PolaVolt Portable - an update on a new Polaroid SX-70 i-Type adapter

[@theinstantcameraguy]

Thanks to everyone who's come down to leave a comment. I've very much enjoyed your input, ideas, critiques and suggestions. There is still much for me to figure out in terms of logistics, and a few tweaks I'd still like to make before I release any kind of 'final' product, but I will try and do my best to sell them separately. Stay posted for future updates!

[@germansaez]

In black and with a cover that protects all the elements would be a really nice product.

[@knaught77]

For what it's worth I personally think you should sell them to anyone who wants one with the caveat of providing all the info you stated in the video. If you provide the info and risks etc and the customer refuses to read, or research then that's on them. Your videos are incredibly knowledgeable and it shows how much you care and respect the craft and the tech of these old camers. It's thanks to people like you that keep this tech alive. So thank you for all you do!

[@zackcuster3972]

I would love to buy it as a kit. Thank you for even creating such a beautiful solution.

[@anderprms]

wow, this is an incredible solution. That it is so simple and reliable to place and use is incredible. I think you should sell them independently, but warn of the risks it may have if it has not been refurbished by you. It is a way not to tarnish your reputation at all and to provide this adapter to those of us who have had an SX 70 refurbished by someone else for a long time and working perfectly.

[@mpantig]

I think you should sell it separately to those who want one and just encourage people to get a full refurbishment. It looks like a great option for people who want to keep their cameras look stock. They might like this option yet still want a full refurbishment. There is still the risk that it might reduce the amount of people who would want to have service done but then again some of those people were never going to seek service in the first place so you might as well get at least a purchase from those people. Besides the mod looks relatively simple so there’s a risk that a competitor will sell something similar anyway so you might as well be the first and establish name recognition with your product and your reputation as an expert in this area.

[@diabeatass]

I would buy this in the prototype stage tomorrow. With heavy warnings that there is zero chance you'll receive support.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

this is probably what I'll end up doing, and effectively my line of thinking Nothing stops these people buying an alternative i-Type adaptor at the moment anyway In terms of people copying me, at least I have documentation on KZbin to prove I was first :) To be honest, this version is just a stripped down and simplified version of the Evo - which in turn is arguably just a stripped down and simplified version of the Rezivot adaptor

[@JerOmyRamos]

I don't think you're gatekeeping anything, the camera has to be up to a certain standard for the add on product to be used. Sounds fair to me, I Love this option! This with an SLR 680 overhauled by you would be amazing! It'll keep it's original look and I can shoot Itype if I ever want to by just punching holes in the leather at the bottom. Simply... Awesome 👍🏼

[@Markybug-Keira-Cody]

Could the battery adapter be mounted on a custom neck strap for neatness ? Strap would attach as normal to the 2 lugs but also have 2 wires with pins for the battery terminal holes. cable would run stitched inside the neck strap and the battery could be attached to the strap , roughly chest height for switching on/off ? this would look cleaner than having the battery on the end of the camera and is easily removed with the neck strap

[@thenerdling1]

Could you also sell it with a hole punch guide for the leather? And offer other colours to match the white sx70s and peoples skins

[@AeromaticXD]

This is really cool!

[@tishbite3988]

I own two sx-70s currently. One was refurbished and resold by a local camera store(a sonar) and the other is one of the mint sx-70s. Both work great and I use them both often. It would be a shame if I had to either ship my camera across the globe(I am in the US) as part of the price for this, or to have to buy another camera entirely just to get one. You should strongly consider selling a kit option at least as I suspect the type of person able to build a kit is likely to be a bit more understanding about the expected results from a nearly 50 year old instant camera.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

I totally get what you mean However, I unfortunately have the first-hand experience to know that not all SX-70s are serviced equally. I've seen time and time again cameras coming from all kinds of shops, techs and online stores that have been so poorly refurbished that they needed to be totally redone from the inside out. And it's something that seems to actually be getting worse over time. I've recorded 3 repair videos re-doing other cameras this year that I never released because I thought they were too mean/inflammatory. Not just simple mistakes that anyone could make, but full on negligence to the point where I can only assume an amateur intern did the work. I think maybe all I can do is try and set an example to follow with repairs. Perhaps I'll simply just ask for proof that the product is to be used with a refurbished camera. Maybe receipts/pictures etc will be fine

[@Tomcat12789]

