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Crosspost: Great sale on TI-84 Plus CE color graphing calculator


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Since some here are phobic about reading the Chat Board, I thought I would cross-post this information:

 

The TI-84 Plus CE color graphing calculator is on sale right now at Wal-Mart for $88:

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Texas-Instruments-TI-84-Plus-CE-Graphing-Calculator/44662631

 

Here is some great information about the calculator provided by Lanny in that thread:

 

The TI-84 Plus CE can be taken in for the PSAT, SAT and ACT exams and others.   It comes with a rechargeable battery, is much faster, much thinner, etc.

 

Yes, there *are* some operational differences, between the original TI-84 Plus, the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition and the new TI-84 Plus CE.   I told my DD she may need to do some things slightly differently, if she is shown information about the original TI-84 Plus in her course(s). 

 

This is a link to a TI web page about the Ti-84 Plus CE. They have another web page (I'm not sure of the URL) that shows the differences between the different models in the TI-84 Plus series.  https://education.ti.com/en/us/products/calculators/graphing-calculators/ti-84-plus-ce/tabs/accessories#tab=overview

 

One of these will get a student through Calculus and Statistics.   They have a one year warranty in the USA, but hopefully will last for many years, if used gently.

 

If you do not want the black color, you will pay $117-$123:

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/TI-84-Plus-CE-Graphing-Calculator/45701668

 

The also have the "Silver Edition" (fancy) version in black on sale for $118.56:

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Texas-Instruments-TI-84-Plus-C-Silver-Edition-Graphing-Calculator/24984252

 

Finally, you can get the original TI-84 Plus for $88:

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Texas-Instruments-TI-84-Plus-Calculator/3136045

 

I hope the sale lasts until you can get one!

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Could someone tell me which courses a high school student would need this kind of calculator for? We bought a much cheaper scientific calculator for physics last year so I'm wondering when my dd will be needing one like this.

Thanks

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Could someone tell me which courses a high school student would need this kind of calculator for? We bought a much cheaper scientific calculator for physics last year so I'm wondering when my dd will be needing one like this.

Thanks

 

We use Chalk Dust for high-school math and the calculator portions of the course are all based around the TI-84.  As a result, we have bought one for each of our children and the two oldest used them through college (both were math and science majors).

 

The calculator portions of many other high-school math curricula are also based on the TI-84 because it is the most popular.  If you try to use something else for your student, the instruction may not align with the calculator they have.  (And, yes, this likely makes the TI-84 WAY overpriced.)

 

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We use Chalk Dust for high-school math and the calculator portions of the course are all based around the TI-84.  As a result, we have bought one for each of our children and the two oldest used them through college (both were math and science majors).

 

The calculator portions of many other high-school math curricula are also based on the TI-84 because it is the most popular.  If you try to use something else for your student, the instruction may not align with the calculator they have.  (And, yes, this likely makes the TI-84 WAY overpriced.)

 

 

Thanks, that makes sense. I thought maybe there would be a specific course coming up, but it's more that it is a universally used calculator. Thanks for answering.

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Is there difference in using the TI-84 plus ce and TI-83 plus?  I bought TT for Algebra 2 and Pre-Calc this year which calls for the TI-83 plus.  I have been hesitating to buy because it seems like a lot of money for a calculator.  I saw the color one at Walmart the other day and thought that if I have to spend the money, I would rather have the color one.

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Is there difference in using the TI-84 plus ce and TI-83 plus?

 

Here is a website which discusses the differences.  Here is their summary line:

 

The TI-83 and TI-84 are nearly keystroke compatible, but the 84 has a few new functions that the 83 lacks. This page lists them.

And, according to Lanny, the TI-84 Plus CE has a few more additions above the TI-84 Plus.

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I have been trying to decide if I should buy one for my dd. She and ds will both be taking college math classes (at different colleges) at the same time next year and won't be able to share. Dd is only taking College Algebra, so I thought about making her just use the scientific calculator she has, then taking ds's when he is done with it, but maybe I'll just go ahead and bite the bullet.

 

...and as a person who would not have seen the post on the chat board, thanks for cross posting :).

