top of page
raditakalcastvic

Casio Calculator Emulators



Computer operating systems as far back as early Unix have included interactive calculator programs such as dc and hoc, and calculator functions are included in almost all personal digital assistant (PDA) type devices, the exceptions being a few dedicated address book and dictionary devices.


In addition to general purpose calculators, there are those designed for specific markets. For example, there are scientific calculators which include trigonometric and statistical calculations. Some calculators even have the ability to do computer algebra. Graphing calculators can be used to graph functions defined on the real line, or higher-dimensional Euclidean space. Basic and scientific calculators are cheaper than graphing models.




Casio Calculator Emulators



TI-89 could be considered as a miniaturized version of TI-92/Voyage200, as they share literally the exact same hardware and software architecture (that is also why some TI-89 emulators could also emulate TI-92/Voyage200), while TI-92/Voyage200 is huge in size thanks to their horizontal screen and QWERTY keyboard.


TI-Nspire is the flagship series of Texas Instruments graphics calculators, equipped with QVGA monochrome/color LCDs, ARM-based processors, a mini laptop-style trackpad for controlling the mouse cursor, and a computer algebra system (depending on model) inherited and enhanced from TI-89's AMS.


Older models run on in-house developed 4-bit "Saturn" processors. Newer models have an unusual practice that emulates the Saturn processor via an ARM processor, so technically speaking those calculator models are actually emulation boxes.


Just like monochrome graphic calculators, HP scientific and financial calculators are also a big family of products sharing similarities while each product has its unique features (besides the HP SmartCalc series which are basically just ripoffs of Casio Natural-V.P.A.M. series calculators).Older models run on in-house developed 4-bit "Nut" processors. Some newer models have an unusual practice (especially for scientific calculators) that emulates the Nut processor via an ARM processor so technically speaking those calculator models are actually emulation boxes, while some other models use ASICs as their kernel.


Most of the modern Casio graphic calculators run on 32-bit Hitachi SuperH-3/4 processors, while scientific, programmable, and financial models run on ASICs. More retro ones come with all kinds of different hardware architectures, like VX-4 and PB-1000 that runs on Hitachi HD61700A processor, or fx-7000G that runs on NEC μPD1007G-008.


Elektronika calculators were made by the Soviet Union, including arithmetic (basic), scientific, and programming models. These calculators are rarely being used or even heard of outside the Soviet Union/Russia, but just like all Soviet Union products, they never lack fans.


The ClassWiz Sticky Note is a calculator emulator that provides the same functionality as a (hardware) ClassWiz scientific calculator. You can also automatically generate various types of Sticky Notes (Graph, Numerical Table, and others) based on input data and calculation results.


Apple got itself into hot water recently for getting too deep into skeumorphism, i.e. computer applications looking too much like their physical, real world counterparts, but I for one prefer this approach. Yes, applications might not all look the same, but I'm all for individuality and, in this case, the complete cosmetic emulation of a much loved real world scientific calculator means that finger (muscle) memory is probably a lot more important than fitting in with an OS's style guide.


This is the first published version for Windows Phone, so hopefully new versions will round out all the functions. I like the look and feel, being a big fan of a very similar calculator at university (ok, ok, in the 1980's, but still.....)


The following solutions offer software emulators of Texas Instruments handheld calculators and talking adaptations of Texas Instruments handheld calculators. These solutions may make it possible for students with visual impairments to use the same calculator models and corresponding functionality as their peers.


Orbit Research Talking Handheld CalculatorsOrbit Research offers talking adaptations of Texas Instruments handheld graphing and scientific calculators that are specifically designed for use by students with visual impairments. These may be ideal for students who are blind or low-vision.


This is a microcode emulation, not a function emulation of the original calculators. I actually do not understand well the very complex calculator logics. I just implement the the original TMS080x 4 bit mcu and have the calculator ROM run against it. I believe the TI DataMath ROM was obtained from a TI patent document, while the Sinclair Scientific ROM was extracted by reverse engineering a 40+ year old chip via acid bath and microscope analysis.


As this project emulates the original TI DataMath and Sinclair Scientific calculators, it operates exactly the same as the original ones. The keyboard layouts are similar in both calculators. On the PCB, the dominant key legends (on top of each key) are for TI DataMath, while the smaller legends (top and slightly left of each key) are for Sinclair Scientific emulating.


Holding down "CE" while turning on power will briefly show a pre-entered message (8 letters). I added this feature to include personal message as I build these calculators as gifts. To enter a personal message, one can hold down "X" while turning on power. Pressing the keys 0, 1, 2 to 9 allows to select numerics and letters like a old cellphone keyboard, advance letter positions by pressing "+" key. The personal message will be saved in flash memory after the 8th letter has been entered.


The other offering now made free, the Casio Manager and Emulator software applications for teachers, can be used to reproduce the operations of scientific calculators on PCs. Both apps work with video conferencing tools to make it easy for students to see graphs and formulas the instructor writes on his or her screen during an online class. Even when students cannot meet in person for class due to school closures or stay-at-home orders, teachers can use these tools to teach calculation methods easily via the Web. Simply download and install the software applications from the special website below.


E.g. Casiotone 401 and MT-40 are controlled by an Intel MCS-48 microcontroller which ROM I successfully dumped. So at least the accompaniment section would be possible to emulate yet. Robin Whittle (firstpr.com) found out much about the Consonant-Vowel synthesis main voice sound ICs in early Casios, which would be useful to emulate them. Also the various Casio calculator emulators on the internet might be useful to understand what kinds of special CPUs Casio has used. Google patent search helped much to get an idea what is going on inside of them. Unfortunately most early main ICs seem to be rather based on general digital logics (networks of gates, counters and flipflops - like a Pong game) than a CPU (software controlled by one central code ROM) in its stricter sense.


There are also at least a couple of CZ emulators, and also one for the HT range. I think Casio would do very well to have a keyboard 'emulating' their older synths/ classic boards. I would still love to see a CZ emulator with real time controls, and even better a real time filter function (the hardware CZ's only offered some waveforms that mimicked filter sweeping/ resonance, though with no real time control).


This calculator application should be considered experimental and its results should not be used for anything important.In particular, there are situations where the numeric display is known to be totally wrong. 2ff7e9595c


1 view0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Baixar qgis setup

Como baixar a configuração do QGIS O QGIS é um sistema de informação geográfica (GIS) gratuito e de código aberto que permite criar,...

Bad Eggs Online 2 Hack APK

Bad Eggs Online 2 Hack APK: Como obter créditos e armas ilimitados Se você é fã de Bad Eggs Online 2, deve estar se perguntando como...

Comentários


bottom of page