I agree it should be sold separately, however I understand your hesitation due to the issues you have provided. I think you should sell it with very clear notes about how you will only provide warranty for the circuit/guarantee the correct voltage output with an input between A/B. I think in its current state it isn’t production ready, but I would prefer it to the solutions given by other battery packs. You should also include disclaimer that you will not be liable for damage one might cause to install it. As much like the other products with pogo pins it requires at least damaging, or removing the bottom leather(ette)

[@RagnarokGenesis00]

can you buy and review polastudio new battery mix product that’s similar to the chromatic parts power bar.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

I had not heard of this until now. At the time of me commenting the page on their website is dead - but a blog post showing a 3D render on how to change the batteries is still online. To me, it just looks like a clone of the Powerbar I already covered the Powerbar in great depth in my "Ultimate Guide to i-Type adapters" video I released this year. Long story short, it works, but there are a LOT of quirks and caveats to its operation. Additionally, for the Powerbar - in an Alpha type camera, an extra pin has to be added into the flash to provide +ve voltage to the PCB. AFAIK there is no way around this, so I am very curious to see how PolaStudios get around this...

[@petertheis7889]

Would love to be able to buy one of these... Preferably already built and not a kit. my cameras are all serviced (mostly by Dr Jermz) so maybe have some way to sell even if you didnt refurb it personally yourself? Also would be trivial for me to design and 3d print a cover for the electronic bits to protect them a bit. Very nicely done.

[@Ni5ei]

You could, in theory, replace the contact points with short spikes that prick through the leatherette and make contact with the 2 terminals on the camera. I'm not saying this would work reliably because of hardened glue underneath the leatherette may prevent good contact, but in theory, it's possible.

[@nicksapien3745]

Could one of these work on a berkey Keystone wizard xf1000?

[@theinstantcameraguy]

@@nicksapien3745 in this form - no Technically you could battery mod a Keystone. But 600 converting the shutter is hard due to the difference in electric eye design

[@Traiden_]

This looks very cool. How did you deal with the surface of the SX70 being conductive though?

[@theinstantcameraguy]

@@Traiden_ insulated pins But also you could use a 6mm drill bit to remove some of the metal at the pogo pin holes

[@Traiden_]

@@theinstantcameraguy Oh sweet, thanks for the quick reply. Your channel is a godsend. I started pulling these cameras apart around 2016 and there was nothing like your breakdowns. I've got enough confidence to pull apart my two busted 680s. One has the failed focus electronics problem so I am gonna need to replace some caps.

[@patpat1354]

I love this project. It's not beautiful, it's not fancy, but it gets the job done and hopefully is going to be affordable. I would love to purchase it - not as a permanent solution for my camera - but for the times when the film I'd like to shoot is out of stock in the 600 variant (like the B&W film at this moment) or for special editions of the i-type film. The instructions on the back of the pcb is an amazing idea, it would match perfectly with the instructions below the viewfinder of the sx70 itself. Maybe it could be written in a similar layout? :) As for the distribution - I don't consider this as a modification, but like an accessory, an add-on, especially because it's basically plug-and-play and does not affect how the photos will look like. It's not like the mint flashbar, which will probably make a trashed sx70 expose incorrectly. In my opinion, this is more like a tripod - it's going to help with certain things, it's going to do its job, no matter what camera you stick it to. I'd love to get it as a complete, ready to use solution for reasons I mentioned above. If you decide not to make it widely available - I would understand, launching a new product is risky, but in that case maybe you could offer it off-menu for KZbin subscribers? 😅 I thought about purchasing the Rezivot adapter, but it's too pricey for my occasional use and I hate that it makes the camera thicker, imo it's much uglier than the exposed pcb. Also - with a black pcb it should look very stealthy on my all black sx70. Does it make sense? I'm not sure how many people are in the same boat as me, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for its release and success.

[@matthewjchung]

Just on a personal level, I think these should be available to purchase separately. I agree with your point at 7:58 but I can’t imagine that the same uniformed newbie knowing about this I-Type conversion, purchasing it for an untested or sketchily refurbished camera, and wasting film in the way you describe. I imagine your audience is on the more well-informed side. Maybe if you start seeing Redditors recommend this as part of a “starter kit” without also recommend overhaul, then cross that bridge if you ever get there and limit sales? Otherwise, my thinking is this: I’ve sent in an SLR680 to you for a regular Polavolt conversion. I wanted to have a do-it-all camera. But I’d also like to have a couple of other folding cameras without I-Type conversion-keeping them as compact as possible, or trying to keep the looking stock. So I’d be keen on having one of these to use in a pinch for one of my other cameras. For example, say I have B&W film loaded in my 680, but I wanted to shoot color on my SX-70 and all I have is I-Type available in my fridge at the moment. I wouldn’t mind having it available as a kit. It would have the advantage of making it less appealing to those looking for a short cut, but could potentially create more work for in answering questions and diagnosing other people’s mistakes in assembly. Tl;dr - I think the original Polavolt is a great long term solution. This would be convenient to have on hand as for backup and secondary cameras. So I’d personally like it to be made available separately.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

