Building a chrome Polaroid SLR680 with manual control!

My name is Jake and I repair instant cameras! Got a Polaroid SLR680 that needs some love? Get in contact with me! Links below!
In the ninth episode of The Instant Camera Guy, I build something truly special; a CHROME Polaroid SLR680 with a manual control SX-70R PCB!
During the build I also learnt some critical repair information along the way that neither myself, Carlisle (the PCB's creator) or any other technician I spoke to knew about!
Like what I do? Find this video helpful or entertaining?
Feel free to buy me a beer (or two!):
ko-fi.com/theinstantcameraguy
Getting artifacts in the video? For best quality, manually select 1080p quality, as depending on your bandwidth, KZbin may default to 720p - and KZbin's 720p compression looks like garbage
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In this video I perform a true trash-to-treasure miracle, and breathe new live into an utterly trashed Polaroid SLR680.
Along the way I repair a broken auto-focus on/off switch and replace the main PCB with a brand new SX-70R module for manual control!
While in the final stages of assembling the camera, I realized that the camera was producing consistently under-exposed photos. This was an issue I'd encountered building other manual control 680s in the past, and I could never figure out why. Initially, I thought it was an issue with the new PCBs firmware, or a production problem.
In the video I describe that there are two versions of the 680 shutter... this is actually wrong. I'll cover more about this topic in a future video
After an entire afternoon of reverse engineering, I discovered that there seems to be quite a large amount of variation with SLR680 and SX-70 shutter design. The official method of shutter calibration as per the SX-70r's designer is to ensure that the close-to-open timing of the shutter takes 40ms.
This works most of the time, but some cameras would drastically underexpose photos. This camera was no exception. Seems that SOME solenoids require a speed closer to 20ms.
This information is undocumented in any information I am aware of, and it stumped every technician I spoke to!
From this point forwards, the SX-70R calibration method will be completely different. We will be using the 1/8000th effective speed as reference, and tuning solenoid pneumatics until this exposure produces a small rectangular shaped aperture in the blades. If this speed is correct, the rest of the shutter speeds will fall into line!
This knowledge will prove essential for future restorations and manual conversions of SLR Polaroids!
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www.theinstantcameraguy.com
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Aki Asahi leather can be found here:
aki-asahi.com/store/

[@theinstantcameraguy]

Please note that my comments at the end of the video suggesting their may be two variations of the SLR680 shutter are actually incorrect. However, I was on the right track! In reality, the issue had less to do with blade design, and more to do with solenoid pneumatic calibration. It seems there is more art than science to this calibration method, and the factory standard method will not necessarily work in ALL cameras - although it is a good reference point! The SX-70R project is so fresh at the time of this video's release that the information is at the cutting edge! Not even the project lead knew of this information. Using knowledge gained from this build, I've come up with a new calibration system for the SX-70R, which Carlisle will roll out in further instruction guides. Further details are described above in the video description.

[@ColTRaw]

For how much do you sell the camera? :)

[@theinstantcameraguy]

@@ColTRaw all service pricing is on my Instagram and Facebook pages - where i keep it up to date

[@unfunnybruh]

Wow nice👍

[@patrickwilson1440]

An interesting and informative video, excellent.👍

[@theinstantcameraguy]

thank you!

[@steelhazard]

I love these fixing videos so much!❤

[@theinstantcameraguy]

thank you for your kind words! feel free to share the love!

[@user-rd9os7uj4d]

Well, done and discovered.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

thank you! HUGE discovery for the SX-70R community. Although... after further research today my explanation has a mistake. It has less to do with blade design and more to do with solenoid design. But the end result is the same

[@user-rd9os7uj4d]

JA, I new that, having dropped and smashed a refurbished Sonar let's say -R 2 days ago, I have now fine tuned the other Sonar via your great 1.8mm hack. And wow, it is now rocking the shit of these bright cloudless cold as F34#$8r winter skies.

[@ilmago5291]

You are best expert of reflex polaroid cameras;my 680 is of 1984;I bought for 250 euro in 2016 in Italy from eBay in mint condition;now after 7 years works ok only rollers a bit dirty (I don’t say why but modern Polaroid that I have like Polaroid lab and Polaroid go has always rollers that stay clean 🤷)and only from 2022 a little scratch in leather of folding viewfinder that I resolve whit uniposca that colored of black;probably leather of viewfinder start to deteriorate because I carry 680 folded flat in internal poket of jacket

[@theinstantcameraguy]

thank you for your kind words!

[@linusjarnbjer3740]

Small detail perhaps, but don't you want change the flap on the door, where it reads "SX-70 sonar" for the one that came with the 680 that reads "600 land camera Autofocus/Auto strobe"?

[@theinstantcameraguy]

The flap is heat-staked in place to the door with plastic rivets. One cannot simply "change" the flap with any kind of ease, although you could put a sticker over the current logo Re-melting the heat stakes is only something I'd do if the flap had already completely come loose The door flap is still technically correct though. It is a Sonar camera after all.

[@linusjarnbjer3740]

​@@theinstantcameraguy Oof, sounds like too much of a faff! Haven't really looked at how it attaches to the door. :)

[@theinstantcameraguy]

@@linusjarnbjer3740 with some patience, some heat and a scalpel and a bit of luck, it might be possible to salvage the original SLR680 door sticker But by doing so I'd ruin a perfectly good 680 door, which is a valuable spare to have. Since the cameras flash assembly logo was already ruined, I blacked it out completely so as to more match the original Sonar color scheme. My intent was to make a Sonar that... wasn't!

[@AnAvgJoe]

Would you happen to know if the transducer on the Pronto AF is also the same as the 660? I have a working Sonar Pronto, but the af only ranges from 20ft-25ft depending if my hand is in front of it. Figured the sonar was going bad and I have that broken 660. I was thinking of taking the sonar out of it to replace the Pronto's.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

I don't think that's a transducer issue from the sound of things Should be identical and interchangeable though

[@youjustgotcarled]

If I was to send in a normal SX-70 in for a SX-70R mod how much would it cost?

[@theinstantcameraguy]

I am specifically not mentioning prices in these videos in case people watch them years from now and prices have changed (inflation, parts etc). I have all current price-guides on my Instagram listed in AUD page for people to peruse. They are easy to find if you follow the links. If you don't have Instagram, or cannot access my public page, feel free to email me. What I CAN say is that they are cheaper than buying a MiNT SLR670 Time Machine and have far more features.