Water Cooling a TI-84 Graphing Calculator!

Water Cooling a TI-84 Graphing Calculator takes viewers through a playful exploration of overclocking a classic educational device for fun and educational demonstration. The video sets a baseline by loading a classic game, Doom II, onto the TI-84 and measuring how quickly it renders frames before any cooling modifications. It then explains how the calculator’s clock is governed by an RC oscillator and how changing a couple of resistors can speed up the system, all while warning about the risk of damaging the hardware. The hosts carefully pursue a reversible, iterative approach, soldering tiny components and testing each change, balancing speed gains with stability. The culminating moments show a fully water cooled setup running and an observed performance improvement, with the duo pushing the overclock just enough to demonstrate the potential while acknowledging the fragility of the system. Throughout, the video blends humor with practical electronics work, documenting the challenges of tiny components, heat management, and the patience required to assemble a working custom loop inside a compact device. By the end, the calculator is not only water cooled but also noticeably faster in practical tasks like loading Doom maps, underscoring how enthusiast tinkering can turn a humble tool into a dramatic demonstration piece. The overall takeaway is that with careful modification and proper cooling, even low-power devices can be coaxed into higher clock speeds, offering a memorable case study in hardware hacking and thermal management. The video closes by acknowledging contributors and promoting related gear and services used during the build, while inviting viewers to explore further experiments in similar spirit.

Topics · science and technology · hardware modding · diy electronics · thermal management