SLR680 Auto focus optosensor repair - Broken pick-off - Polaroid SLR680 Overhaul Part 2

Got an SLR680 that needs some love? I have been repairing Polaroid cameras for clients professionally as The Instant Camera Guy for over a decade. Get in contact with me! Links below!

In the seventh episode of The Instant Camera Guy, I continue the SLR680 repairs started in the previous video.

Part 1 is here:
   • Polaroid SLR680 Overhaul & Repair - Fixing...  

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This video tackles what I'd consider one of the most difficult repairs when it comes to SLR Polaroid cameras - fixing a broken 'pick-off assembly' in the auto-focus mechanism. This issue causes the lens to always focus to roughly 4.5 feet (1.5m).

Comprised of a U-shaped plastic housing that contains an infrared emitter and receiver, the 'pick-off assembly' facilitates the use of a rotary encoder to tell the camera how far to turn its lens for accurate focus.

Effectively it counts little slots in a toothed gear as it spins during the motorized movement of the lens cell.

Polaroid sadly seemed to use LEDs of a fairly poor quality, with many living only short lives before burning out, rendering the auto-focus inoperable. If your auto-focus is still working after 40 odd years, then odds are it will keep working for years to come. If its dead? Then odds are it died long ago!

I must emphasize the difficulty in performing such a repair without experience.
There is high risk of breaking components unless you have good experience taking these shutter assemblies apart.
Even after years of doing these repairs I still find this job very tricky!


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https://www.theinstantcameraguy.com

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Got a Polaroid that needs some love? Hit me up! I'm across social media as "the instant camera guy"!