Instant Framed – Modding an instant camera

July 2023

(Download all code and hardware specs here!)

My grandpa gave me his Polaroid Land Camera.
It didn’t work anymore, so I upgraded it!

📸

This video explains what it does~

This frame can be placed anywhere on the planet –
as long there is Wi-Fi, it will show the latest photo!

The display is an e-paper screen, so it doesn’t emit any light.

This, combined with the granularity of the dots, makes it look a lot like real film!
And just like instant photos, this takes a minute to draw (or ‘develop’) the picture.

The digital file is deleted every step along the way,
making sure that there is only one copy: the photo on the frame itself.
(Until you take a new photo.)

Both the camera and the frame use a Raspberry Pi.

Taking a picture of a QR code connects the camera to a Wi-Fi network!

The frame now lives in my grandma’s bookcase,
so I can keep her posted :)

Hiding a digital camera in there

Making the camera portable, and adding a nice blue blinking status LED

Making the frame