spudbean

I have just released a version of RKE Kanadarm that is compatible with KSP 1.0.x. Thank you for your patience fellow Kerbanauts! Special thanks to V8jester for posting his fixes to the config files. I have tested this with IR 0.12.2, IR-rework v01b, KIS 1.1.4 and KAS 0.5.1. (Only IR is required.) The PDFG should be grabable and placeable using KIS. Please let me know if you run into any problems, and I will try to be as responsive as possible. Thanks again for your patience.

Nope. I'll add it to my TODO.

Oh, that's a good idea. I'll add it to my TODO.

You can set trim by using ALT. Either by holding ALT when clicking in the RKE Joystick window, or by holding ALT when in HUD mode. Let me know if that doesn't work the way you would want, or if you have any other feedback

"RKE On-screen Joystick" v1.2.1 now compatible with KSP 1.0.2 (I am the author of the mod) http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/92586

Hi all! Thanks for your patience, I have just released a new version of this mod that works with 1.0.2. Please let me know if you have any problems.

Nice idea. There's a good image of the "foot restraint platform" for the Canadarm2 here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1886.html . It looks like it attaches to the side of the LEE. I think the platform for the original Candarm had a grapple fixture http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A20130045000 . Either way, it seems like these were attached post-launch in EVA. Sounds like it should then be KAS-attachable and storable. I've added it to my TODO.

Yep, it sure should! I made the PDGF ("grapple fixture") KAS-compatible in the 0.10 release You can now send Jeb out and slap a PDGF wherever you need one. So long as you brought some spare ones with you ;-)

Yeah that's my current hypothesis. The fix probably involves re-creating the IR ConfigurableJoints whenever there is a docking event, but I want to create a canonical test case highlighting the underlying problem first.

Sort of. I've found that after docking you need to reload the scene (e.g. F5/F9) to avoid IR/docking-port problems (see known-issues in above post). I'm in the process of debugging IR, hopefully I can nail down the problem once and for all.

If you can believe it: your problem is slightly different to InsaneDruid's. I'm pretty sure your problem is the InfernalRobotics + Docking = Extra caution to avoid the Kraken problem. The solution is to F5/F9 after docking with the LEE (see my extended walk through above). Please let me know if that doesn't address the problem. This feels like it will be a recurring gotcha for everyone. I'm in the process of debugging the underlying issue in Infernal Robotics. This might take me a week or so. EDIT: Also: try putting a part (e.g. the RKE spacer) between the rotating joint and the LEE. Connecting the LEE (a docking port) directly to a rotating part can lead quickly to trouble.

1.2.0 released. - Shortcut key and configurable HUD size and deadzone size (as suggested by DarthWall) - x^2 response curve. This gives you much more fine control. (As suggested by Ser, and as also implemented by Crzyrndm in the [thread=99126]Analog-Control[/thread] mod.)

That looks magic, mate! Nice work. - - - Updated - - - No the LEE is not a KAS magnet, it is a docking port (as is the PDGF). I think I know you are getting at (it is very hard to explain, I know!). You are starting with what is essentially one vessel: the space station, the shuttle, the solar truss, the robotic arm are all docked/connected together. You want to move the solar truss. It is connceted to the whole vessel by a docking port, and you basically want to move it from that docking port to another docking port. With KAS: You can grab the truss with a magnet, undock the truss (so it becomes it's own vessel), and then move it to the destination docking port (where it re-merges with the space station vessel). With RKE Kanadarm: it is a very similar procedure, but everything remains one vessel the whole time (almost): The truss needs a PDFG on it somewhere for the LEE to grab (the PDFG is grabbable in KAS, so you can go on EVA and put one where you want.) Use the robotic arm to position the LEE (which is a docking port) to the PDFG (which is a docking port of the matching type). They will dock together, because you can dock a vessel to itself. This forms a "self-dock" which is a weaker kind of docking then a normal pair of docked parts. You can tell it has docked because either (but usually not both) the LEE or the PDFG will have an "undock" or "decouple" action on the right-click menu. Now: undock the solar truss from the space station. The means that the "weak" self-dock between the LEE and the PDFG will convert to a strong normal docking connection. NB: Do a F5/F9 or change scenes (see below). Move the solar truss to the destination docking port, so that it forms a "weak" self-dock. Undock/decouple the PDFG and LEE, and the solar truss and space station will go from a "weak" dock to a strong normal coupling. NB: Do a F5/F9 or change scenes (see below). NB: Do a F5/F9 or change scenes after docking and before using Infernal Robotics to move the arm. There is some residual weirdness in IR (which I am trying to fix) to do with docking ports. For now, existing the scene and re-entering the scene should fix the weirdness.. I'll spend some this week making a clear tutorial video on how to do this.