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I have been trying to decide if I should buy one for my dd. She and ds will both be taking college math classes (at different colleges) at the same time next year and won't be able to share. Dd is only taking College Algebra, so I thought about making her just use the scientific calculator she has, then taking ds's when he is done with it, but maybe I'll just go ahead and bite the bullet.

 

...and as a person who would not have seen the post on the chat board, thanks for cross posting :).

 

Ds's college algebra class requires a Ti 83 or 84, at least according to last spring's syllabus. I'm having him research either the 84 Plus or the 84 Plus CE. I think the color will appeal to him, but some of the reviews says it processes slower.  

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Here's the reviews on Amazon. It's mentioned a couple of times. I have no experience with any of them, however. 

 

Thanks for the link!  I just want to say that I wasn't questioning you.  Rather I was making a geek joke about how ridiculously slow the TI-84 Plus calculators are!  I guess that is why they have such amazing battery life!

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Hubby went to Walmart after dropping us at Apple camp to grab a set this morning. He was the second person buying at that store. It is at the calculator section of the back to school sales. He said there was a few sets left.

 

Too bad it is with him at work now because we all want to play PacMan with it :lol:

 

Thanks Lanny and RegGuheert.

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Hubby went to Walmart after dropping us at Apple camp to grab a set this morning. He was the second person buying at that store. It is at the calculator section of the back to school sales. He said there was a few sets left.

 

Too bad it is with him at work now because we all want to play PacMan with it :lol:

 

Thanks Lanny and RegGuheert.

 

Not to worry!  You can simply download the TI Smartview CE Emulator Software and run it on your laptop.  The first 90 days are free! :001_smile:

 

Off to download mine now since DS11's TI-84 is a Christmas present! :p

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Thanks for the link!  I just want to say that I wasn't questioning you.  Rather I was making a geek joke about how ridiculously slow the TI-84 Plus calculators are!  I guess that is why they have such amazing battery life!

 

:lol:

 

Slow or not, ds just bought the original one you linked. Thank you. 

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Hubby is home from work and oldest is plotting graphs without looking at the user manual. Now he is trying to program a game with it :lol: Let us see how long before we need to do a hard reset.

 

ETA:

Are you sure you want to wait until Christmas :)

The PRGM button is his best buddy at the moment.

My bookworm went back to reading so my younger boy took over torturing the calculator.

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Are you sure you want to wait until Christmas :)

 

Temptress! :lol:

 

Since it is not MY Christmas present, I think I can be content to play with the emulator instead.

 

BTW, have they tried PacMan, yet?  It looks amazingly authentic in

.  Thanks for the tip!

 

...Now he is trying to program a game with it :lol: ...

 

...The PRGM button is his best buddy at the moment....

 

This is how DS17 got started programming.  He is teaching AP CS A for his second year starting in August.

 

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BTW, have they tried PacMan, yet? It looks amazingly authentic in the YouTube video

 

We don't have the mini usb A port on any of our laptops for the sync/connectivity cable that came with the calculator. I am using the usb to mini usb B port cable of my external hard disk to try. It could detect the correct model of the calculator but cannot do anything else. So we have not installed any games yet. The TI usb to mini usb B cable for the calculator is $4.95 from their website.

 

The periodic table was preloaded though so my youngest played with that last night.

 

I am a little exasperated. On the other hand I remember learning Turbo Basic and GW Basic as my first programming language.

 

This is the TI cable that doesn't come in the box

https://education.ti.com/en/us/products/computer_software/connectivity-software/standard-a-to-mini-b-usb-connectivity-cable/features/features-summary

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We don't have the mini usb A port on any of our laptops for the sync/connectivity cable that came with the calculator. I am using the usb to mini usb B port cable of my external hard disk to try. It could detect the correct model of the calculator but cannot do anything else.

 

Hmm.  I spent some time yesterday upgrading all four of our TI-84 Plus SE calculators (once circa 2005 that still looks and works like new!) to the latest operating system version and adding some recent software to them.  I noticed the following:

 

1)  I used a standard USB-A to USB-mini-B cable that I had kicking around to make the connection.  These cables were VERY popular five-to-ten years ago, so we have a bunch of them.  It sounds like your cable is actually working properly.

