So this week has been pretty unsuccessful, to say the least.

It began with an attempt to photograph the sun in preparation, or rather as a practice run, for the Transit of Venus.

Well, let me regress first by saying how I'd previously used the variable PSU for my 6v motor drives on my 12v sound system. I forgot to reset the PSU to 6v and used it once again on my motor drives. Looking through the eyepiece, I noticed no movement, or rather, that the sun apppeared to be moving through the field of view. Most odd. I looked at the controller for the motor drives, which had smoke emanating from the 'on/off' switch!


This picture shows the melted transistors that I'm now going to have to replace. It's been about 13 years since I last wielded a soldering iron, and I don't have a multimeter, so I don't even have much of a way of telling which transistors need replacing! Ho hum.

Well, not to be put off, I did some practice shots of the moon, and decided that I'd have to stay with single, untracked shots for the transit. So, all equipment ready, camera settings decided upon and just the sun and an obliging planet to wait for, I was ready for Wednesday.

Of course, being Wales, 5 o'clock dawned, and it was wall to wall cloud. Back to bed and to wait another 105 years then....