Yikes! I broke my St-I this afternoon. I went to adjust something on the mount and standing up my head hit the USB mini B connector of the ST-I and sheared it off entirely. The connector feet also removed circuit board material so I think the damage is major. I assume the entire camera will need to go to SBIG for repair. But, I'll ask anyway if anyone knows if there might be service in Australia?
This design sure seems vulnerable to injury. Just how much harder would it have been to have the USB plug mounted off the circuit board? Damage that I caused would then only have hurt the plug itself and not the circuit board.
May I ask you what this cost approximately? I've written to SBIG but naturally no answer yet. I'm worried that since the board itself seems damaged the cost may start to approach the cost of the camera. Anyway, I hope not!
The first photo shows how the feet of the USB socket ripped off the printed circuit material. The second shows how the pins broke.
I've repaired STi's with similar damage here in Sydney.
With sufficient pressure these mini-usb connectors will shear from a modest blow/mishandling. They usually tear the traces from the PCB, hence re-soldering is not an option.
SBIG have been pretty good to date and have replaced some daughter boards under warranty (case by case basis)
That said...their patience is wearing thin. The part costs around $US200,
and they don't fall-off by themselves.
Any new STi's I now send out, have that connector epoxied to the daughterboard, which I'd recommend existing users do as cheap insurance.
2 years ago, I did the same thing but to my Lodestar. A very experienced electronics friend soldered a USB cable directly to the circuit board and it is still working.
That being said, I had to return my ST-i to SBIG for warranty repair and they were excellent.
Thanks for all the replies and words of support. Look how many reports of similar damage have come in in less than 24 hours! Whilst one cannot argue away personal responsibility in these accidents it nonetheless points out what I would consider to be a rather large point of vulnerability in the design of both the ST-i and the Lodestar. Sure, it's "efficient" to build the USB connector right onto the circuit board but it's a bit like a land mine. I doubt that even epoxying the USB feet down could have prevented the damage. When I get mine back I'm going to do two things. 1. use a right angled connector. 2. build some sort of clamp on protective device to protect the cable as it emerges from the camera. I'm imagining something like an old empty 35mm film canister held onto the ST-i body with an automotive hose clamp.
Can you please report back here when your item is fixed and when you receive it? And, if I'm not prying too much, costs? Would just like to keep track of timeframes for when my camera also makes its way back for surgery.
Will do. Costs are mounting already. Express post to SBIG with $600 insurance cost me $87.30. I asked approx "how long?" 4 days. Not so great and not what I'd call "express." I packaged this up in a tiny box: total weight .176 kilos.
2 years ago, I did the same thing but to my Lodestar. A very experienced electronics friend soldered a USB cable directly to the circuit board and it is still working.
That being said, I had to return my ST-i to SBIG for warranty repair and they were excellent.
Charles
I have a piece of PVC sticking out at the back of my lodestar. From day one this mini USB connector scared me.
I think camera manufacturers should think about this when designing their sockets and connectors. I know it can't be bullet proof but designing countersunk connections etc... is not that hard when manufacturing the outer-casing. Just needs some planning ahead.
2. build some sort of clamp on protective device to protect the cable as it emerges from the camera. I'm imagining something like an old empty 35mm film canister held onto the ST-i body with an automotive hose clamp.
Ahhhh but then the next time your head whacks into the protective shield the OAG will get damaged because the guider is so rigid.... or you clamp the cable to the guider body to prevent the connector from tearing out, only to snag the usb cable really hard with your elbow... there are so many ways things can go wrong despite your best efforts, just move slower around the scope The really big counterweights on the A200HR and the impressions in my skull have taught me that.
Lesson learned. If there is a "next" time (and there won't be!) I will surely seek your advice before leaping off to a repair in the USA! Many thanks for the offers of help!
I've done this on my canon 1000d and my 5d mkii. So I'm super wary when moving around my ST-I. I was thinking of making a small cage out of coat hanger wire, might do that sooner rather than later now.