Docking Ports with Robotic Parts

[18Watt]

I've been trying to use the new robotic parts to make docking vessels on the ground (rovers) easier.  I'm running into some unexpected behavior, which is causing my ground-docking attempts to fail.  Often, explosions are involved.  I'm wondering if others here have had success with what I'm trying to do.

Without robotic parts, docking two vessels on the ground is frustrating, as everything has to line up perfectly.  Often, what worked during testing doesn't work on a body with different gravity, or if the mass of one or both vessels changes.  I'm trying to use the robotic arms to make docking vessels on the ground easy.

Here's an example rover.  Has a small servo, small hinge, small piston, another small hinge, and a Dock Port Jr.  The arm has enough articulation and extension available to reach and align with docking ports at various heights.

However, here's what happens.  One vessel (sometimes both) is thrashed violently.  Sometimes ends in explosions.

Sometimes ends with one vessel flung away.  This one is probably going to end with a bang..

What appears to be happening is during docking, one docking port instantly changes it's orientation, dragging the vessel it's attached to along with it.  Here's one example:

Here's another example.  The docking ports were lined up perfectly, but ended up looking like this after they joined.  

I'm using a stock game, 1.7.2 (2555), with Making History and Breaking Ground, no mods.  I've tried different size docking ports and robotic parts, with similar results.  Auto struts is disabled (although I tried auto struts on as well).  I'm stumped.

 

[Foxster]

Try putting a non-robotic part between the docking port and the last robotic part, say one of the small structural panels. It cured some funnies I was having with wheels on the end of robotic parts. 

Also avoid surface-attaching other parts to robotic parts, make sure you use the green blob joint nodes.  

Failing that, if you are transferring fuel or crew rather than building structures, use a claw instead of docking ports. 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Foxster

[mystifeid]

4 hours ago, 18Watt said:

I've been trying to use the new robotic parts to make docking vessels on the ground (rovers) easier.  I'm running into some unexpected behavior, which is causing my ground-docking attempts to fail.  Often, explosions are involved.

Tried the same thing and experienced the same explosions. Sometimes this might not happen until the fifth or more docking making it hard to design experiments to test the problem.

 

2 hours ago, Foxster said:

Try putting a non-robotic part between the docking port and the last robotic part, say one of the small structural panels. It cured some funnies I was having with wheels on the end of robotic parts. 

Also avoid surface-attaching other parts to robotic parts, make sure you use the green blob joint nodes. 

Worth a try.

2 hours ago, Foxster said:

Failing that, if you are transferring fuel or crew rather than building structures, use a claw instead of docking ports. 

when playing with "resource transfer follows crossfeed rules", this is not possible since claws have no crossfeed.

[Guest]

Non robotic parts like structural stuff seems to work. Connecting radial attachment to robotic can sometimes cause unexpected craziness! I guess it might be the same for docking ports. Also attaching via node to node is probably a safer solution.

(apart from that I duno u_u)

Edited July 1, 2019 by Guest

[18Watt]

8 hours ago, Foxster said:

Try putting a non-robotic part between the docking port and the last robotic part, say one of the small structural panels. It cured some funnies I was having with wheels on the end of robotic parts. 

I have tried that, one of my attempts had four cubic octagonal struts between the last robotic part and the dock port.  Good suggestion though, I guess that is one solution players are using to get wheels to work with robotic parts.

6 hours ago, mystifeid said:

Tried the same thing and experienced the same explosions. Sometimes this might not happen until the fifth or more docking making it hard to design experiments to test the problem.

Fortunately my explosions are happening fairly consistently, so I discovered the issue before I sent all the equipment into space.

Thanks for the replies!