Roger that, keyboard shortcut. I think I'll default it to Alt+Y, but make it configurable in the GUI too. Thanks for your suggestion!

Is it possible for you to send me your save file (KSP/saves/SOMETHING/persistent.sfs)? Also (you've probably already tried this): try right-clicking on both the LEE and PDGF, sometimes only one will report the docking.

I'm sorry you struggled to get the two parts to connect. I think the problem may be that the LEE and the PDGF are not close enough to 90 degrees aligned (e.g. see here http://imgur.com/U8EfOtA ). I've probably made the docking parameters too precise. I will try and improve that in the next release, so it is not so hard to dock. If you want experiment, here's a change you can try: find both pdfg.cfg and lee.cfg in your GameData/RKE_Kanadarm/Parts directory. The acquireTorque and acquireForce values are currently 0.5. Try increasing them to 2.0, and restarting KSP.

I'm glad you are having some success with these part! Yeah I can do that. I think you are after a "wrist roll joint" yeah? (e.g. along the axis of the arm). I've also been thinking of making an Canadarm-1 style "Elbow Pitch Joint" too (e.g. like the wrist roll and elbow pitch in http://www.ieee.ca/millennium/canadarm/canadarm_parts.jpg)

Updated for v0.10: Added 4m and 6m structural arms. The PDGF Grapple Fix is now grabble via KAS. Thanks for the suggestions and support, everyone!

Good question. The LEE and the PDGF are technically just docking ports, and you need both for them to grab together. You can technically dock two PDGFs together, or two LEEs together, and for aesthetics it is the LEE and the PDGF that should dock together. Note that the LEE and PDGF are different "types" of docking ports to the stock docking port set. Just as you can't dock a Clamp-o-tron to a Clamp-o-tron-Jr, you can't dock a LEE/PDGF to any of the stock docking ports. I'll update the forum page above with a "HOW TO USE" later tonight. (Just some further rationale on the docking ports: There are other approaches I could have taken with the LEE. For example, I experimented with the Magnet function from Kerbal Attachment System. A Magnet does make it easier to grab any old thing (which is useful), but a Magnet doesn't weld two vessels together like a docking port and hence you wouldn't be able to do the end-of-end inchworming to move a robotic arm from one position on a space station to another. Because if you change scene or even timewarp then KSP doesn't really deal with the Magnet very well. This inchworming was an important usecase for me, and I also wanted to achieve a similar aesthetic to the real Canadarm which does in fact require a PDFG latch. If you find the LEE/PDFG pairing a problem, you could try just using the KAS Magnet at the end of the RKE arm instead of the RKE-LEE.)

Thank's for the screenshot. Yeah that is a bug in Infernal Robotics with any "rotating" part who's rotation is off-axis. But: it only does that in the VAB, if you take the vessel out for a spin you should find the part rotates correctly. If the problem exists out on the launch pad, please let me know.

I can do that reasonably easily. I was trying to balance in my mind having useful arms of various sizes, and not spamming user's Utility panel in the VAB with all my parts. I did make the elbow and structural arms PhysicsSignificance = 1 in their .cfg, which makes them like the stock Cubic Octagonal Strut -- super strong when stacked together (and afaict with no other down sides). So you can stack the current 2m arms together to make the lengths you want with little-or-no extra wobble. But: an extra 4m and 6m part isn't spamming the part list, so yep I'll put it on the TODO.

Brilliant idea, will be in the next release!

