So I don't feel like going out and buying a second controller for my retropie, which I have set up with a TV as the monitor. I also think this would be a cool project.

I figured, since a TI-84+ has a input/output usb cable thingy (don't know what it's called) it's possible, right?

I don't know how to start going about this tho.. I'm terrible at programming (failed AP java and can hardly work my way around TI-BASIC) but if programming is required, I'll try.

So...does anyone know how to start going about this?

More specifics: I'm not trying to put a retropie inside a calc, I'm trying to just use the calc as the controller to a pi that is separate, with a separate monitor. I want the pi to recognize the arrow keys, 2nd/alpha (for A and B) and maybe also LOG and LN (for select and start).
I believe that the SmartPad app would allow the calculator to act as a regular keyboard. Just connect the USB and run the app, and see if it recognizes the button presses in the controls menu.
It recognizes the calculator as a keyboard, but when I try to configure the controls, when I press the up arrow key for “D pad Up”, it recognizes it as “key left ctrl” and when I try and use the down arrow key for the down, it says “Already taken”. It says already taken if I press anything else as well.
Okay, I checked with the xev utility, and it looks like pressing the up button actually sends Shift+Meta(generally Ctrl)+Super(Windows key)+Up, and so on for other arrow keys. I'm not sure if Retropie supports multiple button combos. If so, just hold those buttons down or edit the config file to use that combo. If not, it might actually work if you just set it to the arrow keys, as the arrow keys are still being pressed down, just at the same time as other buttons. You can't bind any controls to Shift, Meta, Ctrl, or Super, if that is the case, as they would be reported as pressed each time one of the arrow keys is pressed.

2nd and alpha are Ctrl+Super+F6 and Ctrl+Super+F7, respectively.
holding the buttons down doesn't seem to work either, the pi recognizes all keys as "ctrl". except for trace and window, which bring up a terminal.

it won’t let me set anything except the first up arrow because it thinks all the keys are the same...
Sorry if that was unclear - I meant the keyboard buttons that I listed, which you could press by plugging in a USB keyboard, and not the buttons on the calculator.

I would try plugging in a USB keyboard and setting the controls to the arrow keys and F6/F7 on the keyboard, and then seeing if pushing the buttons on the calculator registers in a game.
thanks! it worked! Very Happy
wait a second..do u happen to know the keys that go with math and apps? (Cuz I seem to need a start and select as well) (I tried xev but it didn’t work) thx! ^^
Control + Super + F8 for math. Apps seems to open a different tty for me so I can't record it with xev, and the Pi will probably do the same thing. I'm guessing that the second column is Ctrl + Alt, and that row is F8, which would make the code for the apps button Ctrl + Alt + F8. That means that you couldn't use it at the same time as the math button. I would recommend setting x^-1 instead, by using the key F7.
ok, thanks!!
  
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