A handy addition to your tool kit

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I occasionally have had times where I cross-threaded a miniature metric screw or fastener and wished I had a way to chase the threads. This DeWalt metric tap and die kit (DWA1450) that I bought at Home Depot met my minimum 3mm .5 thread size need when repairing my Zenmuse H43D gimbal. Though pricey at about $30 US, the kit has four taps and dies, as well as tap drills that just might get you out of trouble as it did for me!
 

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Have you tried to re-thread any more stainless screws?
 
Have you tried to re-thread any more stainless screws?

As noted, my first and only effort so far was in trying to re-thread a much too large #6-32 stainless set screw down to a 3mm .5. Not the best choice since stainless is too soft to hold up in the hex wrench for such radical forces. But the metric set screw set that I bought off of Amazon should certainly take care of any future needs. And now I have the DeWalt kit that will certainly offer an option the next time I get ham-handed in dealing with miniature metric screws. I have my MakerFarm Prusa 3 3D printer which also uses metric screws, so don't feel especially vulnerable to lack of options to correct my errors. The DeWalt kit purchase is certainly not one of the worst purchases I've made. I have a shop full of other examples that ARE testament to those that WERE the worse!
 
I'd still be on my hands and knees looking for that screw. I just hate losing things. Did that bit in the shop one day and couldn't stand up again. But not as bad as crawling from the garage to the house on ones hands and knees because your back is out. Been there done that many times.
 
I'd still be on my hands and knees looking for that screw. I just hate losing things. Did that bit in the shop one day and couldn't stand up again. But not as bad as crawling from the garage to the house on ones hands and knees because your back is out. Been there done that many times.

Believe me! Not a single bipedal mammal could have been more vigilant than I when I looked for that **** missing screw. A fine dust brush, a powerful magnet, checking my clothes, shoes, socks, shorts, the cat, and every square centimeter of the floor and bench... No, it went into another dimension. Absolutely and inexplicably! It will return as soon as the new Zenmuse is unwrapped, and the new flat cable for my original arrives. You must know the drill and be sympathetic, no?
 
Come on tell the truth it fell into one of those fault lines California is so famous for.
 
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Come on tell the truth it fell into one of those fault lines California is so famous for.

Yes, Jason... It fell into a fault line! I don't have a CLUE as to where it went, but this event is nowhere EVEN close to being unique. Both of my vehicles have experienced similar events, and are mostly holding together. Just don't follow too far behind me when I'm driving unless you have uninsured driver insurance!
 
= You must know the drill and be sympathetic, no?
Sympathy? Nope, you got a screw loose!

j/k, everyone does it sooner or later. I have a big flat tray with a one inch lip around it that I work on. It has saved my (posterior) many times
 
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Sympathy? Nope, you got a screw loose!

j/k, everyone does it sooner or later. I have a big flat tray with a one inch lip around it that I work on. It has saved my (posterior) many times
Sympathy? Nope, you got a screw loose!

j/k, everyone does it sooner or later. I have a big flat tray with a one inch lip around it that I work on. It has saved my (posterior) many times

More than a single screw, Thank YOU! And I use a piece of black fine weave carpet and a small muffin baking tray to keep my hardware organized, but life entered into a time warp when my (particular) screw went into oblivion. One of life's great mysteries that will surely be resolved when my replacement Zenmuse, metric set screw assortment, and replacement cable all arrive next week! Of course!
 
More than a single screw, Thank YOU! And I use a piece of black fine weave carpet and a small muffin baking tray to keep my hardware organized, but life entered into a time warp when my (particular) screw went into oblivion. One of life's great mysteries that will surely be resolved when my replacement Zenmuse, metric set screw assortment, and replacement cable all arrive next week! Of course!

That when you feel something under your foot.

I see Michael11219 is looking for a gimbal repair shop and I think you're qualified to handle this. YES!!
 
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Get out the vacuum it's in that mat.
 
Did you check the litter box with the magnet??
 
Get out the vacuum it's in that mat.

I have a 22-gallon shop vac, so would MUCH prefer to search my entire county including the County Jail rather than my shop vac! It's too late. It just doesn't exist in this dimension. Einstein proved the theory, and I probably lost this particular piece of hardware and many more from various cars and trucks that I've owned at another point in time. This is just an iteration of lost hardware. Repeat. It doesn't exist... at least at the moment. It will return when UPS comes by tomorrow with the replacement items. You MUST believe!
 
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Did you check the litter box with the magnet??

Jason, I checked my alimentary canal with the magnet. It just doesn't exist! (The screw that is, not my alimentary canal). And please don't suggest the obvious "Get a stronger magnet". No butts!
 
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That when you feel something under your foot.

I see Michael11219 is looking for a gimbal repair shop and I think you're qualified to handle this. YES!!
If Michael's (Michael11219 | DJI Phantom Forum) gimbal issue is something that might fall into my personal realm of knowledge, I'd be most happy to give it a try to resolve the problem.
 
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Sure did! Now I can lose those little puppies with abandon! The set ran about $12 and change from Amazon (TEKZ) with the smallest size being the 3mm .5 set screw that I lost when repairing my Zenmuse gimbal. Which brings up a thought I had earlier with regard to repairing it and others when another crash occurs (not IF!). Two items would be most handy, one being a gage that would fit into the shaft holes of the arm (vertical and pitch arms) so that you'd know that you were back to factory dimensions.

The second would be a small plastic fixture or even a circuit board that can be placed into the Zenmuse mounting plate with two small contacts (rivets, screws, or other conductive material) that are wired together, the positions of the contacts being placed such that they would short out the Zenmuse RESET contacts on the mounting plate. It would be quicker and easier than trying to use a pair of scissors or other means of trying to hit those small contacts which I have done in the past. Both projects seem achievable in a day's time, especially on a day like today here in paradise where the wind is blowing at Mach 2 and rain enough to make Moses think twice about taking a stroll!

screw set.jpg
 
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Sure did! Now I can lose those little puppies with abandon! The set ran about $12 and change from Amazon (TEKZ) with the smallest size being the 3mm .5 set screw that I lost when repairing my Zenmuse gimbal. Which brings up a thought I had earlier with regard to repairing it and others when another crash occurs (not IF!). Two items would be most handy, one being a gage that would fit into the shaft holes of the arm (vertical and pitch arms) so that you'd know that you were back to factory dimensions.

The second would be a small plastic fixture or even a circuit board that can be placed into the Zenmuse mounting plate with two small contacts (rivets, screws, or other conductive material) that are wired together, the positions of the contacts being placed such that they would short out the Zenmuse RESET contacts on the mounting plate. It would be quicker and easier than trying to use a pair of scissors or other means of trying to hit those small contacts which I have done in the past. Both projects seem achievable in a day's time, especially on a day like today here in paradise where the wind is blowing at Mach 2 and rain enough to make Moses think twice about taking a stroll!

View attachment 41169

There's a video on youtube where a fellow built jig out of plywood for realigning the gimbal arm. See if you can find it I saw it a few days ago so it's still online.
 

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