How to Make a DIY Intervalometer Out of a Calculator

DIY Photography  •  Photography Tips

You know that old graphing calculator you bought for your upper-level math classes? The one collecting dust in your junk drawer? Well, JACP Media just came out with an interesting hack that turns a Texas Instruments TI-84 graphing calculator into an intervalometer that hooks up to your DSLR:

Intervalometers—devices used in timelapse photography to release your shutter at set intervals over a period of time—run about $100-$200 if bought new. But if anyone in your household has taken math classes lately, you’re more likely to have an old graphing calculator lying around. So, if you’ve been wanting to try out timelapse photography, but haven’t yet gotten around to buying the gear, this hack might be for you.

What You Need

• a Texas Instruments TI-84 graphing calculator
• a 2.5mm audio cable
• a DSLR with a shutter release port

How to Make an Intervalometer

1. Turn on the calculator and press the Program button.
2. Press the Right Arrow twice to highlight the tab labeled New.
3. Press Enter.
4. Create a name for your program.
5. Type in the code below:

Intervalometer Code for a TI-84 Graphing Calculator

 How to Use the Intervalometer

1. Attach the cable to the upper port of the calculator and the shutter release port on your camera.
2. Open the program and type in a number equal to the seconds you want between shots.

And presto—you’re using your new intervalometer!