OK, I know Ive been thinking about this for a LONG time, and never really got around to starting it, but I think its about time.

As I only have a TI-83 to do this on, that will have to be my subject. I dont have the money to justify tearing apart a new CSE or 84+SE for this.

Here are my ideas. Some I wont list, as I am going to make a couple of them be a surprise.

* Clear (fogged/etched) design cut/molded into the back and front of the case, and LED lit (unsure of colors at the moment)

* LCD backlighting (non-EL panel method)

* A speaker or two for audio/music/mp3 playback. Looks like I can get one from either an old GameBoy (which I have 8 of), or a small, generic MP3 player with one built in)

* Battery power level indicator (based on available voltage, IC driven) I was thinking about a small piece of PCB with 4 LEDs, and the 4-LED clear plastic light cover from the inside of a Sixaxis controller (that displays the controllers player designation) Pics of that piece are near impossible to find for some reason.

* Overclocking with switch (normal / overclock modes)

* Maybe replace battery with a larger capacity battery. I have a spare 5800 mAh external battery back. Should fit in the TI-83 with almost no issues, and still retain the backup battery location/mount.

* Paint job of some kind?


If you have any suggestions, or are willing to throw me some parts, that would be stellar. I dont have gobs of money for parts, so I just use what I have around the house.

UPDATE 11/3/2013:
I have finally taken the the TI-83 apart, and begun to size things up. Im checking for LED placement, MP3 player fitment, and places for switches. Nervous about breaking the LCD when I remove the backing from the actual glass part of the LCD itself. Oh well, I have ONE spare, so I should be good! I need to order one of the capacitors to OC the TI-83, a 33pf cap. If you have one, or a few, let me know. Also, need to do placement of the upgraded battery pack, but that will come after other mods are done. I have added a few new ideas for lighting to my list of mods, but will not post them yet. They are for you to find out when Im ready!

cool

alright, its time we had new mods in the works (besides mine, which i have no money for a new calc though).

some points of interest::
Overclocking: herrm. i cannot help but feel something is going to go wrong here. how easy is it for an 83 to get overclocked, and what programs actually can utilize such a mod?

speakers: good idea. i kinda wanted to add that to my mod, but i also wanted to save the speakers i have for a bigger mod, and decided against it. besides, my speakers are a little too big. yours sound like the good size, though.

Battery Replacement: Go right on ahead. just make sure not to overpower the device and kill it.

Paint Job: Depends on how artistic you are. in my case, where the artist in my brain is pretty much dead for paints and pictures, i decided to use Sticker Papaer instead.

Power Level indicator:...uhm, i dont know enough about those to say anything.

LCD Backlighting: okay, pretty basic.

Case design: no one wants a boring, old case these days. if you do this, though, you take out sticker paper ability, unless your cutting clear through the casing.

overall: an ambitious mod. im certain, though, that it will come out more or less awesome.

I wanted to do this to; but encountered a few difficulties:

1. Do you mean the 83 or the 83+? What is the point of modding an 83?

2. If I was to do it, I would use a colored 83+ (even if it was an 83), because they look so cool, and of course if you paint the calc, then you can't see the button labels, which is inconvenient.

3. Hopefully you have an idea for diffusing the lights from the LEDs... I actually did make an LED backlight, but the diffusion was horrible (meaning there was very little).

4. Definitely should use a variable resistor for controlling the brightness - thats what I did; first of all, it looks real cool sticking out of the case, and second, it works great. I can use the same switch for turning the light off completely too.

5. Finding a speaker small but loud was hard for me, but it sounds like you got it all together. About putting an MP3 player in it: Don't know exactly what you mean, but, I had thought of putting one in there and having it be controlled somehow by a calculator program, so the player would do the work but the calc would control its buttons.

6. Sure you can overclock the 83+... dunno about the 83not+.

Whats the point of modding anything? or,. in that matter, whats the point of NOT modding anything, so that you can leave your mark on it?

Modding the TI-83 is alright (I modded a TI-82, for pete's sake ), but modding the TI-83+ to make it better and more powerful is better, because it already is more powerful to start with.

mmmmm, yeah, i guess, but i say that it is better to work with what is on hand, instead of buying a new calc, something that may be a problem to those on a budget.

Well of course! That is, after all, the reason I used a TI-82. I wouldn't buy a new calc for the purpose either.

Very helpful info guys. This is stuff that would have otherwise taken me ages to figure out on my own. Im not surprised there isnt a huge calc modding scene. Its nothing like what the PSP was back in the day.

But still, this should be quite interesting. Im going to start ripping apart the two MP3 players I have, and see what I have inside to work with. Hopefully they can be powered from the available 5v from the batteries with no issue, other than reduced battery life, but thats where the extra battery pack comes in! This is going to be fun.

another idea i had was to ditch the Case (Much like Kerm had done when he attempted UC3), and try to make something like the Compaq Portable. this would give you sooooo much room in the calc, and you could even try keep the current battery pack while adding on another one (with limiting circuits, of course). the only issue is finding a case like that, and extending everything in the calc to reach across the case.

Also, i saw the Playstation Mod you had done. nice, but my jaw dropped when i heard your super-deep voice...

Is there a post somewhere for the UC3 attempt, and possibly an example of the kind of case your talking about? I have no issue extending the buttons or anything, thats easy, just need to know more about what your talking about.

i found this link with the search box:
Ultimant Calculator 3

and there should be another post. just look in the news archives.

Sounds almost like I could put the whole thing in a Nintendo DSi case. That would be sweet.

so you are prefering the clam-top design? just be careful not to run out of room or overcramp the keys. post up some pics soon, too!

I dont mind the idea at all, just need to find a case to put it in. I have a small DS, but its TOO small I think. Need to keep looking around.

Might opt out of the modded case for my first build. But I WILL be updating the OP with my progress.

aww, well, good luck, and do keep us posted, onyx!

(also, it looks like i can soon start on my mod, too! just have to await the arrival of a new calc.)

Im curious Luxen, what are you planning for yours? What model is being disected?

im going to be using a TI-73 (cause they're cheaper and quite similar to a TI-83+) with chameleon. i want to:

- put the screen on a hinge so it flips out to be used,
- sticker-paper a design on (view in this topic,
- place a touchpad in the area where the lcd use to be, and
- frontlight the lcd.

this all is in my topic here.

Edit: a link to the second topic is also in my signature.

Not bad. Curious to see its progress. I dont know anything about how to hook up a touchpad, mouse, or any other major hardware like that. So I'm going to just start simple.