Overclock your TI-83 - Speed Up Your Calculator

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Replacing the C7 capacitor on the TI-83 calculator can significantly enhance its speed, with a suggested value of 15 pF for optimal performance. A user experimented by temporarily connecting a 15 pF capacitor in parallel with the existing 30 pF capacitor, resulting in slower performance. However, connecting them in series yielded substantial improvements. The discussion highlights the perceived marketing tactics of Texas Instruments, suggesting that the speed enhancements in newer models like the 83 Silver and 84+ are largely due to minor component changes. The conversation also touches on personal experiences with overclocking computers, including both successes and failures, emphasizing the ease of modifying electronic devices for better performance. Ultimately, the user successfully overclocked their TI-83, achieving a speed increase of about 40% compared to the 83+.
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*Note: C7 refers to the TI-83 (Not Plus) but the procedure would be the same if we knew which cap on the Plus was to be replaced.

Well, I was just about to and KABLOOEY! My solder iron broke. If it didn't brake, all you need to do is replace the C7 capacitor to 15 pF to make it many times faster. Being bored, I taped my 15 pF cap in parallel to the 30 pF soldered cap on the board, which ofcourse yields 45 pFs. As predicted, it made the calculator much slower, but connect them in series and watch a world of improvement.

To think, what a racket Texas Instruments has. I find it amusing how they market the 83 Silver and now the 84+ and 84-Silver as 2.5 times faster! And all they did was change a 25 cent part from 30 pF to 15....
 
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You'd be suprised how cheap it is to make common electronic products. You could easily look at a 75% profit.
 
Once upon a time I got interested in overclocking. Actually I was just interested in seeing how big of a difference there was in speed in my computer. I set the speed as high as I could, then I set it at the lowest speed. It was okay to step down a few MHz at a time, but the big jump from fastest to slowest totally screwed it up and it took me a couple of hours to get it working again, so I'm one of the few people who has fried his computer underclocking.
 
I wouldn't do it to my computer. This 83 I have is nine years old and dilapidated.
 
Am I the only one on this website with a computer less than 3 years old?
 
My computer is four years old and doing great. G4/400 704 MB RAM, Radeon 8500...
 
Smurf said:
Am I the only one on this website with a computer less than 3 years old?
Get cocky and we'll make sure you aren't.
 
Overclock

Success! I actually overclocked my 83 and it still works. I lost my 10 pF capacitor and used one marked 15, supposedly 15 pF and my 83 is now about 40% faster than my 83+
 

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