My fight with a single star tracker screw cost me a whole clear night

I was setting up my rig for a deep sky shot of the Orion Nebula last week. Everything was ready, but the star tracker mount had one tiny screw that just would not tighten. I spent over two hours trying to fix it, using every tool in my kit. I even drove to a 24-hour hardware store at 10 PM to buy a new set of hex keys. Turns out, the screw was stripped from the factory, and I had been trying to force it into a bad thread the whole time. I missed the whole imaging window because of a part that probably cost five cents to make. Has anyone else had a whole night ruined by one dumb piece of gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephb3526d ago

That stripped screw from the factory is a total scam. I'd be so mad I'd probably just pack up and go home too.

holly_flores7926d ago

Ugh that's the worst feeling. Did you try putting a rubber band between the screw and the hex key for grip? I had a stripped screw on my ball head and that trick got it out enough to replace it. Now I check all the threads with my fingers before I even go out.