Poor Man's Polaroid

(boxart.lt)

76 points | by ZacnyLos 5 hours ago

11 comments

  • Gravityloss 2 minutes ago
    Do thermal prints still use materials that are endocrine disruptors, I don't know. But something to consider. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/human-exp...
  • cluckindan 5 minutes ago
    Too bad the thermal prints may not last very long.
  • baxtr 1 hour ago
    Nice project!

    But this is definitely NOT for a poor man. Poor people buy a $20 camera on Amazon.

    A time-rich person can afford this camera.

    • voidUpdate 28 minutes ago
      Polaroid film costs about 1 euro for them, and a thermal image costs about 1 cent. After enough photos, it cancels out
      • numberwhun 9 minutes ago
        Sure, but what about other costs. You can pick up a poloroid for about $50-75 on ebay. With this one, you will need to buy things like a 3D printer (and the necessary accessories, like filament), the rasperry pi, battery pack, printer, etc. Yes, the thermal paper is cheaper over all, but the cost will be a lot more up front, even if it work out over time. Don't get me wrong, this is a cool toy, but the title is definitely a bit off.
        • y-curious 7 minutes ago
          While I did just buy a 3D printer, I want to enlighten the community: many public libraries now have maker spaces. I recommend checking those out if you want to do one off stuff
        • IsTom 7 minutes ago
          There's plenty of services that 3D print for you.
  • ashdnazg 3 hours ago
    If you're using mobile, there's an "English" button in the menu.

    Note to website owner - it could be nice to have a permalink to the English version.

    • h2zizzle 18 minutes ago
      Hey, I enjoyed reading about the spausdintuvu and power banko.
  • thih9 1 hour ago
    Note that this is an existing product category, usually cheap too.

    Lots of examples here: https://thermalprintcameras.wordpress.com

    Of course one can still want to hack something like this yourself for fun or other reasons.

  • voidUpdate 30 minutes ago
  • slysnuk 3 hours ago
    One should know that thermopaper contains Bisphenol A aka BPA.
    • mwidell 2 hours ago
      You can buy phenol-free thermopaper if you are concerned
  • ivanvoid 3 hours ago
    this is a great idea and wonderful execution, inspiring others(me) to build one!
    • qwertox 2 hours ago
      The use of thermal paper was surprising. Great idea, indeed.
  • qsera 1 hour ago
    This is already available on online shops.
  • mwidell 2 hours ago
    Fun project. But if you just want the end result, you can buy one of these thermopaper toy cameras on Amazon for like $20.
    • detritus 2 hours ago
      I bought such a thing for my daughter and it's great fun but this old codger will never cease to be amazed at how much tech is available for such a small amount of money - the digital camera functions normally, takes video too, the system has basic games and a vivid LCD screen and there's a thermal printer - all in a cute moulded package. £25 ours cost.
      • sen 1 hour ago
        One of my kids just got a $13 “smart watch” which has a touch screen, camera with filters/editor, microSD storage, plays MP3s, records voice memos, has games, and more I’m probably forgetting.

        It absolutely blows my mind how cheap tech is these days.