This document summarizes an experiment to reuse parts from disposable cameras to create lighting devices and a coin flipper. The flash circuit from disposable cameras was used to create a repeating strobe light by adding a switch and smaller capacitor. A portable strobe was also made by putting the flash circuit back into a camera. Finally, a coin flipper was designed using the flash circuit, a coil, and other components. Different coil designs were tested, and the best results used thin gauge wire stacked into coils with many turns. The experiment showed the flash and strobe circuits could be replicated, while the coin flipper required some testing of coil designs to achieve the best height for flipping coins.

1. Hacking the
Kodak
Funsaver Flash
Joseph R. Groele

2. Abstract
A disposable camera’s flash energy comes from the
battery. Chemical energy stored in the battery changes
into electrical energy and stores up to 350 volts in the
capacitor. Then the electricity travels to a transformer
where the 350 volts is changed into 4,000 volts. That
energy makes a spark in the xenon gas, which creates a
flash. The electrical energy that created the spark is then
converted into heat and light when the flash goes off. To
make the coin flip, I plan to have electricity flow through a
coil thereby making a magnetic field. The changing
magnetic field causes an electric current in the coin,
called an Eddy current, which produces an opposite
magnetic field. This makes the coin repel off the coil and
into the air.

3. Hypothesis/Purpose
Hypothesis
I think that I will be able to flip a coin
using the parts from a disposable camera
flash. However, additional parts will need to
be added.
Purpose
Can you use the flash from a disposable
camera to make a coin flip?

4. Materials:
Disposable cameras, wire, wire stripper, solder,
soldering iron, push-button switches, toggle switches,
D sized batteries, battery holders, plastic containers,
drill, sidac, capacitor, SCR, diode, wood, saw, plastic
sheet, screws, screwdriver, pliers, duct tape, glue, glue
gun, resistor, pencil, and labels.

5. Procedures: Opening the Camera
Part 1: Taking apart the camera
1. Pry the camera’s cover using a screwdriver.
(Don’t touch circuit board)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Drain the power using a resistor.
Pry off the lens cover.
Use pliers to pull off the spring on the lens.
Remove other pieces of camera lens.
Pull off circuit board.
Discard other components.

6. Procedures: Opening the Camera

7. Explaining the Flash Circuit
T h e F la s h C ir c u it h a s s ix m a jo r c o m p o n e n ts
1 . O s c illa t o r - c h a n g e s b a t t e r y D C t o A C v o lt a g e
2 . T ra n s fo rm e r - c h a n g e s 1 .5 V A C to 3 5 0 V A C
3 . R e c tif ie r ( d io d e ) - c o n v e r ts A C b a c k t o D C
4 . C a p a c ito r - c h a r g e s t o 3 5 0 v o lts D C a n d s to r e s th e e n e r g y
5 . T r ig g e r - m a k e s a s in g le p u ls e t o s t a r t t h e f la s h
6 . F la s h b u lb - m a k e s a b r ig h t lig h t
T ra n s fo rm e r
R e c t if ie r
Xenon
Lam p
1 .5 V
AA
B a tte ry
L a rg e
C a p a c ito r
S m a ll
C a p a c ito r
C h a rg e
S w it c h
R eady
L ig h t
F la s h
S w itc h

8. The Repeating Strobe Circuit
T h e R e p e a tin g S tr o b e
1 . A d d e d a s w it c h t o t u r n it o n a n d o f f
2 . R e p la c e t h e 8 0 m ic r o F a r a d c a p a c it o r w it h a 1 0 m ic r o F a r a d
3 . A d d a ju m p e r w ir e in p la c e o f th e c h a r g e s w it c h
4 . R e p la c e t h e t r ig g e r s w it c h w it h a S id a c
T ra n s fo rm e r
R e c t if ie r
Xenon
Lam p
1 .5 V
D
B a tte ry
L a rg e
C a p a c it o r
10 uF
S m a ll
C a p a c it o r
C h a rg e
S w itc h
R eady
L ig h t
S id a c

9. Procedures: Building the Strobes
Part 3: The repeating strobe
1) Solder wires to D cell battery holder in place of camera battery. One wire should
go to a toggle switch before going to the camera battery holder.
2) Solder jumper wire in place of push-button charging switch on circuit board.
3) Solder sidac across flash trigger contacts on circuit board.
4) Remove flash capacitor and replace it with a smaller capacitor.
5) Mount inside a plastic box.
6) Drill holes in the top of the box for the toggle switch.
7) Label the switch.
Part 4: The portable strobe
1) Replace the flash capacitor with a smaller capacitor.
2) Solder sidac across flash trigger contacts on circuit board.
3) Put an AA battery in the camera battery holder.
4) Put circuit board back in the camera.
5) Replace the camera cover.
6) Duct tape the camera cover on the camera to prevent the cover from falling off.

