Texas Instruments TI-89VSC Troubleshooting Guide - Page 1

TroubleShooting the TI -89 CALCULATOR BATTERIES • Will I lose all my programs when I change batteries? There is no guarantee that changing batteries will not reset your calculator's memory. However, a method that seems to work well is to make sure your calculator is turned off, take the old batteries out one at a time, replacing each with a new battery before removing the next. Be sure you have the direction of the batteries correct (+ and - alternating). • What is the backup battery? The backup battery is a round battery above the AAA batteries and under a piece of plastic that is fastened to the calculator with a small screw. • How long will my batteries last? How long your batteries last depends on how much you use your calculator. The four AAA batteries in the calculator usually last for about a year with normal use in a calculus course. The backup battery can last anywhere from 2 to 5 years. • When do I need to replace the batteries? You need to replace the AAA batteries if your screen is not dark enough when you press green diamond, release that key, and then press and hold the + key. (See the second bulleted item under the General category.) There is also a battery indicator in the lower-right hand corner of the home screen that appears when your batteries need replacing. • I've replaced the four AAA batteries and my calculator still won't come on. What next? Sometimes when you replace batteries, the calculator resets to its lightest screen setting. Darken the display according to the directions given in the second bulleted item under the General category. If you have replaced the AAA batteries, you have darkened the display, and your calculator still will not turn on, it is likely that the backup battery needs replacing. DELETING PROGRAMS OR OTHER INFORMATION FROM THE TI-89 • How do I delete information from my calculator? Press 2nd + [MEM] 2 [Delete] . Next press the number corresponding to what you wish to delete. For instance, to delete a program, press 7 [Prgm]. Use the down arrow to move the cursor next to the information you want to delete and press ENTER. Be very careful - there is no "undo" command. • The calculator keeps giving me a memory error when I try to enter data or transfer or run a program. What can I do? Press 2nd 6 [MEM]. If you have approximately 8000 or less in the RAM FREE location, you need to delete some of the calculator's contents. Pictures (PIC) and graph data bases (GDB) take up a lot of room and can be deleted by following the directions in the answer directly above. Game programs also take up a lot of room and create some of the pictures and data bases that may be stored in your calculator. • I'm trying to delete data in one of the cells of the data/matrix editor and nothing happens. If the data entry does not delete when it is highlighted and you press back arrow, the data may be locked. If you entered the data using the sequence command and/or aligned or shifted the data by adding/ subtracting/multiplying, and so forth, there is a picture of a lock next to the row and column number of the entry at the bottom of the data editor screen. When the data is locked this TI 89-106 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.