Topic: testing a Polaroid One Step

[astrobeck]

Happy New Year.

My plan for 2019 is to get my Polaroid One Step back in working order...( a plan of many I should add)

I bought a pack of the Polaroid Originals for it to take on a road trip and it mostly failed.
The problem is I don't know if it's the film pack, the camera..../
The first shot came out of the camera fine, develioped and I thought, great I'm back in instant gratification land...
However it was a short lived joy because the second shot wouldn't eject.
So, I pulled the pack out of the camera and shoved it back inside the camera and it ejected the shot, but the shot was of course ruined from being pulled out of the camera in the light.
The third shot jammed inside, so again I had to pull out the whole pack and push it back in to get it settled.

Now, the camera will not do anything....

so my question is...does the battery in the film pack have a limited life?
Is there a way to check the circuitry of the One Step to see if there is a problem with the electrical business inside/

I'm lame when it comes to circuitry, but I don't really want to bin the camera just yet. I love Polaroid. But if it's going to be this PITA, then I'll jsut go back to drilling holes in tin cans.

help me Obi-Wans...your'e my only hope....


happy New year.

[Francois]

Do you have a voltmeter or a multimeter? This will be invaluable for the job.
The original film pack's battery needs to output 6 volts. If the pack doesn't, then it's defective and probably is covered by the Polaroid warranty.
If it does, kick out the proper voltage, then it's the camera that's at fault.
On these, the only thing you can do is pretty much check to see if there is any gunk in the roller mechanism.
Also, check inside if there is any oxidation on the battery springs. This might be where the problem lies.

These cameras are quite robust, so there shouldn't be anything else to do.
If you want to mod it to use some AA batteries, I can check to see what the polarities are.

[Bryan]

I save oldfilm packs to test cameras, the battery usually last far longer than it needs to for the 8 shots.  It could be corrosion on the battery contacts in the camera but if it worked on the first shot there’s a good chance it’s something else. 

Can you hear the motor going but nothing is ejected?  If that’s the case it could be the hook not advancing the film out of the pack to the roller.  There are tutorials online that will show you how to fix that.  I’ve had mixed succes with this repair.

If it is the battery contacts this is how I clean them.  It’s  kind of a delicate operation because you don’t want to scratch or get anything on the glass just above the contacts.  First I gently scrape the top of the contacts with a small file.  Then clean it by blowing some air in there holding it so everything falls out of the opening.  Next I tape half of a q-tip to something like a popsicle stick.  Dip the q-tip in white vinegar and rub a little on top of the contacts without touching it to the glass above.  Next use another q-tip the same way to clean it with rubbing alcohol.  Lastly, very lightly coat another q-tip with Vaseline and put a thin coat on the top of the contact, this will help it conduct and help prevent further corrosion. 

[astrobeck]

Thanks guys!
I tested the battery and the output is 4....so I ordered another pack and will try again.
Just briefly looking inside the camera, it looks fine. the rollers are clean and nothing rattles, so I'll give it another go with a new pack.
I wonder if the uber cold temps it was subjected to just made it go off.

anyway, I want to use more color this year, so stay tuned.

Good bad or ugly, I'll report back.
Beck