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Sharp Pocket Computer E-220: oops, I did it again
by David Lee
Voyage 200: Super Mario on a calculator
The TI Voyage 200 blurred the boundaries between a pocket calculator and a PC when it was released in 2002.
As far back as the 1980s, pocket calculators started developing into programmable mini computers. A prominent example is the Sharp PC-1403H – a gadget I, along with many of my peers, used in middle school. After digging mine out of the attic, I acquired a liking for it and invested in a more powerful Sharp PC E-200. But that wasn’t enough for me. Having since bought a Voyage 200 from Texas Instruments, I can finally call myself vintage pocket calculator collector.
My latest addition’s much more recent – it was released in 2002. In theory, it’s still a Basic programmable calculator with a non-illuminated LCD. Rather than simply displaying characters, however, it can also display graphics. With this in mind, the Voyage 200 is bound to be better for programming my own games than my two Sharp calculators.
Almost a PC
The TI Voyage 200 has a graphical user interface that allows you to select apps and navigate menus. It uses a Motorola 68000 processor, a chip installed in almost all of the boxy-looking Macs, the Amiga 500, the Atari ST and the Sega Mega Drive. In the 80s, this processor was cutting edge. That definitely wasn’t the case in 2002, but it was probably cheap – and more than adequate for a pocket calculator.
Digitec was selling the Voyage 200 right up until 2014. Mind you, only two of the devices were snapped up that year, going for a price of 279 francs. These days, you can get a Voyage 200 second-hand for 50 francs – or less if you’re lucky.
Not for playing around with
I’m a long way from programming anything of my own on the Voyage 200. Although its performance is definitely up to scratch, the device works in a fundamentally different way to what I’m familiar with through Sharp. I’ve been struggling to get the hang of using it.
Despite the graphical user interface, the controls seem surprisingly unintuitive to me. Without the manual, I can’t make head nor tail of it. Fortunately, said manual’s «old school», so every step’s explained in detail. The thing is, it involves buckling down for hours to read it. There’s an online emulator of the Voyage 200 in The Internet Archive if you fancy getting a sense of the device yourself.
It’s still unclear to me whether the Voyage 200 can produce sound. The fact that there’s audio software for the calculator suggests that it can. However, I haven’t found any information on this, not even in the manual. And I haven’t heard a peep out of my device either. Maybe sound can be teased out of the I/O output using an adapter. Although a scientific calculator doesn’t need sound, it’s certainly important for games.
No to Doom, yes to Super Mario
Super Mario 68K demonstrates the Voyage 200’s gaming capabilities. It apparently runs on all of Texas Instruments’ pocket calculators with a Motorola 68000 processor. There’s even a level designer.
But how do you actually install a game on the calculator? The Voyage 200 comes with a USB adapter, allowing it to be connected directly to a PC or Mac. You need a separate application called TI Connect to transfer data. Unfortunately, this app doesn’t recognise the Voyage 200 on new Macs with Apple Silicon architecture. For me, this’d mean using someone else’s computer if I wanted to install anything on the calculator.
I went out of my way to do that for Super Mario. In the end, I had to google how to open the game, only to get stuck on the overview screen. Eventually, I found out that you have to press the right arrow key, then the hand key. Now I can at least play, albeit pitifully badly. Though the game’s well made, I have a seriously hard time with the sluggish, low-contrast LCD. Nintendo made a Mario game with simplified, high-contrast graphics for the first Game Boy (Super Mario Land) – and looking at this screen, I understand why. I’m also missing the sound. Still, the fact that a pocket calculator’s capable of running Super Mario is reason enough to be happy.
Maybe I’ll create a game of my own after all.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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