Pocket instamatic battery help

JCook0113 · Jan 31, 2018

Hey I just bought a kodak pocket instamatic 30 which takes a k battery and it was dead so I got 3 357 batteries, taped them together then got tin foil to conduct to the prongs. Do I have to do this everytime or is there a simpler way to get this camera to work. I have the k battery if there is any modification I can do with that. Thanks.

Bill Burk · Jan 31, 2018

I struggle with the K battery too. Often I'll just use the Pocket Instamatic 20 since it's fully mechanical.

I carved a wooden replica of the K battery and made it so it holds 3 A-76 batteries in a line. It works but not as elegant as I wanted.

JCook0113 · Jan 31, 2018

Bill Burk said:
I struggle with the K battery too. Often I'll just use the Pocket Instamatic 20 since it's fully mechanical.

I carved a wooden replica of the K battery and made it so it holds 3 A-76 batteries in a line. It works but not as elegant as I wanted.

Hahaha thats awesome, im not sure ill go to that extent though I might just buy a 35mm pocket camera once this stops working. Thanks though.

JCook0113 · Jan 31, 2018

Bill Burk said:
I struggle with the K battery too. Often I'll just use the Pocket Instamatic 20 since it's fully mechanical.

I carved a wooden replica of the K battery and made it so it holds 3 A-76 batteries in a line. It works but not as elegant as I wanted.

Oh by the way when the battery was out the shutter still worked. Do you know what speed its at?

Born2Late · Jan 31, 2018

If you can find someone with access to CAD software and a rapid prototyping system you could potentially make a reusable battery holder for the 3 357 cells. I have the same situation and access to both but just haven't had the time to get to it.

Cholentpot · May 9, 2019

JCook0113 said:
Hey I just bought a kodak pocket instamatic 30 which takes a k battery and it was dead so I got 3 357 batteries, taped them together then got tin foil to conduct to the prongs. Do I have to do this everytime or is there a simpler way to get this camera to work. I have the k battery if there is any modification I can do with that. Thanks.

I just got an Instamatic 60 that functions. I taped three a76 batteries together and everything worked. However I came back an hour later and the middle battery of the stack had died/drained. Was this a fluke or is this what happens? Camera still works, I tried with a second stack.

Is there a template of sorts that I can go by to connect three batteries? I don't care how inelegant it is, I'd even stuff it with paper.

AgX · May 9, 2019

A76 = LR44

Born2Late · May 9, 2019

Born2Late said:
If you can find someone with access to CAD software and a rapid prototyping system you could potentially make a reusable battery holder for the 3 357 cells. I have the same situation and access to both but just haven't had the time to get to it.

Me to on all 3 counts.

Cholentpot · May 9, 2019

AgX said:
A76 = LR44

Does it make a difference? They're all the same voltage yes?

My second battery pack seems to have held up. I think one of the batteries failed in the first stack. Random short? I dunno. Time to look for some film.

Bill Burk · May 9, 2019

Fortunately most 110 film is going to be negative film, so it's likely to be tolerant to overexposure. Which is going to happen in cameras which only are aware of 100 speed.

MattKing · May 9, 2019

Cholentpot said:
Does it make a difference? They're all the same voltage yes?

Silver oxide are much more likely to work for you than their alkaline cousins.

AgX · May 10, 2019

Cholentpot said:
Does it make a difference? They're all the same voltage yes?

I posted the equation as at least over here the second designation is more common.

In general, same system, same size and same voltage does not necessarily mean same cell. Some cells are optimized for yielding higher current, but such should be looked up in the respective manufacturer listings.

Cholentpot · May 10, 2019

MattKing said:
Silver oxide are much more likely to work for you than their alkaline cousins.

Cool, thanks.

Bill Burk said:
Fortunately most 110 film is going to be negative film, so it's likely to be tolerant to overexposure. Which is going to happen in cameras which only are aware of 100 speed.

Camera I got is aware of 80 as far as the documentation says. That should be more than fine with 100 speed.

Michael Chisena · Jan 31, 2021

Hi all,
Im new here.
Before I put this up I checked with management to make sure I did not violate any of the rules.
Would be an embarrassment for my first message to get banned.

Anyhow I have made some 'new' reproduction type 538 or K batteries.
Here is a photo article on how they are made.
https://imgur.com/gallery/WYLsHCF

Got a nice review from a Youtube presenter i sent some samples to.

Also worked up an instruction sheet, can post that text if requested.

Share a thought, ask questions.

Mike in Virginia Beach VA
ka2zev@yahoo.com

Donald Qualls · Jan 31, 2021

Nice. I've been running my Pocket Instamatic 60 on three S76 cells, stacked and the stack taped. The button end contacts where the side terminal on the K battery would go, and I put on a piece of aluminum from the flat end of the stack down the side, to contact where the end terminal would go. Snug enough to stay in contact, comes out with a little bump of the camera against my hand.

That said, I bought a 3D printed screw-bonded shell from eBay that I can populate with three button cells (I think it'll accept S76 as well), just in case i want to use the Pocket Instamatic 40 that came with my Kalimar Strobe A (mounts on the tripod socket, syncs from the X-cube mount).

Michael Chisena · Jan 31, 2021

DQ
I saw that. The guy is doing some things right and some things are pain just waiting to happen.
Might be fun to see which one works.
Im in Virginia Beach, what part of NC are you in?
Mike

Donald Qualls · Jan 31, 2021

I live near Hanging Rock, work on the border of Greensboro and High Point.

