DIY calculator with ChatGPT operating system! The ultimate cheating tool, the code has been open sourced

Cressy from Aofei Temple
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What? A calculator can also run ChatGPT?

As evidenced by the video, the program not only answered the author's questions, but also gave ChatGPT's classic answer of 42 when asked about the "meaning of life".

Moreover, it looks no different from an ordinary calculator, but all the secrets are hidden inside the machine.

Of course, it is quite difficult. Not only the hardware and software need to be modified, but the space inside the machine must also be considered, and the circuits must be designed by yourself.

The author and blogger ChromaLock claims that this modified calculator is the "ultimate cheating device". He has released a tutorial on how to make it and has also made the program open source.

The video attracted a lot of attention from netizens, some of whom lamented that if one really had this kind of magical modification ability, the work itself would be outstanding.

Software and hardware integrated magic modification

The calculator modified by the blogger is the TI-84 Plus Silver version produced by Texas Instruments, a programmable calculator.

A controller called ESP32-C3 is also used , so the name of this project is a combination of the two - TI32 .

In addition to ChatGPT shown at the beginning, TI32 also supports chatting with real people, and users of the modified version can communicate with each other over the Internet.

You can also store pictures and call them up for viewing when needed, but the picture quality is a bit disappointing.

It also has a built-in program downloader, which can download information from the central server. You can also download games and play a game of Snake when you are bored during exams.

The author also released a large number of satellites, indicating that a series of functions such as web browsing, email, and QR code scanning will be added in the future.

Of course, sharing joy with others is worse than enjoying it all by yourself. The author not only open-sourced all the codes, but also explained his production process step by step.

The ChatGPT in TI32 obviously does not run locally, so a major focus of the entire modification project is to add a WiFi module to the calculator .

Specifically, the ESP32 (full name Seeed Studio XIAO-ESP32-C3) controller selected by the author includes the required WiFi function.

Since the power supply in TI-84 provides a voltage of 5V, and the operating voltage of ESP32 is 3.3V, a level conversion circuit needs to be added .

The advanced level conversion chip that the author initially selected did not work well, so he switched to a simple MOS-FET circuit based on the advice of netizens.

At first, the author tried to manually wire the TI-84 to connect the ESP32, level conversion circuit and other components, but the result was not ideal because the wires took up too much space.

So he decided to design a custom PCB circuit board and used EDA software to design a simple PCB by himself, which included the ESP32's pads, MOS-FET, pull-up resistors, etc.

After the PCB is manufactured, the welding of various components is completed with the assistance of a microscope and a heating table. The circuit board after welding looks like this, which is much more convenient than the previous manual wiring mode.

Just connect it to the motherboard and install it into the calculator case, the hardware part is done, and then you can flash the program.

At the software level, the author lets ESP32 simulate another TI-84 to communicate with the host.

On the host side, the author wrote a TI-84 calculator application that is responsible for drawing and user interaction, and communicates with the ESP32 through send/get commands.

ESP32 pretends to be a calculator, responds to various network-related commands, and returns the command execution results to the calculator through get.

In this way, this series of applications can be run on the calculator.

In terms of cost, ESP32-C3 itself is an economical microcontroller with an official price of US$4.99, which is equivalent to less than RMB 40.

Other small components such as resistors and capacitors are also very cheap, so the most expensive part of the whole process is actually the calculator itself.

Is it easier to cheat on exams?

Judging from the functions of TI32, it is easy to cause people to worry about using AI to cheat in exams. Even the author himself said that it is a "cheating tool."

However, the TI series itself is a programmable calculator. Some people used it to write programs before the birth of ChatGPT, so it is not ruled out that it was used for cheating.

But in fact, in order to be able to write a cheating program, one needs to be familiar with the underlying system and the problems that you want to solve.

Therefore, being able to write a "cheating" program shows that one has a certain level of mastery of the knowledge points. A netizen who claimed to be a math teacher agreed with this point.

With ChatGPT, the situation may be different, but if you want to use it, you need to modify the hardware, which is quite difficult.

Of course, the author also has a disclaimer that the video is released only for educational purposes and does not encourage academic dishonesty.

So no matter how hard you work, you still have to abide by the rules of integrity when facing the exam~

Original video address:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bicjxl4EcJg&t=3s
GitHub:
https://github.com/chromalock/TI-32/

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