On Saturday, a YouTube creator called ChromaLock published a video details how he modified a Texas Instruments TI-84 graphing calculator to connect to the internet and access OpenAI ChatGPTpotentially allowing students to cheat on tests. The video, titled “I Created the Ultimate Cheat Device,” demonstrates a custom hardware modification that allows graphing calculator users to enter math problems sent to ChatGPT using a keyboard and receive live on-screen feedback.
ChromaLock started by exploring the computer’s link port, which is often used to transfer educational programs between devices. He then designed a custom circuit board he called the “TI-32” that incorporated a small Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller, ESP32-C3 Seeder (costs about $5), along with other components to interface with the computer system.
It should be noted 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 says he encountered a number of technical challenges during development, including voltage incompatibilities and signal integrity issues. After developing multiple versions, ChromaLock successfully installed the custom board in a computer case without any visible signs of modification from the outside.
To accompany the hardware, ChromaLock has developed custom software for the microcontroller and computer, available open source on GitHub. The system emulates another TI-84, allowing people to use the calculator’s built-in “send” and “receive” commands to transfer files. This allows users to easily download a launcher that provides access to a variety of “applets” designed for cheating.
One of the small apps is the ChatGPT interface which can be most useful when answering short questions, but it has the disadvantage of being slow and difficult to type long alphanumeric questions on the limited keyboard.
In addition to the ChatGPT interface, the device offers a number of other cheating tools. The image browser allows users to access pre-prepared visual aids stored on a central server. The application browser feature allows students to download not only games for post-exam entertainment, but also text-based cheat sheets disguised as program source code. ChromaLock even hints at a future video discussing the camera feature, although details are scarce in the current demo.
ChromaLock claims its new device can bypass conventional anti-cheating measures. The launch program can be downloaded on demand, avoiding detection if a teacher checks or wipes the computer’s memory before a test. The modification is also said to be able to break computers. Test modeThe locked state is used to prevent cheating.
While the video presents the project as a technical achievement, referencing ChatGPT while examining your computer is almost certainly unethical and/or a form of academic cheating that could get you in serious trouble at most schools. So be careful, study hard, and remember eat your Wheaties.
This story originally appeared on Ars Engineering.