Honestly, as well as the stack of three button cells works, I wonder if it's worth bothering with K battery substitutes -- but there is something to be said for being able to just buy a battery and drop it in the way the Great Yellow Father intended. Then there's film availability, but as long as Lomography sells it, I'll keep shooting it. Sometimes auto exposure, rangefinder, and a good lens are nice. Other times, I feel more DIY and I'll load up microfilm in my Kiev 30 cassettes and use scale focus and manual exposure.

Michael Chisena · Jan 31, 2021

DQ
Was thinking if you were near Moyock I could drive there and give you one to try. Oh well. So be it.
Let's see how this project plays out.

Mike

Donald Qualls · Feb 1, 2021

I'm sure there are a few folks in the "new film resurgence" crowd who won't use a Pocket Instamatic unless they can drop the battery in. Those of us who've been reloading Minolta-format cassettes for fifteen years or so probably aren't in that category. In fact, one of my biggest gripes with 110 is how hard it is to reload the cartridge. I've got a hundred feet of Fuji microfilm and know how to process it for EI 25 and excellent tonality, or EI 50 and still pretty good (wish I could still get Copex Rapid, which would go to EI 100 with better tonality than Super HR at EI 25). Neutral density over the light sensor, and Bob's yer uncle... ...except for the pain of getting a 110 cartridge opened, refilled, and closed up again.

Michael Chisena · Feb 1, 2021

DQ
It's been a long time since I have handled 110 film so the memory is hazy.
It's all a matter of parts.

There is a cartridge top and bottom, take up spool with it's gear drive.
The film it's self with a light blocking paper backing.
The film/ paper plus spool is inserted in the cartridge lower and the top is ultrasonically welded in place to insure light tight..
Not the kind of thing we can make at home w/o extensive industrial sized tools.

For the moment it's cheaper to buy this rather than to build.

Most likely missed a few details.

Mike

Donald Qualls · Feb 1, 2021

Michael Chisena said:
The film/ paper plus spool is inserted in the cartridge lower and the top is ultrasonically welded in place to insure light tight.

And there's the rub.

Of course, with only two emulsions available, it might be worth reloading with strips cut from 120 (the Submini-L mailing list has had a thread running recently about making a tool to punch the perfs the camera uses for alignment) -- except that a good ultrasonic weld is almost impossible to unfasten without just destroying the parts.

bergytone · Feb 2, 2021

Hey folks,
I'm the one that's making the K battery sold on eBay. I would love to hear you about what you think is wrong with my design, so I can improve it.
-Eric B

Donald Qualls · Feb 3, 2021

Honestly, I haven't even opened the envelope for the one I bought from you. As long as it physically fits and has the correct polarity, I'd see the one that can be disassembled (by removing four screws) to refresh the cells as better than one that's glued together.

Michael Chisena · Feb 3, 2021

Morning Eric,
As we learn in life there is usually more than one way to do things.
Each method most likely is be valid based on personal experience.

In my working life I have had many issues with what I call 'bi metallic' junctions.

An extreme example.
Years ago, I was asked to work on some Russian night vision gizmo.
It just would not turn on.
The electronics was good, The on/off switch was good. Just no turn on.

The battery holder was 2 AA's in line. It was steel cup pressed into an aluminum housing.
As things turned out a bi metallic junction formed and the - terminal of the battery holder was high resistance to the aluminum frame.
The fix was drilling and taping a hole and installing a 'grub screw' to force contact between the battery holder and the aluminum.
Then it fired up and ran properly.
Until some years later some know nothing burned out the converter tubes.

Personal paranoia and experience tells me not to trust compression fittings when two different metals are in contact.
Your average consumer would know little about it and never suspect this issue.

Perhaps you have had better experiences. I hope so, most of these were in the 'un fun' category to solve.

We are also dealing with cells that have a fairly high internal resistance. Im using LR44's. So I weld them with a dinky little spot welder.
This solves any issues with internal contact resistance.

We came to different results due to experience with human factors.
Screws.
Great idea if we were working in aluminum or steel.
The issue is we are working in extruded plastic. That only has so much strength.
After a number of uses the taped holes will erode.
The compression that holds the package together and to it's internal contacts will weaken and the potential for intermittent battery contacts exist.

Your product has some better features than mine.
I don't have the same level of design skill.
I started out in 3D printing making electronic weapons for counter IED warfare.
I truly like the way you have the first cell installed.
Did a much better job of duplicating the Everready package than I hoped to.
You also had the expanded (-) terminal using what looks like copper tape.
I omitted that since it was not needed for the Kodak 60 camera.

There is room in this market for two designs, so far the samples I have sent out seem to be well received.
Time will tell if they are any good.

Yours are selling, I hope you enjoy continued success.

Share a thought as time permits.

Be well there.
Mike

Donald Qualls · Feb 3, 2021

Given the life of silver oxide cells in this application (several years of sporadic use; the meter only draws current when the shutter release is half-pressed), it's likely that four or five cycles of removing and installing the screws will cover the life of one of these cameras (which, for most users, will end when 110 film is not longer offered anywhere).

I can't say how long it might be before intermetal issues or plain old corrosion cause problems, but I'm inclined to think, once again, that the useful life of the cameras before 110 film is dropped will be more limiting than internal resistance in the battery shell.

Pocket instamatic battery help

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