Orbiting Solar System | Troubleshooting

Thank you for choosing Thames & Kosmos Technical Support and for your interest in our Orbiting Solar System kit.

One of the major factors which can cause your Orbiting Solar System to fail is an incomplete removal of plastic burrs from the device's internal components.  These burrs are knobs of plastic which remain after you clip your components from their sprue, the plastic frame.

You may hear a crunching or grinding noise emit from your device while in motion; this is likely indicative of an incomplete removal of burrs.

Carefully using a hobby knife, carve off any burrs which remain on the gears, wind-up mechanism, or moving components until there is full clearance.

The spring central to the device's wind-up mechanism can be overwound, and permanently damaged.  Be careful not to perform 7 or more rotations of the device at a time, as this can put too much strain on the spring, causing it to warp.

If you notice a rattling noise coming from your device's motor, carefully remove it from the assembly, and shake it gently, listening close.  If you hear a "loose" noise coming from a component inside shaking around within the motor, contact Thames & Kosmos for a replacement via the Support ticket on our website.

Kind regards,

The Thames & Kosmos Technical Support Team