In a previous news, we saw that a small broaching difference around the NOR Flash chip in TI-Nspire ClickPad prototypes was making the chip writeable.

This ability to reprogram the Boot1 had then helped us transforming TI-Nspire ClickPad prototypes into fully functionnal production TI-Nspire.



In a previous news, an anonymous source had published information about a hardware mod for production TI-Nspire ClickPad, which would make the Flash NOR chip writeable like on prototypes.

We were unable to obtain any further information, so it was best to try ourselves to check:

The installation does require a switch to toggle between the original and modified states of the calculator. Indeed, in the modified state the calculator does not boot, which suggests that there are other hardware differences with the prototypes since those are able to boot in this state.


Once the OS has started, you just have to flip the switch before launching the NOR flasher.

Let's try to reprogram a 1.1.8916 Boot1, with its version string modified to 1.1.9999...


Success!



Since you can now modify the Boot1 exactly as you want, it becomes possible to program anything as Boot2 and diagnostics software, or even as OS.

The possibilities are simply huge!
Note that the Boot1 does launch either the Boot2, either the diagnostic software. Both use the same format in memory and are fully interchangeable, the only constraint being the size (the diags area is limited to 640KB, but the code can be compressed).

We could have our own diagnostics / troubleshooting / maintenance software, with more and greater options than the official one...

Or permanently install Linux by programming a loader as a Boot2 or Diags...

Or even have a true dual-boot, to run two different OS ... for example to switch between the Nspire OS and Linux... or to switch between OS 3.1 (for Ndless) and OS 3.2 (for new Lua apps)... No need for a computer or another calculator anymore to constantly install the currently needed OS every 2 days!

And much more...



But don't be too excited: we are talking about TI-Nspire ClickPad sold until 2009-2010, which had an external Flash-NOR chip.

From 2010-2011, TI-Nspire TouchPad, CX and CM had their Flash-NOR chip moved inside the ASIC.

This internal Flash-NOR internal is unknown and probably write-protected. A similar change would require to uncap the ASIC chip without destroying it and then modify it under a microscope... Let's say it more simply: it's impossible.



Source:
http://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=133688&lang=en

Yes, I was thinking to FormulaPro indeed but not only.
Linux, nSDL and Ndless 3.1 (which is a completely different program than Ndless 2.0) too.

I won't mention my own programs, but...

Today, Dec. 12, 2012, just some minutes ago, TI released the new TI-Nspire OS 3.2.3.1233.
This seems to be a very minor update.

Indeed, on the one hand the 3.1.0.392 version is still installable and as a consequence Ndless is not completely blocked yet, and secondly the Arabic language, the next great TI-Nspire OS innovation is not yet available.
There is no significant increase in the size of the OS files either.
Finally, the previous version being 3.2.0.1219, there have been only 14 recompilations of the OS since June 2012, which would be extremely low.

Indeed, the official changelog confirms:

• Additional iterations were added to solve specific logistic regressions
• Fixed bug: Changes to the initial term of a sequence are not stored in the document
• The performance of the program when using the DISP command has been improved

That's it.

There is no new boot2 update with these 3.2.3 OSes.
OS for TI-Nspire ClickPad / TouchPad still comes with Boot2 3.0.1 and OSes for TI-Nspire CX with boot2 3.1.0.



Source:
http://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=133514&lang=en

Links:
OS 3.2.3.1233 for TI-Nspire CX CAS
OS 3.2.3.1233 for TI-Nspire CX
OS 3.2.3.1233 for TI-Nspire CAS
OS 3.2.3.1233 for TI-Nspire

The TI-Nspire softwares and TI-Nspire CM are staying with version 3.2.0 for now.

What?
I've posted in the cncalc.org topic, and my post has just disappeared...

Was my english considered as spam by some bot/script? Is english forbidden?...
http://www.cncalc.org/thread-8175-1-1.html

Yes, a group price would be nice.

PLT-SSH1 + PLT-FHH1 + TI-Nspire CAS+ DVT + TI-XXXXXXXXXXX

An USB/TTL based interfaced will be much easier, as powered through the computer USB.

Which part of the socket did break? The part on the screen PCB which is hosting NAND and NOR chips? Or the part on the keyboard/battery PCB?

If the screen PCB is intact, I just have to swap it with another non-CAS TI-Nspire CX and I should be able to dump Boot1/Boot2/Diags/OS.


Could you show us a photo of both PCB and of the sockets?

Can you still turn it on? While there is still a way to turn it on for some minutes, I can still do something with it.



While it's still possible to do something with it, yes I'd still like to receive it

Last july on TI-Planet, we supposed that the next Nspire OS was going to include support for a 16th language, arabic.

This evening, we've finally found some evidence of it:

So let's switch the language to arabic, and discover the first captures of our next Nspire OS:


Wow!
It's not just a translation like when two chinese languages were added in OS 3.0... The home screen has completely been inverted horizontally!

Well, not just the home screen... All the interface items are switched from right to left too!

The input has been adapted too: in arabic mode, when you enter some text it is inserted from the right of the screen, and by default right-aligned.

Note the "AR" mode in the top left-hand corner.
Enabled and disabled by the key, it lets you directly input arabic characters using the alphabetical keys.



Such a major modification of the interface in a few months seems quite impressive. Was it planned from the start with some kind of a stylesheet?...





Source:
http://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=10818