TI-83 -> dot-matrix printer

[pgrmdave]

So, I've been given a possible project for one of my classes - write a program that will allow something graphed on a TI-83 calculator to be printed out on a dot-matrix printer. I'd like to do it, but I don't know where to begin. Any advice?

[alexander]

why are you using a dot-matrix printer? they are extinct... the easiest way is to take a picture of the screen and print it as such, or use a TI emulator to graph and print from a computer...

 

You first need a thorough knowledge of ti 83 assembly, electronics and how printers operate... Printing something out on a computer may seem to be a seemless task, but there is a lot of code behind it. what you would need to do to make it work with a TI calc:

design a hardware interface (a wire that plugs into the calc, a board that allows you to que up information that is being sent to different parallel port pins and the connection from this board to the printer)

then you need to figure out the exact format of a speciffic printer, or actually write a program that will convert what is displayed on the screen to a usable image format, then create a post sctipt page with the image in it and stream that data to the collector board that will then send the data via paralell port to the printer.

 

seriously tell these people to use the TI emulator, or choose a slightly less crazy project...

[pgrmdave]

The reason he wants to use a dot matrix is so that it creates an impact on the paper that can be felt. The end result is for blind people to be able to get a (very) general idea of what a graph looks like (slopes up, parabola, logarithmic, etc...)

[alexander]

TI simulator + printer... your best bet.