I think this is the way I'll end up going I still need to nut out the final details with Yongmin anyway. I'm not sure if he'll simply just have a factory make up the entire things, or if I'll personally hand-solder each one If I sell them individually I'll also need to sort out packaging too, since I will need a supply of small boxes to ship them out in. It may all prove to difficult logistically anyway - especially since I'm quite busy already as a one man operation with repairs alone haha

[@matthewjchung]

@@theinstantcameraguyYeah. Having backed numerous crowdsourced projects and other similar one-man endeavors, I definitely understand your hesitance into jumping straight into this undertaking. So many tiny things can go wrong and snowball into costly delays. That being said, if you do end up going through with it, how about a beta test program for certain existing customers? 😉

[@theinstantcameraguy]

@matthewjchung if you want to get in touch for a prototype just message me You can maybe maybe score a RARE GREEN one lol

[@breadboxandthepostie]

I think build your own kit or selling outright is a good idea. I’d buy either version

[@Andrew12759]

The design as shown seems contingent on the SX-70 having a tripod mount. So wouldn't that cut out a lot of users?

[@Omniscientartist]

Think he talked about this in his last video but yeah tripod hole models only

[@theinstantcameraguy]

@@Andrew12759 this is correct. Sadly pogo pin designs like this rather limit you to Alpha spec cameras. The rezivot power ranger was no exception

[@bobmalin656]

I think it should be sold separatly.

[@cyprus1840]

You should sell a blueprint then if someone know what its doing then they know what to do with it

[@ianfleming4356]

Sorry about my SX70 Sonar id no idea it was so bad

[@theinstantcameraguy]

lol yours was the LEAST of my issues this week

[@WhoIsSerafin]

Have them sign a statement saying you recommend them getting your sx-70 first before buying this product. And can't guarantee the product will work properly otherwise.

[@monochromebluess]

You are the gatekeeper of the SX-70 on its very last of last legs cameras ! The lack of a tripod on the original cameras prevents this method from working of course. Your PolaVolt solution is clean and professional looking and to have it done it’s going to be on a “ instantcameraguy” sorted camera. This portable solution if sold separately may in time damage your reputation. Apart from all of these issues I have to say it’s just a plain ugly looking solution. Sorry Jake but whether it’s green, black, rainbow or invisible it’s just ugly. Keep up the good work on the cameras and videos.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

Honestly the PolaVolt's greatest strength is its integration No short circuit possible, no switches or LEDs to worry about, guaranteed serviced camera and the fact that the entire camera operates as an on/off switch This solution is ugly. But there is a demand for it haha

[@K1n1c]

Please don't gate keep the community from this. People can do their own critical thinking about the refurbishment part. I have refurbished cameras that use the rezivot power ranger fine for many years and would be sadden to require sending in a camera to you just to get the adapter especially for folks who do not live in Australia

[@theinstantcameraguy]

Hence why I explicitly write in the video that I don't want to gatekeep My main concern is it diluting my main message that SX-70 cameras truly require a proper service in order to work the best And I'd like to somehow ensure that people use such an adaptor only with the best possible servicing

[@chaeyeonieearts]

FIRST

[@chaeyeonieearts]

also "brain fried" is a mood. for similar reasons, but brainfry is a complete mood. 🥲🥲

[@tonygraham6140]

Only supply them if you've overhauled the camera, is my take. Remember the 6 "refurbed" Sonars I sent you to fit with an I-Type solution and the soldering was so bad that, that they all started running very very very sluggisn? FINGERPOINTING. How many do you estimate, that you will get back, only to have to fix another ebaahhh botch job. Of course a disclaimer on each sold individually, mandating agreement that, the buyer gets no kind of right to have their camera, ebaah/cowboy-reskinners, much, if anything goes off kilter with their camera after installing, the kit, on a camera with no TICG, providence.

[@theinstantcameraguy]

yeah, examples like yours are why I'm so hesitant to open the floodgates lol