Powered Locking Two-Position Hinge Assembly

[sevenperforce]

In the interest of creating a proper VTOL similar to the F-35C or Harrier, I've been trying to work on creating a powered, locking hinge assembly that would allow an engine to be undocked, rotated 90 degrees, and redocked, reversibly and repeatedly, using only action groups.

I've worked on it for quite a while and I've never been able to get it perfect. Here's the closest I've come:

Spoiler

Hinge uses a basic double bearing with linear monoprop thrusters acting as the shaft and thermometers as the housing.

Assembly starts in the locked aft-thrust position; an action group releases the first docking port coupling and activates a pair of landing legs to push the engine assembly 90 degrees, rotating it until the two other ports join and lock.

The same action group is then tapped again to retract the legs.

To rotate from ventral-thrust to aft-thrust, a different action group is used to extend a different pair of landing legs and release the second pair of docking ports. 

However, try as I might, the original pair of docking ports simply refuse to reconnect. I think it's a known bug with docking ports but I'm not sure, and I haven't been able to fix it.

So the challenge is this: create a rotating assembly, in stock, that uses action groups to complete a powered 90-degree rotation that can be repeated indefinitely.

Level 1: Create and demonstrate only the assembly.

Level 2. Demonstrate that engines can be affixed to your assembly.

Level 3. Build a VTOL aircraft around your assembly and demonstrate liftoff, hovering, transition, translation, and vertical landing.

Level 4. Build a VTOL SSTO around your assembly and demonstrate liftoff, hovering, transition, ascent, orbit, deorbit, re-entry, and vertical landing.

Lowest-mass hinge assembly wins.

Edited March 1, 2018 by sevenperforce

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I get the feeling I may only be one of a very few challengers for this lol.

I also worked long and hard, years really. Ever since I bought the game, to create a working stock rotating engine and here it is; It's not pretty or small, but it works, extremely well I might add. Transformation can be done as many times as desired and even in flight.

The "Swordfish Mk1 Prototype"

Engines up for horizontal flight.

Engines down for VTOL and/or hovering.

I would say this qualifies for Level 3, assuming you take me at my word that it works. If you need more proof I'll be happy to supply it. I'm not really sure what the mass of the rotary assembly is to be honest? It's sort of built into the plane. Considering it's just some girders, docking ports, a structural tube, and some landing gear; not that much I guess? I'll check in-game and find out if we have any other posters lol. (By the way I think your issue is that you are trying to make it too compact, the docking ports have to get a certain distance away from each other before they are willing to re-engage. What that distance is exactly, or how it works; I have no clue.)

Here's a short gif of it operating. (Ignore the sparks..that just means it's working really well.)

(I also have a stock swing wing mechanism (F-14 style), that can be used as many times as needed, even in flight, but that seems outside the scope of the challenge.)

Edited March 4, 2018 by Rocket In My Pocket

[NoobTool]

Not exactly lightweight, but that's not what I designed it for. The basic concept here could be shrunk down and adapted to work with a single engine mount. 

In order to achieve 90 degree or greater range of motion using the airbrake as an actuator requires the airbrake to swing through the axis of rotation. 

@sevenperforce

As the previous poster mentioned, I think the docking port issue you're experiencing with your design is due to docking port travel distance. The docking port must travel a minimum distance (1.3 meters I believe) before it becomes active again. 

Edited March 6, 2018 by NoobTool