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How to re-use Polaroid instant PopShots camera?

I had the same idea about re-using a popshots camera. Polaroid also makes a unique battery they call the "Polapulse". It is about 2.5" by 4" but only a couple of millimeters thick. It may be attached to the film cassette if you can't find it in the camera case. Look for silvery contacts on the film cassette and matching contacts in the camera case. I think this is how they take care of the battery issue - you get a new battery with the new film cassette.

Joshua Ruedin
Mon, 03 May 1999 21:26:42 -0500

I just looked at your site for fun. I was actually looking for an old film, as I am among many other things a camera collecter. I have many old Polaroid's and I know for a fact that the cameras have a battery in the film casing, and I would say that there is most likely the same design in the Pop shot, or what ever that new fangled thing is called, because, the battery not only servs for the flash, but for the rolers and the gooey stuff in the film. Well there you have it, but I couldn't tell you much as to why they made such a silly machine any way, the instant cameras don't cost any more the Pop Shot thing, and they are all over garage sales for less than five. Sometimes less then a dollar... Go figure technology.

V
Mon, 7 Jun 1999 00:41:25 EDT

I too, have a Polaroid camera, although my camera is an old, bulky Polaroid. It's probably discontinued. Anyway, I looked at the film cartridge (a bulky 4"x5"x(.5)" and found a polaroid PolaPulse battery (a small (1/8)" x2"x3"). I tested it. It has one built in tab, and one flap that forms the two contacts. It tested at 5.8V, I guess a new battery would have about 6V. It can't have much milliamp-hours stored, but could be useful.

Lockhard
Tue Nov 13 13:07:46 PST 2001

These batteries were developed in the 70's and were sold under the Pola Pulse brand name. For a while, they tried to market the batteries, along with devices to be powered by them. They never took off. I believe that shelf-life was the major problem.

Jack Dedert
Mon Aug 12 15:47:18 PDT 2002

i would like to buy the potshot camera for a fundraiser. i had no luck in the stores. could you tell me how to get them and how much they cost? thank you

theresa coleman
Fri Apr 18 10:34:38 PDT 2003

hemm the battery (as in 600 film) is embedded in the film case :)

cATO
Mon Nov 17 05:26:22 PST 2003

I just came from your camera-hacking site, loved it by the way.

You wrote that you couldn't find the flash battery. Have you looked within an empty film cartrige?
The "old school" polaroids had a simple 6V battery in there. It was about the shape of a thin wallet. There was no housing on it other than cardboard. They will leak when you discharge them completely.

The new cartriges look smaller. Look for anywhere on the film pack where there are metal contacts. They probably molded the battery into the plastic housing or something.

Captain Nate
Tue Feb 8 10:34:42 PST 2005

Like other disposable cameras, it could use conventional alcaline cells.

Gary Tait
Mon Mar 14 19:53:44 PST 2005

Actually, the shelf life of the Polapulse batteries is very good. It failed as a seperate product because there simply wasn't that much demand for an ultra-thin battery, except by people who wanted to build letterbombs.

alex
Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:41:37 -0700

My Uncle asked me to try to restore an old greeting card he received at his wedding. The card when opened played the wedding march.
It contained a polaroid polapulse battery. I had never seen one but in research, I think its the P80.
Do you think I could still buy one or a similar replacement?
Kelsie Imes

Kelsie Imes
Thu, 12 Jan 2006 05:56:24 -0800

I used to salvage these from my great aunt's Polaroid film packs and use them for launching model rockets and running my cassette recorder. The current delivery is quite high, but the mA/Hr isn't great. I could easily get a couple of days of shooting rockets from one battery. The best connector I came up with for the battery was a piece of perforated circuit board with solid copper wire wound in and out of the perforations over the battery contacts. The leaf spring in the film pack that pushed the film to the top, also holds the connector nicely in place.

Visualdude
Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:38:08 -0700

The battery is a multi-layered foil pack, located on or within the film pack. This way, you get a fresh battery with each pack of pictures.

Dave Shaub
Sun, 15 Jul 2007 09:48:22 -0500

I have an old portable telecomunications device for the deaf that uses one of the Polapulse batteries it is about 3x 3.5 inches and quite thin, labeled 6 volts. Can you still get any of these batteries and what do they cost? Quite a bit is suspect. I could probably use a printed circuit card with the right contacts to connect with a battery pack using 4 AA batteries or solder two wires internally to a battery pack but another flat pack would be convenient. I'm not deaf, but someone could use the unit.

Paul
Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:07:06 +0000

Do they still make the Pop Shot?

Ericka
Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:54:21 +0000

yes i'd like to know about the PopShot as well.
i can see that they don't make it any more but what's the cheapest way i can take 40 or 50 instant photos for a christmas party at work?
i would love to do emulsion transfers with polaroids but have a sense that both the camera and the film are too expensive, so even just regular polaroids would be fine.

belle
Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:02:49 +0000

Hi
In 1978 I removed the battery ( Pola Pulse Battery ) from an empty Polaroid film package and I left it in my workshop. Today I checked the voltage and it is still 5.88 volts. Talk about good shelf life!

Pierre
Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:43:57 +0000

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