Docking ports not working

[Diamond]

I am trying to dock my Spacecraft to my Space Station and I ran into this problem where the docking ports were not magnetizing.  With the module I was trying to dock them to I used the Gizmos in the VAB to clip the docking port into the fuselage and I think that might be a part of it but if you have anything to try to fix this please help! 

http://imgur.com/gallery/xuYKRpi/new

Edited June 15, 2016 by Diamond

[Speeding Mullet]

This post by sal_vager would appear to suggest that clipping can definitely cause issues with docking ports.

Couple of things to try:

Reattach the docking ports without clipping to both vessels in VAB and try again.  If you can dock then clipping is your issue
Have you undocked and are trying to re-dock?  If so move farther away from the port before re-approaching
 

If those things don't work then I guess it could either be a bug, or something else I haven't thought of.

Hope that helps

SM

 

[Mjarf]

Docking ports don't like clipping. I had the same issue, turned out the monoprop tanks I mounted close to the docking port were slightly clipping into it. When I moved the tanks the docking port worked properly again.

[Diamond]

11 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

This post by sal_vager would appear to suggest that clipping can definitely cause issues with docking ports.

Couple of things to try:

Reattach the docking ports without clipping to both vessels in VAB and try again.  If you can dock then clipping is your issue
Have you undocked and are trying to re-dock?  If so move farther away from the port before re-approaching
 

If those things don't work then I guess it could either be a bug, or something else I haven't thought of.

Hope that helps

SM

I figured it out somehow.  In the structural fuselage that had the docking port on it I clipped the SAS module for the ship in the fuselage and on the docking port I clicked "decouple node" and the SAS module in the fuselage fell out and when I tried to redock the spacecraft to the port that was not working, it finally docked.  I have no idea what that button means but it worked :/

 

[Snark]

2 hours ago, Diamond said:

I figured it out somehow.  In the structural fuselage that had the docking port on it I clipped the SAS module for the ship in the fuselage and on the docking port I clicked "decouple node" and the SAS module in the fuselage fell out and when I tried to redock the spacecraft to the port that was not working, it finally docked.  I have no idea what that button means but it worked :/

Here's what happened, and what the "Decouple Node" button means:

When you put the SAS on your ship, you actually attached it to the docking port.  In other words, the connector node on the SAS was connected to the connector node on the docking port.

You then used the offset tool to move the SAS so that it's physically inside the structural fuselage... but its attachment is still to the same thing you originally attached it to:  the docking port.  (Using the offset tool doesn't affect part attachment.  It simply magically moves the part while leaving it "attached" to the same part it was attached to.)

So... as far as the docking port's concerned, it already has something attached and therefore can't dock to anything.

The "decouple node" button on a docking port tells it "release the thing attached there".  Usually that's another docking port.  However, it's possible to build a ship in the VAB that has something else attached there, and the "decouple node" button allows setting it loose.  (I use this all the time when I have a docking port on the top end of my rocket.  I stick a nosecone on there for the aero during launch.  Once I'm out of atmosphere, I use "decouple node" to get rid of the now-useless nosecone and open up the docking port for business.)

So, when you clicked the "Decouple Node" button, that told the docking port "let go of the SAS that's attached there", which set the SAS free since it's no longer attached to anything.  And that opened up the docking port so now it can dock.

 

[Diamond]

On 6/15/2016 at 2:57 PM, Snark said:

Here's what happened, and what the "Decouple Node" button means:

When you put the SAS on your ship, you actually attached it to the docking port.  In other words, the connector node on the SAS was connected to the connector node on the docking port.

You then used the offset tool to move the SAS so that it's physically inside the structural fuselage... but its attachment is still to the same thing you originally attached it to:  the docking port.  (Using the offset tool doesn't affect part attachment.  It simply magically moves the part while leaving it "attached" to the same part it was attached to.)

So... as far as the docking port's concerned, it already has something attached and therefore can't dock to anything.

The "decouple node" button on a docking port tells it "release the thing attached there".  Usually that's another docking port.  However, it's possible to build a ship in the VAB that has something else attached there, and the "decouple node" button allows setting it loose.  (I use this all the time when I have a docking port on the top end of my rocket.  I stick a nosecone on there for the aero during launch.  Once I'm out of atmosphere, I use "decouple node" to get rid of the now-useless nosecone and open up the docking port for business.)

So, when you clicked the "Decouple Node" button, that told the docking port "let go of the SAS that's attached there", which set the SAS free since it's no longer attached to anything.  And that opened up the docking port so now it can dock.

 

 Okay, that makes sense.  Thank you very much for telling me what that means!  I really appreciate that.