Author Topic: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?  (Read 15517 times)

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Offline code241

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Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« on: May 09, 2010, 11:53:25 am »
I was wondering about this for a while, but putting wifi and internet on graphing calculators would be very difficult.  I know that Brandon Wilson is currently working on one, but can anyone help?

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2010, 12:07:34 pm »
How would you connect it?  To a computer serial port maybe? One thing that can be done is to have a program on the computer do most of the work for you and only send to the calc a compressed web page instead of html, that would make it significantly faster.  You still navigate the web on the calc, but the data you send back and forth is easier, and less of it.
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Offline code241

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2010, 12:11:22 pm »
It would require a lot of memory and power from a calculator, but I think it could be done.

Offline mapar007

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2010, 01:44:40 pm »
It's impossible without an external power source. The USB port can only handle 100mA, the serial port even less iirc.

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2010, 06:51:08 pm »
It would be awesome but impractical. Using a computer makes it less portable, but at least it's a calculator-that-can-indirectly-access-the-internet. WiFi requires a lot of power, and you need to build/buy something. You'd have to have separate batteries. Definitely cool, but not that workable, not to mention the small screen size of a calc. Of course any browser would be text-only, because anything else would be even more impractical.
I will just repeat my opinion: awesome, but impractical.
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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2010, 10:18:40 pm »
Using the OTG, couldn't you rewire the power to use, say, a 9v battery? That way, you could use a wifi adapter

you'd probably be stuck with a text based browser, though. Not even the nspire has enough ram for many pictures, even if its ram was empty.

Offline bwang

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2010, 12:06:35 am »
There is official Nspire Wi-Fi hardware, but its ridiculously expensive and only comes in class sets.
Graphical browsing is definitely possible in 32 MB; I've seen various old Linux machines do it.
I hope we eventually get a Linux port for the Nspire. Do Nspires have an MMU?

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2010, 12:10:47 am »
On a shopping site, I think there were multiple versions of it, some that supported a dozen of calcs and others more or less. Some were like $400 IIRC, but I saw some in the $3000s x.x

it was ridiculous.
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Offline Stephan

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2010, 12:09:09 pm »
I've been looking for projects like this, maybe you can use a USB wifi adapter and map to a battery with better capacity. Might work, but will be tough.

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2010, 01:07:04 pm »
My guess was either a Nintendo DS/Wii USB wi-fi adapter or maybe one from an internet company. I wonder if it would require some jailbreaking or special coding, though...
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Offline Galandros

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2010, 01:34:31 pm »
Internet (HTML pages) on z80 line and even 68k is to forget because of their low resolution, lack of memory and cpu power it would quite useless and too much effort. But maybe tcp or udp protocol would be cool. Hey, lets link the calculators by the Internet. ;D

For the Nspire HTML pages is doable and would be amazing. PDF is also other thing to do.

About wireless connection, for z80 there is bluetooth by Brandon Wilson (unfinished, though) and there is Infrared communication. This is very possible and would be quite a useful one for classes or exams. :P
Wireless communication between calculators would be very cool, especially if there was a fun multi player game.
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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #11 on: May 10, 2010, 03:45:42 pm »
Internet and WiFi could be possible, but it would be a major undertaking, but one day I think it will be a reality.  I wonder how long it will be before MMORPGs are on calcs everywhere...

Offline theUnnamed

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2010, 04:23:29 pm »
N-spire has a wi-fi cradle.  And I think that that would be able to handle a web browser better cause it has 32MB of RAM a web page would be really hard to render in even the largest of memories among other calculators (256kb if Wikipedia is to be believed.)

The real power is the development of an Tcp/ip library then development of everything begins.  I have images of people playing wow in math class.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2010, 04:34:29 pm by theUnnamed »

Offline calc84maniac

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #13 on: May 10, 2010, 05:22:35 pm »
There is official Nspire Wi-Fi hardware, but its ridiculously expensive and only comes in class sets.
Graphical browsing is definitely possible in 32 MB; I've seen various old Linux machines do it.
I hope we eventually get a Linux port for the Nspire. Do Nspires have an MMU?
Yes, they do have an MMU.
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Offline rcfreak0

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Re: Internet and wi-fi on graphing calculators?
« Reply #14 on: May 10, 2010, 07:06:21 pm »
N-spire has a wi-fi cradle.  And I think that that would be able to handle a web browser better cause it has 32MB of RAM a web page would be really hard to render in even the largest of memories among other calculators (256kb if Wikipedia is to be believed.)

The real power is the development of an Tcp/ip library then development of everything begins.  I have images of people playing wow in math class.

I would def. play wow during class, though might be hard on a tiny calculator :/ but still wifi on a 84+se is still far away :(