FX-9860GII
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This page needs your knowledge
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| School level | Highschool through College |
| Introduced year | 2005 |
| CPU | SH-3 or SH-4 |
| Frequency of CPU | SH-3: 29 MHz, SH-4: probably 58 Mhz |
| RAM | 64Kb |
| Memory Storage | 1.5 MiB |
| Screen Size (px) | 128x64 |
| ScreenColor | monochrome |
| Weight | ~205g |
| Connectivity | USB/3-PIN |
| Symbolic computation | ? |
| Official Website | http://www.casioeducation.com/ |
Contents
Introduction
The fx-9860GII and fx-9860GII SD are the international equivalents of the G75/G95. Like the fx-9750GII, several improvements have been made since the release of the original fx-9860G and cfx-9850G family, as it now has 62 kb of usable memory instead of 26 kb, has 1.5Mb of storage memory, and has had two major revisions. The earlier model uses a SH3 CPU and has a silvery case shell and a dark blue keyboard surround. It's often referred to as a USB Power Graphic, and is informally referred to as the fx-9860GII. The newer model uses a SH4a CPU, has a deep blue case shell and a white keyboard surround. Labelling on the retail packaging of this model varies, sometimes being the same as its direct predecessor, or sometimes using the label "USB Power Graphic 2", and it's informally known as the fx-9860GII-2, although the -2 is not printed on the case, neither is there anything else obvious to distinguish it from its predecessor. Other colour options exist, such as a pink case and surround, dark blue case shell and white keyboard surround.
Features
The fx-9860GII has a backlight for those rare times when you're working in low lighting conditions. The fx-9860GII comes either without the SD slot, or with a SD slot capable of accepting SDHC cards. A recent software revision upgraded the support to allow for 32Gb SD cards. In the plastic retail packaging, the calculator's often supplied not only with the unit-to-unit cable, but additionally a USB cable and a set of batteries. If by some chance your retail packaging doesn't include the software on a CD, the FA-124 software from Casio's website is available as a separate download. Navigate your way into the Graphic Calculators section, and look up the fx-9860GII.
The fx-9860GII also contains the eActivity and Spreadsheet applications. eActivities are described better in the documentation. The calculator not only supports matrices but also allows the input of vectors.
Programmability
The fx-9860GII can be programmed in Casio Basic, and programs work the same here as with the fx-9750GII. In addition the calculator has support for Add-ins. These add-ins are compiled, so they run a lot faster than the Basic interpreter can run, allowing emulations of Wolfenstein 3d, Angry Birds, or other utility programs to access the calculator's internals. People can also download the SDK from Casio and make their own add-ins, if they're prepared to put up with code that hasn't been updated significantly since 2007. There are small differences between functions available in versions of the OS, but most of those won't impact the user.
Input
This calculator not only supports the normal calculator input of old, but also supports Natural input and output, otherwise known as Math input or S-V.P.A.M.™ Using this type of input, the calculator prompts the user to fill in inputs that look much more like the formula would be laid out in a textbook, including fraction bars, exponents that look like exponents would be written down, and arbitrary root symbols that expand as required. The HP-50G has an equivalent, called the Equation Writer. Casio's equation editor appears to work in a similar fashion.
Storage
Casio have made a 1.5MB area available to back up variables and programs, so that when you change batteries, or you reset the calculator, you don't lose everything and have to install it from the computer all over again. You did remember to back up to the computer too, didn't you? Add-ins also get installed to this storage area, so be careful how many add-ins you install. In the SD model, you can also store files directly on the SD card, but you'll probably have to copy them into main memory before you can execute them.
Manuals
You can obtain a PDF manual for the fx-9860GII, and it will also cover the fx-9860GII-SD with small changes. A Quick-reference guide is also available.
Upgrading the OS
The OS can be easily upgraded to the latest OS available for the fx-9860GII. You'll need a copy of the latest available fx-9860GII BIOS update, the USB cable that connects your calculator to the computer, and finally a relatively fresh set of batteries. You can check what version of the OS you have already, by checking the Memory application in the calculator. If it has a version string of 2.02.xxxx or later (the xxx's are numbers which don't matter for this discussion) then your calculator has a SH4 CPU. If it's 2.01.xxx or earlier, you probably have a SH3 CPU and may require the upgrade for the fx-9860G.
