Today I had a bad shock when my trusted TI-84 Plus Pocket SE Calculator could not be turned on. I just purchased it last year, and TI-84 Calculators are not exactly cheap as every JC student in Singapore would know.

On Amazon, the Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Silver Edition Graphing Calculator, Silver sells for a whopping $174.99, which is almost like half the price of a smart phone. Students in Singapore can buy it at a slightly lower Student Price, but however as I am no longer a student, I would probably need to pay the full price, unless I get one of my cousins to  help me buy one.

How to Repair the TI-84 (Cannot even switch on)

First, I did the common sense approach of changing all the AAA and even the button LR44 battery. No luck…

I noticed something strange happened to one of the batteries. A layer of yellow crust has coated the battery case. (I was using Ikea batteries)

I followed the 5 steps I found on the TI-84 troubleshooting site:

1. Try a new set of AAA batteries.
2. Adjust the contrast by pressing and releasing [2ND] followed by pressing and releasing [▲]; repeat as necessary. To adjust or lighten the display, use the down arrow.
3. Remove one of the AAA batteries. Press and hold [CLEAR]. While holding [CLEAR], reinsert the AAA battery and press [ON]. The calculator should display the message “RAM Cleared“. Release [CLEAR] and then press it one more time to remove the message.
4. Remove one of the AAA batteries. Press and hold [DEL]. While holding [DEL], reinsert the AAA battery and then press [ON]. The calculator should display “Waiting…Please install calculator software now“. Follow the instructions for the TI-83 family or TI-84 Plus family to reinstall the calculator operating system.
5. Remove all of the batteries including the round lithium battery for 5 minutes. After the 5 minute period, reinsert all of the batteries and turn the calculator on. Adjust the contrast if necessary.

After trying all the 5 steps, I still couldn’t get the TI-84 to switch on.

I then used a piece of tissue to wipe of the battery contacts which were coated with the battery leak. Then, I tried step 5 again.

Thank God, the TI-84 sprung back to life again, and I can save $200 for now…

H2 Math Condensed Notes

For those taking H2 Maths, do check out my H2 Maths Condensed Notes with Bundled Prelim Papers!

Author: mathtuition88

Math and Education Blog View all posts by mathtuition88