When I turn my TI-83 on there is nothing but a black line - can it be repaired?

When I turn my TI-83 Plus calculator on I get a black line that appears and then disappears. Calculator does not work!

TI calculators have an annoying habit of dimming the screen, especially when the batteries are changed, so that it appears as if the calculator isn't turning on. Turn the calculator on (or at least press the ON key). Press and release the 2ND key. Press and hold the Up-arrow key for a few seconds and see whether the screen becomes legible.

Try the following steps before thinking of repairs.

Here are some steps to perform in the order they are presented.

I am inserting a copy of an earlier post to a question similar to yours. Please read the post till the end.

A Try this before thinking of repairs.

1. Push the ON button.
   
2. Even if you see nothing, press the [2nd] key and release it.
3. Press and HOLD the UpArrow key until the screen darkens.
4. You may have to keep pressing UpArrow for a little while before you see anything.

B If that does not work

1. Remove one of the AAA batteries.
   
2. Press and hold the [CLEAR] key.
   
3. While holding [CLEAR], reinsert the AAA battery and then
   
4. turn the calculator on.
   
5. The calculator should display the message "RAM Cleared".
   
6. Release the [CLEAR] key and then press it one more time to remove the message "RAM Cleared".

C. Third option

1. Remove batteries including the backup battery for 5minutes.
   
2. After the 5 minute period, reinsert all of the batteries and
   
3. turn the calculator on.
   
4. Adjust the contrast if necessary.

D. Last option

The last option requires the reinstallation of the system. So to use it you must download the TIConnect 1.6 software from education.ti.com. You must have the TI USB SilverLink or the TI Black serial cable ready.You must be connected to the Internet.

1. Remove one of the AAA batteries.
   
2. Press and hold the [DEL] key.
   
3. While holding [DEL], reinsert the AAA battery and then
   
4. turn the calculator on.
   
5. The calculator should display "Waiting...Please install calculator software now".
6. Connect the TI Connectivity cable between the computer and the calculator.
7. Click on Start >> Programs >> TI Tools >> TI Connect >> TI OS Downloader.
8. Follow the on-screen directions to reinstall the calculator's OS.

If the message "Error! Press any key to turn unit off. Then turn unit back on." appears on the graphing calculator, quickly, remove one battery from the calculator and reinstall it while the transfer is taking place.

You have several ways to connect the calculator

• Serial Black cable that used to ship with the TI 83 Plus. It connects to a serial port on a computer and to the I/O port on the calculator. It requires the Graph Link software available on the TI web site (Downloads, Software and Apps, Connectivity)
• USB Silver Link cable. It connects a USB port on the computer to the the I/O port on the calculator. It requires the TI connectivity software, also available on the TI Web site.
  
• A USB mini A to mini B cable to connect two units.
• An I/O cable to connect two calculators through their I/O ports.

it seems it have an internal problem of contact and you must get it repair, or consider buy a new one that model is a little old.

Hello,

Reset calculator
[2nd][MEM][7:Reset][1:All RAM][2:reset] then [CLEAR] the screen.

Hope it helps.

This is from TI FAQS:

Solution 11900: Troubleshooting a TI Graphing Calculator That Will Not Turn On.

For the TI-83 Plus Family, TI-84 Plus Family:
Caution: The resets described in these troubleshooting steps will cause a loss of applications, programs and data. If at all possible please create a backup using TI Connect™ first.

1. Try a new set of AAA batteries.
2. Adjust the contrast by pressing and releasing the [2nd] key followed by pressing and releasing the up arrow; repeat as necessary. To adjust or lighten the display, use the down arrow.
3. Remove one of the AAA batteries. Press and hold the [CLEAR] key. While holding [CLEAR], reinsert the AAA battery and then turn the calculator on. The calculator should display the message "RAM Cleared". Release the [CLEAR] key and then press it one more time to remove the message.
4. Remove one of the AAA batteries. Press and hold the [DEL] key. While holding [DEL], reinsert the AAA battery and then turn the calculator on. The calculator should display "Waiting...Please install calculator software now". Follow the instructions for the TI-83 family or TI-84 Plus family to reinstall the calculator operating system.
5. Remove all of the batteries including the round lithium battery for 5 minutes. After the 5 minute period, reinsert all of the batteries and turn the calculator on. Adjust the contrast if necessary.

try pressing 2nd then hold in down arrow to change the contrast

what you do is hit 2nd button and the down arrow and hold and your screen should eventually lighten up!!
god bless!

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with your TI-83. The TI-83 is a discontinued calculator, so I really don't think that it can be repaired/replaced.

See TI's website below for more information:

http://epsstore.ti.com/OA_HTML/csksxvm.jsp?nSetId=71440&nUsePub=NO&jttst0=6_23871,23871,-1,0,&jtfm0=&etfm1=&jfn=ZGEE602C53EA628B70E47DD2DD6878A5ABD632AD5834DE8ADC18D66ABBC9F888CBF7FB517A0B05B0984776B37370A28975B2

Remove one of the AAA batteries. Press and hold CLEAR while reinstalling the AAA battery. Continue holding CLEAR button and press ON. Release buttons and press CLEAR again.