Heating element The poopcorm maker began to stop popping the corn. Only a handful of the kernels would pop and the rest was left unpopped.

do you put a half a teaspoon of oil in first before the corn kernels
other than that have the unit checked by an electrical appliance shop for problem thermostat or heating element

You cannot. All poppers of that style will a some "fall out". The better commercial machines have very little as the kettles are deeper, but you cannot eliminate it. The unpopped kernels are not reusable.

Your power level should be on high, but you shouldn't rely on the oven to time the cooking. I have yet to find an oven that won't burn popcorn if it has a preset POPCORN button. Press it and walk away and next thing you know, you've got charcoal. You should always stick around while making popcorn. Stop the oven and take the bag out when the time between pops drops to 1 or 2 seconds. The corn will continue to pop on its own for a bit because of stored heat, but you won't burn it. You'll never get 100% of the corn to pop, so don't worry about unpopped kernels.

I have one of these poppers and have been impressed with the minimal number of unpopped kernels.

On only one occassion have I not been satisfied and suspect it was due to insufficient oil being added.

Make sure you are adding sufficient oil to aid heat transfer to the kernels.

There are several possible culprits for your Kernel Caper.
1) You may need to add a little more oil to the kettle. Let it come to full heat--just as soon as the oil starts to smoke.
2) The corn you are using must be reasonable fresh and have sufficient moisture to pop the kernel. You can try putting 1 tsp/1 lb of corn in a ziploc bag or screw top bottle. Leave for 24 to 48 hrs to let the corn absorb the moisture.
3) Finally, due to the small size of the popping kettle some kernels will be thrown from the kettle from other kernels popping open.
This is a great little popper. You might have some luck decreasing the size of your batch--reduce your oil and corn by 1/4 each.
Good Luck

1. Pour up to 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in the base of the Popcorn Popper.
2. The use of oil is optional, but not necessary. If desired, drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil over the unpopped kernels, then stir to coat the kernels.
3. Place cover on the base bowl. Cook on High in the microwave for approximately 3-5 minutes (microwave ovens vary tremendously!), or until popping slows down. Allow Popcorn Popper to cool before repeated use. Do not try to re-pop unpopped kernels.
4. Hand washing is recommended, but occasional washing in the top rack of a dishwasher is acceptable for the bowl, but not the lid.
5. If popcorn burns easily or does not pop well, try placing a shallow bowl, dish or plate upside down on the microwave turntable to raise the popcorn popper up a bit.

The problem you are having is the thermostat inside the kettle is getting weak these can be ordered from Star Manufacturing or a concessions supply place that does repairs Also Gold Medal Product has a similar thermostat that will work in your kettle pt# 47082 Just a FYI

I have the directions for this; send me your address and I'll mail you a copy or I could probably just I have a Presto Caramel Corn'r. These are the directions:
You need a large mixing spoon, wax paper and the following ingredients:
2 T cooking oil
¼ c popcorn

¼ c butter or margarine
½ c brown sugar
2 T light corn syrup
¼ t salt

1/8 t soda

Then follow these steps
1) Pour cooking oil and popcorn into the unit base. Place cover on base. Plug cord into base and then into wall outlet. The signal light will glow when unit is heating. When popping is completed, the signal light will go out indicating that the heat has shut off automatically. Unplug the cord from the wall outlet. Tip unit upside down so popped corn falls into cover. Set cover with popped corn aside. You may want to use a paper towel to remove excess oil and unpopped corn or hulls from the base before making caramel sauce. NOTE: I pop corn for all the batches I intend to make first then do the next steps because you don’t have to clean it each time to make a new batch.
2) To make caramel sauce, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in the base. Plug into wall outlet. Heat mixture stirring constantly until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for three minutes. Unplug cord from outlet and unit.
3) Place the mixing band on the base. Add baking soda and stir until mixture is evenly colored, light and foamy. Add popped corn, stirring to evenly coat with caramel sauce. Remove mixing band. Pour caramel coated corn onto wax paper and separate kernels. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Wash unit before popping more corn.

Cuisinart makes fresh, crunchy, homemade popcorn fast, easy¿.and healthy! The Cuisinart Popcorn Maker pops up to 10 cups of popcorn in under 5 minutes, and lets popcorn lovers decide just how much, and what kind, of popcorn, oil and flavoring to use. Popcorn pops right into a clear plastic bowl that flips to serve, and both bowl and poping plate go into the dishwasher.

Here is the link to the user manual for your machine; http://www.gopresto.com/downloads/instructions/04821.pdf If the kernels are not popping, then the heating element that heats the air is likely faulty and would need replacing - Check page 4 of the manual for service info Hope this helps :)