFR_PCB.jpg


So, my goal is to develop a simple way to flash a TI-83+ or TI-73 OS in those calculators.
I'm posting my discoveries, hoping that you will be able to help me.


I've checked the connections between the FlashROM and the ASIC chips on the TI-76.fr and TI-82Stats.fr. Here is what I have up to now:

Legend:
In black, pins not connected to the PCB circuit.
In white,grounded pins.
Connected pins are in the same color.




As FloppusMaximus had noticed, the flash-write pin WE# is connected to the ASIC.
So from the hardware side, the ROM can be flashed.

The highest flash address pin, A17, is grounded. So you cannot accesss the full 512Kb bytes, but only the 1st 256Kb bytes.

Checking in a recent TI-83+, I could find the matching A17 pin on the ASIC.
You just have to:
- disconnect A17 flash pin from ground
- connect A17 flash pin to A17 ASIC pin



Now, from the hardware-side, the full 512Kb bytes can be accessed.


Unfortunately, I haven't managed to trigger any boot code menu using the ON+DEL key.

To my knowledge, the 256Kb dump file is a standard TI-83 OS. That means:
- no boot code
- no functions to write the flash
- impossible to access more than 256Kb ROM

So, I cannot even dump the hidden 256kb to check for a boot code...


So I'm asking for the help of the best TI-83/83+ programmers/hackers out there.

How could we manage to flash a TI-83+ boot code and then a TI-83+ OS ?


I also have some questions:

- How is it possible for the same ASIC to be able to run both TI-83 and TI-83+ OSes ?
I thought that many ports were behaving differently on those calculators...
How are the ports behaviors set up ?

- How is it possible for the same ASIC to be able to boot with or without a boot code?
TI-83+ calculators have a boot code in the last 16Kb sector of the ROM...
To my knowledge, there is no such boot code in the 256Kb TI-82Stats.fr / TI-76.fr dump files, and even if such a boot code was written higher in ROM, it could not be accessed before moding the calculator as explained above.


If we manage to come out with a not to complicated mod, many french students will be very happy.

Please, help me.

This topic is about jailbreaking the TI-Nspire CAS+ with OS 1.0.554.

Crossposting from TI-Bank and UTI, in case anyone can help with ideas or tests.



I have done some tests for months by my side. Here are my results so far:


1)a) Calculator "Send OS":

The "Send OS" menu is disabled.
Even when you connect the calculator to a computer, to a TI-Nspire/Nspire CAS, or even to another TI-Nspire CAS+.

According to tests I had asked for to Datamath, the "Send OS" menu was enabled on previous CAS+ OSes (1.0.4xx, 1.0.3xx). But I've never seen those older prototypes anywhere outside  the Datamath museum.


1)b) Calculator file architecture:

According to a basic link tool I've developped:

The CAS+ doesn't understand ".." folder
It has no "/phoenix" folder.

Visible folders are only:
"/"
"/phx"
"/phx/documents"
"/phx/tmp"

And nothing interesting in those folders.

So, the OS is not visible in the filesystem.

Notice: with so few files, the systems reports 5.9Mb used in the 27.8Mb Flash file system... Where are those Mb?...


2) Maintenance menu:

Do not try menu+enter+p. It doesn't show a menu, but does remove the OS.


3) Diagnostic menu:

I haven't managed to trigger the diagnostic menu.
With Esc+Menu+G, the calculator just doesn't turn on until you remove the batteries... Strange...


4) Ndless 1.4/1.7:

Great news! Trying to install Ndless 1.4/1.7 crashes the calculator!

You can still move the pointer and turn the calculator off and on.
But that's all.
All other keys seem useless...
And except about the pointer, the screen is not updated and seems frozen: no "low battery" or "low ressources" indicator flashing, no control key flag...

Seems the main program/OS loop is crashed/stucked, but that interrupts are still working.

It would be great to try to install Ndless 1.0/1.1/1.1.1...


5) Computer "Send OS":

The TI-Nspire Computer Link 1.0 looks for ".tnc" OS update files.
If a CAS+ calculator is connected, you immediatly get a "bad file" error when trying to flash the 1.1 CAS OS, or even the 1.1 OS renamed from ".tno" to ".tnc".

I've used a Java decompiler. The sources were not 100% ok (won't compile again - syntax errors), but here is what I have understood about the "Send OS" code. Note, I might be wrong.

- I think the ".tnc" file is not sent to the calculator.
- The ".tnc" file is decompressed on the computer in a temporary folder.
- All included files are sent one by one to the CAS+ in the "/phx/tmp" folder.
- The code checks that you've sent a ".img" file, and a "manifest_img" file.
- Then, the code calls a native method installOS() with the calculator pathes of both above files.

I've made various tests by sending such files to the "/phx/tmp" folder, but the native installOS() just triggers a "Bad File" exception without telling me anything more.

Notice: even after sending severall Mb of data in the "/phx/tmp" folder, the free space remains unchanged.


That's all for today.


I've got 2 identical TI-Nspire CAS+.
If you've got any idea of other interesting tests, just tell me.



