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Put a program on your calculator

You need a computer (Windows or Mac), your calculator, and its USB computer cable — the one that plugs into a computer, not the short calculator-to-calculator cable. A phone can’t send programs to a calculator.

TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus

  1. On the computer, open E-Code, open your program, and press download .8xp. The file is named after the program, for example QUAD.8xp.
  2. Install TI Connect CE. It’s free from Texas Instruments at education.ti.com. It works with the TI-84 Plus CE and the older TI-84 Plus / Silver Edition.
  3. Turn the calculator on and plug it into the computer with the USB cable.
  4. In TI Connect CE, open the Calculator Explorer view, drag the .8xp file onto your calculator, and press Send.
  5. On the calculator press PRGM, pick the program, then ENTER twice to run it.

E-Code’s own “send over USB” is still being tested with real calculators. Until that’s confirmed, TI Connect CE is the way we know works.

TI-89 and TI-89 Titanium

  1. On the computer, open the TI-89 page, open your program, and press download .89p.
  2. Check your cable. A TI-89 Titanium says “Titanium” and has a mini-USB port: it uses the TI USB cable (mini-USB to USB-A). The original TI-89 has only a round 2.5 mm link port and needs a TI-GRAPH LINK / SilverLink USB cable.
  3. Send it with TI’s older TI Connect (classic, not TI Connect CE, which is only for the TI-84 Plus family) or with TILP (free, open source, from tilp.info, for Windows, macOS and Linux). TI lists only older Windows and Mac versions of TI Connect, so on a new computer TILP may be the one that installs.
  4. On the calculator press 2nd - (VAR-LINK): the program is in the main folder. Run it from the Home screen by typing its name followed by () and pressing ENTER. The first run takes a moment while the calculator converts it.

We haven’t tested E-Code’s .89p files on a physical TI-89 yet. If one doesn’t open, copy the program text from E-Code and type it in with APPS → Program Editor → New.

No computer? Type it in

Short programs are quick to type on the calculator itself:

  1. Press PRGM, go to NEW, choose Create New, type the name (letters are already on) and press ENTER.
  2. Type each line from E-Code’s program pane, pressing ENTER after each. Commands such as If, Disp and Prompt come from the PRGM menu while you’re editing; anything else is in 2nd 0 (CATALOG).
  3. Press 2nd MODE (QUIT) when you’re done, then run it from PRGM.

Try it on the E-Calc first: E-Code’s calculator uses the same keys and menus.

If it doesn’t work

  • The calculator isn’t found. Make sure it’s on, try another USB port or cable, close any other calculator software, and restart TI Connect CE.
  • “Memory full” or “Archive full”. On the calculator press 2nd + (MEM), choose Mem Mgmt/Del, and delete programs or other variables you don’t need.
  • Low battery. Charge the TI-84 Plus CE, or replace the AAA batteries in a TI-84 Plus. Transfers can fail on a weak battery.
  • ERR:SYNTAX when you run it. Check the program was written for your model (the CE has colour commands the TI-84 Plus doesn’t), then download and send it again.

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