So a while ago, TI Connect CE 5.0 was released by TI as a compliment to the TI 84 Plus CE. Since it has new features, including a program editor, I have decided to do a full review. Sadly, this software only works with z80 USB-port models, but you can have TI-Connect 4.0 installed alongside it, so you are only really missing out on the new features.
First up: Start Up
Immediately after the splash screen splashes, you are greeted with the basic interface in screen capture mode. There are three modes, easily accessible from the sidebar, including Screen Capture, Calculator Explorer, and Program Editor. To the immediate right is the connected calculator list if you are in Screen Capture or Calculator Explorer mode, and the tokens list if you are in Program Editor mode. When it is the connected calculator list, you can switch between connected calculators quickly. Just click the one you want to switch to, and you're ready to go!
(https://img.ourl.ca/Startup.png)
The Screen Capture Mode at Startup
Screen Capture
The Screen Capture mode is just an interface change on the one from TI-Connect 4.0. You can only take screenshots from the confines of the TI-OS level. This means you can't take screenshots from flashapps or assembly programs. Kind of a bummer, but nothing new. The interface does feel sleeker and more modern, but I feel TI could have updated the feature for this software.
Calculator Explorer and File Transfer
Since this is connectivity software, this is the most important part of this package. How is the connectivity? In a word: fast. It takes very little time from drag-and-drop of programs to menu, and the actual transfer takes full advantage of the USB capability. You also have the option to send files to all connected calculators, which is very nice, especially if you are working on a multi-player game and want to improve the time it takes to get the files to both calculators. In the Calculator Explorer itself, you see everything on the calculator in the sleek interface, and can switch between calculators easily. You can also double click a non-protected, non-assembly program to edit it within the Program Editor almost instantly, which leads nicely into the next section.
(https://img.ourl.ca/Transfer.png)
File Transfer Menu
Program Editor
TI has not released a program editor with their standard link software since TI Graph Link. This program editor is a nice addition to the software, once again with a sleek and modern interface. It features a tokens list and reference on the side, and can send the program to a connected calculator with the click of a button. The editor feels a lot like TokenIDE or SourceCoder, but with different syntax for store arrows and superscripts and such. The copy-paste issues from Graph Link have been fixed, though, so the store arrows (→) and the like show up properly when pasted into posts. The only language supported is TI-Basic, as is expected, since this is TI's product and not the community's.
(https://img.ourl.ca/Editor.png)
Program Editor
Overall, this is a nice update to TI-Connect, and you will enjoy the new file transfer speed and the TI-Basic program editing, as well as the new interface. Although the screen capture is still lacking, it is still the best TI Connect to date.
I've heard somewhere ti-connect 4.0 erases some things in your calc everytime you connect, and slowly kills your calculator. Is this still the case or is this something which requires some more... "Inside" knowlege? Anyway it looks nice and definitely an upgrade from 4.0.
I hope that it isn't Cumred, and it was the swap sector that was erased on every connect attempt.
Thanks for the review by the way, Pimath. I like this version much better than the POS that TI gave us during a decade. It's also more modern.
You are welcome. Now to work on Project Periodical!
Cumred I think you talk about used flash cycles. Yeah using the flash uselessly can make the hardware death come earlier but that depends on the memory used. The flash on AFX couldn't only change its flash by 128Kb sectors and only 1000 sector writes were assured in the Flash memory lifetime. Don't be too worried about your memory lifetime.
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on February 25, 2015, 09:12:05 PM
You are welcome. Now to work on Project Periodical!
this. I will also frontvoage this soon. I try to space out news a little to give visibility to all.
Btw can you see and use the add articles button?
I can in fact. I used it and put it in the que.
Ooh ok thanks. SimplePortal team needs to make that more visible <_<. The worst part is that the articles list is sorted by alphabetical order by default and there are now 2 pages so if someone submit a news for approval and it appears on page 2... O.O
I just noticed one major flaw in TI-Connect CE: It no longer supports the ability to ungroup 8xg files. This is a serious problem for SourceCoder users who works on projects with many sub-programs, because the bulk project exporting feature in SC creates a 8xg file rather than individual files.
But you would send the group to the calc, right? not the whole group?
TI-Connect ungroups the files during sending.
hm. Is there any reason for TI-Connect to do that? (asking cause im interesed :P)
Maybe avoiding having to cancel the send for many files when one failed?
Not sure why it does. That said, group files are almost deprecated due to their past history of failures (corruption, for the most part), so people usually avoid using them unless they have no other choice.
I use them for my unused programs <_< never really had any problems with them
If they are larger than 16384 bytes it seems the calc has troubles handling stuff that is larger. Sometimes, a byte will be modified in the group causing ERR:VERSION or corrupted code on 1 program or file. They also can corrupt when sent with TI-Connect and are a concern about compatibility. For example, try sending a copy of ROL3 from 2004-05 (which had the files grouped) to your 84+ then run it. Do not delete the launching program else it will RAM Clear.
I get so many ram clear, so i've always got my program's backed up :P