Runge–Kutta Enterprises presents... RKE Kanadarm Purpose: A set of Canadarm2 look-alike parts, for building your own robotic arms. Includes rotating joints, latching end effector and grapple fixture. (Moving parts requires Infernal Robotics.) Download: Requires Infernal Robotics to be installed first. Install with CKAN using ckan.exe install RKE-Kanadarm RKE_Kanadarm-0.11.0.zip from Bitbucket. From CurseForge. Source: Source code. License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Features (also see album above) Main Parts: LEE (Latching End Effector), PDGF (Power Data Grapple Fixture), Rotating joints (shoulder/elbow/wrists). LEE and PDGF are docking ports (they can only dock with each other). Arm Parts: various sized poles for creating various sized robotic arms. Can be arranged in unlimited combinations (Canadarm, Canadarm2, etc.). How to use The LEE and PDGF are docking ports. Once they are close enough together, they will dock together like any docking port would. NB: The LEE and PDGF can't dock with the stock docking ports. Use the Rotating Joint and structural arms (or your other favorite parts) to make a robotic arm. There are two Rotating Joints, one that stacks or surface attaches via it's base, and one that attaches via the copper-coloured rotating part. If you attach a joint in the VAB/SPH and it remains "transprent", then try spinning it around to its other attach point, or use the other Rotating Joint. Please "Known Issues" below regarding self-docking! Supported/recommended Mods: (REQUIRED) [thread=116064]MSI Infernal Robotics[/thread]: A recent version of Infernal Robotics (otherwise the rotors will not work). (Optional) [thread=70161]Connected Living Space[/thread]: Kerbals cannot pass through the LEE and PDFG when CLS is installed. (Optional) [thread=113111]Kerbal Inventory System[/thread]: The PDGF Grapple Fixture is grabbable in KIS. This is useful if you forgot to put in a PDGF when building your craft -- just send Jeb out there on EVA and attach a PDGF where you need it. Screwdriver not included. (Optional) [thread=57603]RasterPropMonitor[/thread]: The LEE has a camera that will show up in RPM's external camera list. (Optional) Docking: Docking aids such as [thread=43901]Docking Port Alignment Indicator[/thread] and [thread=54303]Navball docking alignment indicator[/thread] can help align your LEE and PDGF (since they are actually docking ports). (Optional) [thread=59005]Active Texture Management[/thread]: RKE Kanadarm's parts uses a moderate amount of game memory usage. Textures are 512x512 and many parts reuse textures. If you are using many mods and running out of game memory then consider using ATM. (Suggestion) [thread=93818]QuantumStrutsContinued[/thread]: A long robotic arm has a tendency to wobble in flight. Use a Quantum Strut or two to "lock" an arm into position. Changelog: 0.10 (24 May 2015) Now works with KSP 1.0.x. 0.10 (12 March 2015) Added 4m and 6m structural arms. The PDGF Grapple Fix is now grabble via KAS. 0.9 (11 March 2015) Initial release. Roadmap: Please make suggestions! Reporting problems Add a comment to this thread, or: Bug tracker. Notes and Known Issues: Self-docking: Just like the real Canadarm2, your Kanadarm can have a LEE on both ends, and inchworm itself from one PDGF to another. When you undock a previously docked LEE, you may find the Infernal Robotics GUI doesn't control the parts correctly, or you may even experience other Kraken-derived behaviour. To fix this, simply reload the scene (e.g. by pressing F5/F9, or going to the Space Center and back). Seriously: if you are moving parts with Infernal Robotics and cause the vessel to dock with itself, reload the scene before moving any more parts. As it says on the Infernal Robotics, Do not attach IR parts directly to docking ports. It will make your life miserable. You have been warned!. Remember that the LEE and PDGF are docking ports. If you run into this problem, there is a small spacer in the pack to keep the LEE and rotating joints separated.

Done! I've release 1.1.0 which now contains a "full screen" HUD mode (plus some other SAS bugfixes). Here's a screenshot of what it looks like. If you try it out, please let me know what you think. - - - Updated - - - Yes, you are exactly correct about how the code works. If you have a craft with a lot of control (e.g. a plane with a lot of control surfaces, or a rocket with large gimbaling engines) then small mouse (or keyboard) movements will result in large craft movements. Similarly, using RKE Joystick's small window results in less fine control than the bigger window, or (now) fullscreen. The more pixels to move over, the less each pixel controls the craft. (Did you know you can hit the "bigger" button in the RKE Joystick window to make the window slightly bigger?)