diff --git a/tests/test_hwtimer/main.c b/tests/test_hwtimer/main.c
index 231fe4ec0c..f9e8697f70 100644
--- a/tests/test_hwtimer/main.c
+++ b/tests/test_hwtimer/main.c
@@ -16,16 +16,16 @@ int main(void)
 
     puts("Initializing hwtimer [OK].");
 
-#define BASE_DELAY 100000UL
-#define DELTA_DELAY 10000UL
+#define BASE_DELAY (1000UL * 1000UL)
+#define DELTA_DELAY (100UL * 1000UL)
 #define MSGLEN 12 // == strlen("callback %2i")
     char msg[MSGLEN * ARCH_MAXTIMERS]; // == [callback  1\0callback  2\0...]
-    unsigned long delay = BASE_DELAY + (ARCH_MAXTIMERS * DELTA_DELAY);
+    unsigned long delay = BASE_DELAY + ((ARCH_MAXTIMERS-1) * DELTA_DELAY);
 
     /* make the first timer first to fire so timers do not run out linearly */
     char *msgn = msg;
     snprintf(msgn, MSGLEN, "callback %2x", 1);
-    hwtimer_set(BASE_DELAY, callback, (void*) msgn);
+    hwtimer_set(HWTIMER_TICKS(BASE_DELAY), callback, (void*) msgn);
     printf("set %s\n", msgn);
 
     /* set up to ARCH_MAXTIMERS-1 because hwtimer_wait below also
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ int main(void)
         msgn = msg + (i*MSGLEN);
         delay -= DELTA_DELAY;
         snprintf(msgn, MSGLEN, "callback %2x", i+1);
-        hwtimer_set(delay, callback, (void*) msgn);
+        hwtimer_set(HWTIMER_TICKS(delay), callback, (void*) msgn);
         printf("set %s\n", msgn);
     }