2)  I installed and used Version 4 of the TI Connect software for the old TI-84s, but you will need to use Version 5.1, which is called TI Connect CE.  I'm pretty sure you need to do this BEFORE you plug your calculator into your computer so that the drivers are available.  I plan to test that version of software with our old calculators today to make sure it is working properly.

3)  When I first plugged in the cable to the "ON" calculator to the computer, it took the computer some time (perhaps a couple of minutes) to find and configure drivers for it.

4)  The first time I used the TI Connect software was a bit frustrating.  At first the drivers had not yet configured.  Once that finished, the I set up to transfer some files, but the calculator had turned off by the time I clicked "Send to Device" and the transfer failed.  Ultimately I shut down the software and reopened it and things worked better since then.  It's all a bit stone-agish, but everything eventually worked with all four of our TI-84s.  I did notice that the computer makes the USB mount and dismount sounds each time the calculator is plugged/turned on or unplugged turned off.

Good luck!  I'll let you know how things work with TI Connect CE Version 5.1...

 

BTW:  Wal-Mart still has the TI-84 Plus CE on sale for $88.

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The ext. HDD cable worked with the 5.1 software. My boy installed the 4.0 software last night.

 

Now to get the Ion software successfully downloaded to the calculator so we can install the games :) The 5.1 software didn't like Ion and now we need to run out of the door so troubleshooting later.

 

ETA:

All windows 8.1 laptops if anyone is curious

 

ETA:

Downloaded a few games to my laptop. Going to try when we get home from library's JavaScript class.

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The ext. HDD cable worked with the 5.1 software. My boy installed the 4.0 software last night.

 

Now to get the Ion software successfully downloaded to the calculator so we can install the games :) The 5.1 software didn't like Ion and now we need to run out of the door so troubleshooting later.

 

I uninstalled TI Connect 4.0 and installed TI Connect CE 5.1 and the computer configured new drivers when I connected one of the old calculators.  It seems to be able to read and write from the calculator just fine.

 

I'm not sure what "Ion software" is.  (Edit:  It looks like Ion was a "Shell" used to run assembly code on the TI-83.  It doesn't work even with the TI-84.  I was able to use something called MirageOS to run assembly code on my TI-84.  Apparently the TI-84 Plus CE supports assembly code natively without the need for these workarounds.)  The copy of PacMan I found came with a file called "PACMAN.8xp", which is what needs to get loaded onto the calculator.  Then the readme.txt file indicates that you just need to run this as assembly code.  Here is a snippet from the readme I have:

##--> Pac-Man TI84+CE <--##

###### INTRO ######
 The classic pacman game; now for the CE edition!
 Really just an example program; but fully playable.
 Enjoy!

###### INSTALL ######
 Using TI-Connect CE, send PACMAN.8xp to you calculator.
 
###### PLAYING ######
 To run, select the Asm( token from the catalog.
 Then press [PGRM] and select PACMAN.
 The screen should look like this:

 Asm(pgrmPACMAN

 Press [ENTER]. Enjoy!

###### CONTROLS ######
 [2ND/ENTER] - Continue
 [ARROWS] - Move Pac-Man
 [DEL] - Pause\Quit Game

But since I cannot actually try that without the calculator, I'm likely missing something. (The free trial of the emulator does NOT seem to let me load software onto the emulator.  It only lets me run what is built into the calculator. :glare: )

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Didn't need Ion.

My kids are playing PacMan and CMonster (Arkanoid/Breakout lookalike) on the TI-84 Plus CE :lol: I lost on the CMonster and they lost on the PacMan :)

 

My parents were impressed when I showed them via Skype. My childhood home was across the road from a TI factory which later became a Micron factory.

 

ETA:

They are playing Puzzle Frenzy too.

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If we have a TI-84 Plus C are there enough new features on the TI-84 Plus CE to make it worth purchasing?

Anyone know the difference between the two models?

 

Here is a full review of the TI-84 Plus CE which gives a fairly detailed comparison with the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition.  The bottom line is that it has a new, faster processor with more on-board RAM and a brighter display, but other than that they are very much the same:

 

The TI-84 Plus CE largely brings the existing math features of the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition to a thinner, faster, lighter calculator, so I'll be focusing on the new calculator's physical characteristics, hardware, and speed.

