The flash control contract was given to General Electric Co. But as Polaroid could not fabricate ICs, the success of its SX-70 project lay in the hands of outsiders. Yet this complicated system had to fit in a package the size of Land’s jacket pocket, he decreed-a constraint that meant employing ICs. At the final count, some 400 transistors were used. These circuits were divided into three modules, one each for motor, exposure and logic, and flash control. Also vital were sophisticated electronics to control all single lens reflex (SLR) camera functions, including flashbulb selection, exposure control, mirror positioning, start of print development, and ejection of print. Vital to this “point and shoot” capability was a new film-one that would develop while exposed to light and so eliminate the tear-away covers of previous Polaroid films. In contention was the contract for the electronics of Polaroid’s secret project-a pioneering product introduced in 1972 as the SX-70, a camera eventually purchased by millions of people.Īs the embodiment of truly automated instant photography, the SX-70 fulfilled a long-held dream of Edwin Land, founder of Polaroid Corp., Cambridge, Mass. The referee, judge, promoter, and only spectator was Polaroid. In the other stood the challenger, Fairchild Semiconductor. In one corner stood the defending champion, Texas Instruments.
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