Disposable cameras have become a rather ubiquitous item. Their low cost, simplicity, and high availability have made them extremely popular in the United States and elsewhere. However, their disposable nature means that there are plenty of disposable cameras rotting in photo labs, waiting to be shipped back to the manufacturer to have their film and batteries replenished. While unable to be reloaded without the availability of a darkroom, these cameras can still provide vast quantities of entertainment.

Ideally, dead disposable cameras should be acquired without paying for them, as this requires money which can be better spent on caffeinated beverages or fireworks. Fortunately, this is fairly easy to do; simply walk into your friendly local drugstore or evil mega-chain, brazenly approach the photo counter (strutting is optional), and ask nicely if they're willing to give you a few dead disposable cameras. Usually, they will be more than happy to give you some. Now that you have your materials, the fun commences!

Step One: Disassembly
Usually, these cameras are encased in a plastic housing held together by little tabs. Simply press the tabs in and pull the housing apart. You may need to cut the label first, or remove an outer cardboard carton. Be very careful and use insulated tools when prying apart the case - high voltages lurk within the bowels of the camera. Do not remove the circuit board from the camera yet.

Step Two: Discharging
As carefully as possible, using an insulated screwdriver or pliers, remove the battery from the camera. Set it aside for later use - the batteries in these things are surprisingly good despite their lack of a major brand name. Once this has been done, locate the flash capacitor. It will be a small cylinder with two wires coming out of one end, and will usually have a plastic or rubber wrapper covering most of it. Using a well-insulated screwdriver, short these two wires together. Be prepared for a loud bang accompanied by a bright spark. Repeat this a few times to make sure the capacitor is fully drained.

Step Three: More Disassembly
There should be one or two tabs holding the circuit board to the back of the camera. Release these and try to pull the board loose. If it is still stuck, try ripping out the shutter assembly or viewfinder. You should end up with a mangled camera body and a circuit board covered in interesting widgets.

Step Four: Fun
Now that you have removed the useful bits from the camera, the fun can begin! You can do many interesting things with this board, considering that it supplies some fairly impressive voltage from a miniature assembly. Possible ideas include:

•Wiring up new charge and fire switches and leaving the rest of the board intact to produce a compact, annoying flash unit. Annoy your friends!
•Removing the flash tube and reflector and soldering new wires to the left and right terminals, producing a device that can produce impressive sparks when fully charged and pressed against a conductive surface. This can also produce impressive pain and scars when pressed against a human surface. Optional: Remove the capacitor from an additional camera and solder it in parallel with the existing capacitor. This will allow the device to produce sparks of terrifying power. Wound your friends!
•Follow the same procedure as above, but attach an RJ-45 plug to the two leads (alternate pins) to produce a pocket-sized etherkiller. Destroy your friends' computers! (Untested)

Have fun!