 

Unfortunately, the sale on the TI-84 Plus CE ended today at about noon. :sad:

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Unfortunately, the sale on the TI-84 Plus CE ended today at about noon. :sad:

Target has it on sale for $89.99 in this week's weekly ad for my locale (NorCal). With the 5% red card discount, it would be cheaper than Walmart's price of $88. Unfortunately for anyone looking to buy one, it says in store only when I checked Target online.

 

http://m.target.com/p/graphing-calculator-texas-instruments-battery-powered-black/-/A-17109657

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Target has it on sale for $89.99 in this week's weekly ad for my locale (NorCal). With the 5% red card discount, it would be cheaper than Walmart's price of $88. Unfortunately for anyone looking to buy one, it says in store only when I checked Target online.

 

http://m.target.com/p/graphing-calculator-texas-instruments-battery-powered-black/-/A-17109657

Cool!  Here's a link to a non-mobile site:

 

http://www.target.com/p/graphing-calculator-texas-instruments-battery-powered-black/-/A-17109657

 

(I was unable to change store using the mobile link...)

 

A couple of the local Target stores have it in stock...

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  • 3 weeks later...

DS10 has been using his TI-84 plus CE in Deutsch, French and Portuguese so far :lol:  Now he wants to know if there is localization for Chinese so that he can try using his calculator in Chinese. Unintentional bonus to playing with the calculator.

 

 

Target has it on sale this week again for all colors at $84.99

 

ETA:

Most stores will price match to Target at their customer service.

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I just bought one today at Walmart for $88.  It was the same price as the TI-84 Plus.  We have one of those, but with the oldest DS heading off to college and taking that one, we'll need something else for the rest of us.  I was glad I had seen this thread when I wandered around the school section and found it!  I checked the price at one of those scanner-things in the aisle to make sure it wasn't more expensive.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is how DS17 got started programming. He is teaching AP CS A for his second year starting in August.

DS10 has been creating games and math quizzes for us to play after reading the Manning book. So DS9 asked for the same calculator and we ended up in Target tonight. It is going for $89.99 now.

They link the two calculators up by the mini USB cable and DS10 transferred his programs to DS9's calculator.

So now I have two boys programming games :lol:

 

The Manning book we borrowed from the library

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1617293156

 

They haven't tried programming in assembly yet.

 

ETA:

Kids are using the Casio FX-115ES for SAT & ACT.  Most of the calculator questions in the practice tests are faster without a calculator.

 

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of interest:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2014/09/02/the-unstoppable-ti-84-plus-how-an-outdated-calculator-still-holds-a-monopoly-on-classrooms/

 

for home-schoolers wary of investing in the calculator too early for Algebra 1 or Geometry you can start with WabbitEmu .

 

You WILL need one eventually for SAT, ACT etc.  

 

my DS still using his older TI83Plus - which is missing a few statistics features

 

I like the TI 36X Pro for around $18  (does everything but no graphing)

https://education.ti.com/en/us/products/calculators/scientific-calculators/ti-36x-pro/tabs/overview

 

I will probably send DS into the SAT with both.

 

 

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  • 10 months later...

If anyone is still looking, the $89.99 is back at Target for this week's ad. 4 colors available.

 

Gold

http://m.target.com/p/texas-instruments-ti-84-plus-ce-graphing-calculator-gold/-/A-50819268

 

Black

http://www.target.com/p/texas-instruments-ti-84-ce-graphing-calculator-black/-/A-17109657

 

Thank you!!  Last year I bought two of the Pluses, or maybe just the 84, I can't remember, but we need a third one thanks to school and I was just thinking maybe there's a sale :)

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Best Buy price matches.

Paying with the Target card gets another 5% off sale price at Target. We are cheapskates.

 

So best deal is price match Walmart weekly ad but buy at Target. Then you get 5% off $88.

 

Glad you get yours though.

 

ETA:

We could walk to Target and Walmart from home. Target and Walmart are across the street from each other near my kids' music theory class.

 

Best Buy a few doors away from Walmart at the city next to my city. That is why we have fun price matching weekly ads.

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