10. Procedures: Building the Strobes

11. The Coin Flipper Circuit
T h e C o in F lip p e r
1 . A d d e d a s w it c h to t u r n it o n a n d o f f
2 . A d d e d a ju m p e r w ir e in p la c e o f t h e c h a r g e s w it c h
3 . R e m o v e d t h e la m p a n d r e p la c e d it w it h a d io d e
4 . A t t a c h e d S C R , r e s is t o r , a n d a p u s h b u t t o n s w it c h
5 . A tta c h e d w ir e c o il
T ra n s fo rm e r
R e c tifie r
C o il
1 .5 V
D
B a tte ry
L a rg e
C a p a c it o r
S m a ll
C a p a c ito r
C h a rg e
S w itc h
R eady
L ig h t
1 0 0 o h m R e s is to r
D io d e
T r ig g e r S w itc h
SCR
F la s h
S w itc h

12. Procedures: Building the Coin Flipper
Part 5: The coin flipper
1) Solder wires to D cell battery holder in place of camera battery. One
wire should go to a toggle switch before going to the camera battery
holder.
2) Solder wire across charge switch contacts on circuit board.
3) Remove camera flash bulb with soldering iron and replace with diode.
4) Solder wire from diode to SCR cathode.
5) Solder coil to SCR anode.
6) Solder wire from SCR gate to push button switch.
7) Solder resistor from push button switch to the other end of the camera
battery holder.
8) Mount in a box.
The coil
1) Wrap wire around a pencil.
2) Push flat and glue.

13. Procedures: Building the Coin Flipper

14. Data
•The repeating strobe, portable strobe and the flash worked as
expected.
•The repeating strobe passed the ten-minute endurance test to see if
it would stay at a steady pace.
Coil Performance
Number
Gauge
Stacked/ not stacked
Turns
Height (approximately)
First
20 Gauge
Not stacked
7 turns
< 1millimeter
Second
12 Gauge
Not stacked
5 turns
< 1millimeter
Third
14 Gauge
Not stacked
5 turns
1 millimeter
Fourth
22 Gauge
Stacked
11 turns
2 centimeters
Fifth
22 Gauge
Stacked
20 turns
5 centimeters
Sixth
26 Gauge
Stacked
30 turns
8 centimeters
Seventh
30 Gauge
Stacked
62 turns
5 centimeters

15. Analysis
•The smaller capacitor in the repeating strobe lets the flash charge
faster, but it isn’t as bright.
•Construction of the coil is important to flip the coin as high as
possible.
•Whenever electricity flows in and arc, it creates a magnetic field.
•The more turns a coil has doesn’t necessarily mean the coin flips
higher.
•The coin flips higher when it is glued down because all the energy
is used in pushing the coin away from the coil and not pushing the
coil away from the coin.
•The magnetic field makes the penny flip even though copper isn’t
magnetic because the magnetic field flowing through the coin
produces an Eddy current in the coin, which generates an opposite
magnetic field.

16. Conclusions
I found that it is possible to make a coin flip using the parts from a
disposable camera. I also found that it is simple to change a regular flash into
a repeating strobe by just adding two parts, a sidac and a smaller capacitor.
To recreate the flash all that needed to be done was add some wires to
switches, which in the camera, would have been right on the there. The
recreation of the flash and the strobe lights worked the first time I tried them.
The coin flipper, on the other hand, took some tests. The first through third
coils weren’t stacked, and they barely moved the penny at all. The coils that
weren’t stacked only had a few turns and were made of twenty, fourteen, and
twelve gauge wires. The fourth through seventh coils were all stacked, and the
height of the flip greatly increased. The fourth and fifth coils were made of
twenty-two gauge wire. The fourth had eleven turns and the fifth had twenty
turns. The coil with twenty turns flipped higher than the coil with eleven turns.
The sixth coil was made of twenty-six gauge wire and had thirty turns. That
flipped the penny higher than all of the other coils. The seventh coil was made
of thirty gauge wire and had sixty-two turns. That coil flipped the penny slightly
lower than the sixth coil did, so the number of turns didn’t necessarily make the
coin flip higher.