What would be interesting to do with the CAS+ is:
- installing Ndless 1.0/1.1/1.1.1
- installing Ndless 1.4/1.7
- dumping/reflashing the 1.0 OS
- dumping the 1.0 boot2
- flashing a 1.1 OS
- flashing a 1.1 boot2

Soon, thanks to Ndless 1.7, we're going to have ASM support on the TI-Nspire with an OS which is also usable to work/study!
You won't have to choose any more...
You won't have to constantly upgrade/downgrade any more each time your needs vary...

Wonderfull,isn't it?

 
Well... There's another major big problem, and I would like it to be discussed here, and solved if possible.

We've got many games on the TI-Nspire (NES games, Game Boy games, Game Boy Color games...) but a large majority of them is unplayable without catching a headache!


Here is THE problem:

(all images in this post come from datamath.org)

Yes, the screen!
Because of its high remanence delay, we just can't play any game which updates the screen widely.

An you just can't hope for a better screen from TI... They perfectly know it's the last thing that is preventing us from playing fully with the Nspire.

Does that mean we are condemned to play classic board games like chess or checkers?...
Does that mean we are condemned to play games which will have lower graphics than TI-89/92/V200 games?


Then... we have to solve the problem.

The screen has a standard resolution of 320x240.
That's a good thing if we need to replace it!


The screen comes on a separate PCB.
That could have been a good thing, but those PCBs aren't just dedicated to the screen.
They take care of the exam LED, of the mini-usb plug, and of the rechargeable battery.
So it seems we'll have to keep those PCB, and cannot easily replace them...

Let's look at those PCBs:

non-CAS ClickPad:


CAS ClickPad:


non-CAS TouchPad:


CAS TouchPad:



ClickPad CAS and non-CAS PCBs are identical, except that the exam LED is not soldered on the CAS PCB. They're identified by a string: "P1R2/P3_LB_MP_2440".
They have a 34pins connector, identified by the string "Ph3_EVT1_FPC_1413".

TouchPad CAS and non-CAS PCBs seems identical. They're identified by a string: "TG2995-C-LB-2410".
They have a 38pins connector, identified by the string "Nspire2.0_FPC_130".


The LCD is controlled by 3 display drivers:
- 1 Novatek NT7702 chip caring of the 240 rows
- 2 unidentified identical chips care of 160 columns each


Now, we have to find out who's guilty.
The screen? One or severall of the display drivers? Both?

If a display driver is guilty, could we find (with Ndless) a way to configure it?

Can the drivers and/or the screen be "easily" replaced? Is the screen just attached to those wire-ribbons, or is there something else?


Any information/idea will be appreciated. Please post your experiences and photos.

Sad news...

TI US/Canada web site hasn't annouced it yet, but according to TI-Germany and TI-Swiss web sites, the TI-84+SE has been discontinued. :'(

The TI-84+SE had 1.5Mb archive memory. The basic TI-84+ only has 480Kb... If this is not enough, the only choice remaining is the TI-Nspire.


Another action from TI in order to force users to the Nspire technology.

Too bad they try to sell more TI-Nspire calculators, not by improving the Nspire OS, but by discontinuing other calculators, so that the Nspire will remain the only choice.


More information in the TI-Bank news:
http://ti.bank.free.fr/index.php?mod=news&ac=commentaires&id=868

Link to the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition page from Swiss, in French:
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/SUISSE/productDetail/chf_ti84pse.html

UPDATE by DJ Omnimaga (October 4th 2010): It seems all the production stoppages were removed altogether. Was this a mistake? Did someone from the US/Canada division of TI thought it was an error and edited them back even if it is not an error? Or... are Texas Instruments just unable to make up their mind?

TI has released OS 2.1 for the TI-Nspire and the TI-Nspire CAS.



The OS has allmost no new feature for the user. And strangely, TI has made great annoucements on their site...
I thought there were something suspectfull...


And unfortunately there is!

Once you have installed OS 2.1 on your TI-Nspire ClickPad or TouchPad, you can't downgrade any more to OS 1.6 or older. So you can't use Ndless any more.

I've made many tests this evening, and I found no way to bypass that protection.


Strangely, the included boot2 is the same (1.4.1571). May be the protection has allready been there for a long time, and has just been activated by OS 2.1. Installing a 1.7/2.0 OS doesn't disable the protection. Even the maintenance menu, with "remove OS" or even "complete reformat" doesn't help.



For more information, just Google-tranlate (french):
* my news on TI-Bank -> http://ti.bank.free.fr/index.php?mod=news&ac=commentaires&id=837
* my tests on the TI-Bank forum -> http://tibank.forumactif.com/actualites-f25/os-21-sorti-t5803.htm

UPDATE by DJ Omnimaga: Moved to News section and submitted to Digg at http://digg.com/software/Texas_Instruments_takes_control_of_their_TI_Nspire_customers (I wonder what is the French equivalent of Digg). Please digg so more people in the world knows about TI actions.

UPDATE by DJ Omnimaga (July 18th 2010): Slashdot article at http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/07/18/0152245/TI-vs-Calculator-Hobbyists-Again