Simple Trick to Get the Kodak PlaySport Camera Battery to Charge

Published Deecember 13, 2011

In December of 2011 I did a review on the Kodak PlaySport camera. One of the cons discussed in the review was the camera's poor battery life.  Since that review, Kodak has stopped making digital cameras and has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012.  In 2013 Kodak emerged from the bankruptcy protection as a new company. The new company will sell a host of products and services.  Unfortunately, none of the services include manufacturing or selling digital cameras.

Kodak's PlaySport Charging Issues

Aside from the obvious problems that arise when a company no longer makes the item you own, there's the additional issue of the PlaySport camera having a known short battery life.  Added to that there seems to be a growing number of the remaining PlaySport camera owners running into the problem of charging the camera for use.  There is a defect which makes it difficult to recharge the battery, rendering the camera useless.

My Experience

I almost forgot I owned the camera until one day I came across it and decided to take some action shots while I went for an early morning run.  The battery was dead so I pulled out the power cord to charge it. Imagine my surprise when nothing happened. Normally when the charger is attached to the camera, a white light turns on indicating the camera is charging.  The light didn't come on and the battery didn't charge.

Solution to The PlaySport Charging Problem

I played around with it for a bit but still couldn't get the camera to charge. The next line of defense was to go online for a solution.  I spent some time reading several forums and blogs and was somewhat relieved to find I wasn't the only one having this problem. I finally came across a blog where the blogger explained that faulty workmanship is the reason the power cord does not properly connect with the pins on the camera.

As such you have to position the camera and the power cord in such a fashion to allow for a solid connection between the power cord and the pins on the camera. Once you've found that sweet spot the trick is keeping the power cord and camera in position until the battery is charged.

That very same resourceful blogger wrapped a rubber band around the duo to maintain the connection.  Not pretty but effective.

Fortunately, I was able to Jimmy the cord in such a fashion to allow the camera to charge without the need for a rubber band. I suspect, however, that as time goes on I'll have to use additional aids. I'm guessing things such as tape, rubber bands or paper clips to keep the power cord in place to power the battery.

For the time being, I can still use my Kodak PlaySport camera.  I'm not sure how long that will last. Fortunately, I do have alternatives and would suggest that you find alternatives too. It's sad when the shelf life of items like cameras are so short.

Last Modified: 15 February 2023

Comments

• Chris June 27, 2018, 11:02 pm
  

  Sweet! perfect solution. I had to turn the device screen down in order to get that perfect connection. Thanks for posting.

• H. N. I. C. February 24, 2018, 6:09 pm
  

  I recently received one of these as a gift from a friend of mine. I was also having charging problems as everyone else is here, however I realized that with some cables the connector of the charge cable fit more snug and was able to charge the device completely. Other cables would charge for a few seconds up to a minute before gravity did it’s magic and moved the sweet spot position. In summary, try different USB charge cables and try to find one with a connector that has a nice snug fit.

• Low Tech Grandma February 26, 2018, 7:21 am
  

  Makes sense. Thanx, H.N.I.C (haven’t heard that acronym in a long time)!

• Photabulous April 14, 2018, 10:16 am
  

  If you received this camera as a gift from a friend in 2018, then you might want to rethink the whole friendship

• Low Tech Grandma April 14, 2018, 10:35 am
  

  🙂

• John January 28, 2018, 2:05 am
  

  Funny thing. After reading other articles, I took the old Nintendo game connection approach. I blew into the micro USB port and the connection. Plugged it in and started charging! Not sure if this will work every time but might purchase the wall plugged battery charger on Amazon. It’s cheap and if that works better, then I can throw the cable in the trash.

• Low Tech Grandma January 28, 2018, 8:31 am
  

  Ah, the good ol’ Nintendo approach! LOL! I remember those days of blowing on the cartridges until we were almost dizzy. Actually, that approach makes sense. Maybe that’s all the camera needed was to remove the dust.

  Thanks for sharing that “high-tech” solution. 🙂

• Denis January 6, 2018, 6:17 pm
  

  I try what you said but it won’t charge.
  BUT.
  I find another solution in a another forum
  it says get a bigger wall charger
  (with more “amps”) and it will charge

  So that’s was my problem and now
  my cam still charge with this
  “powerfuller” charger

• Low Tech Grandma January 6, 2018, 7:04 pm
  

  Thanks for sharing your solution with us, Denis. I guess there’s more than one way to charge the Kodak camera. I’m sure your comment will help folks who couldn’t charge their cameras using my tips.