On Saturday, a YouTube creator named ChromaLock posted a video detailing how he modified a Texas Instruments TI-84 graphing calculator to connect to the internet and access OpenAI. ChatGPTwhich could allow students to cheat on exams. The video, titled “I Made the Ultimate Cheating Device,” shows a custom hardware modification that allows graphing calculator users to type problems submitted to ChatGPT using the keyboard and receive live answers on the screen.
ChromaLock began by exploring the calculator gateway, which is typically used to transfer educational programs between devices. He then designed a custom circuit board he calls the “TI-32” that incorporates a tiny Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller, the ESP32-C3 Seed Study (which costs about $5), along with other components to interface with the calculator’s systems.
It’s worth noting that the TI-32 hack is not a commercial project. Replicating ChromaLock’s work would involve purchasing a TI-84 calculator, a Seed Studio ESP32-C3 microcontroller, and various electronic components, and fabricating a custom PCB based on ChromaLock’s design, which is Available online.
The creator claims that he encountered several engineering challenges during development, including voltage incompatibilities and signal integrity issues. After developing several versions, ChromaLock successfully installed the custom board into the calculator’s housing without any visible signs of modifications from the outside.
To accompany the hardware, ChromaLock developed custom software for the microcontroller and calculator, which is available open source on GitHub. The system simulates another TI-84, allowing people to use the calculator’s built-in “send” and “get” commands to transfer files. This allows the user to easily download a launcher program that provides access to various “applets” designed to cheat.
One of the applications is a ChatGPT interface that can be very useful for answering short questions, but has the disadvantage that it is slow and cumbersome to type long alphanumeric questions on the limited keyboard.
In addition to the ChatGPT interface, the device offers other cheating tools. An image browser allows users to access pre-prepared visual aids stored on the central server. The app browser feature allows students to download not only games for post-exam entertainment, but also text-based cheat sheets disguised as the program’s source code. ChromaLock even hinted that a video will be released in the future, discussing a camera feature, although not many details were given in the current demonstration.
ChromaLock claims its new device can bypass standard anti-cheating measures. The launcher can be downloaded on demand, avoiding detection if a teacher inspects or erases the calculator’s memory before an exam. The modification can also supposedly render calculators inoperable. Test modea blocking state used to prevent cheating.
While the video presents the project as a technical achievement, consulting ChatGPT during a test on your calculator almost certainly represents an ethical violation and/or a form of academic dishonesty that could get you in serious trouble at most schools. So be careful, study hard, and remember Eat your Wheaties.
This story originally appeared in Ars Technica.
