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Updated TI-55 blog post
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jeffpar committed Nov 30, 2017
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Building on the PCjs [TI-57 Programmable Calculator](/blog/2017/11/10/) emulator,
I'm happy to report that PCjs can also emulate the [TI-55 Programmable Calculator](/devices/ti55/) now.

You can see both in operation [below](#pcjs-ti-55-and-ti-57-emulators).

Both calculators used the same basic chip. In the TI-57, the chip was designated "TMC1501", and in the TI-55,
Expand All @@ -537,11 +536,16 @@ sold at the same list price. All I know is that both were introduced in 1977 an
was $79.95. I have no information on the TI-55 list price.

It's possible that the TI-55 was produced first, and then programmers at Texas Instruments were able to optimize
the ROM, increasing the number of programming steps from 32 to 50, which they then marketed as the slightly more
powerful TI-57. However, that's pure speculation on my part. It's also possible that they decided up front to
create several devices with the same hardware, providing different capabilities to different audiences, and possibly
at different price points. The fact that the TI-55 uses a chip with a higher designation ("1503") than the TI-57
("1501") is also difficult to reconcile.
the ROM, increasing the number of programming steps from 32 to 50 and adding support for loops and conditionals, which
they then marketed as the slightly more powerful TI-57. However, that's pure speculation on my part. It's more
likely that they decided up front to create several devices with the same hardware, providing different capabilities
to different audiences, and possibly at different price points.

Also, the fact that the TI-55 uses a chip with a higher designation ("1503") than the TI-57 ("1501") suggests that the
TI-55 may have been finished *after* the TI-57, and that the lower model number was simply a reflection of its more
limited programmability. Finally, Sean Riddle points out that since the TI-55 and TI-57 produce different results for
the "[Calculator Forensics](http://www.rskey.org/~mwsebastian/miscprj/models.htm)" test, the ROMs may have even been
developed by different teams at Texas Instruments.

It may be worth undertaking a detailed comparison of the [TI-55 ROM](/devices/ti55/rom/) and
[TI-57 ROM](/devices/ti57/rom/) at some point, because the TI-57 has fewer built-in functions, as evidenced by
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