Exploding Solar Panels

[Francois424]

I've been experiencing this for some time now and it's becoming annoying.

Happens on Gigantor XL Solar Array of Stock

Also with just about every other Large Solar Panel I stick on a ship (Such as Cosmos Pack Balka wings and Future tech "Trio Concentrating Solar Array").

At first it happened only seldomly, on only ONE ship since 2013 (0.22)

But it's becoming more of a problem recently.

I've tried a new game; this happens.

I've tried a clean install of KSP, importing mods as I needed them, still happens.

I've been extra careful not to clip parts... no effect

List of Mods I am running (KSP32 bits):

- Only 5 parts of B9 Aerospace

- BoulderCo's Volumetric Clouds

- KerbalEngineerRedux

- EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements (no city lights)

- kommit_nucleonics

- ScienceAlert

- IonHybElec_Pack

(I know for a fact that anything above didn't have the bug then, so not sure why would start now)

- KOSMOS (Only the Solar Panels)

- NearFutureSolar (KR-ML Trio Concentrating Solar Array)

- ORIGAMI (new dishes; bug was happening before I had these installed)

- FireSpitter (only for the electric prop and necessary files; bug was happening before anyways)

- ScienceContainers (without new parts; bug was happening before as well)

- RemoteTech2

- and SurfaceLights

The ship will begin shaking uncontrollably, and then most if not all solar panels blow off a vessel.

In the log, either F3 or after the fact into the KSP folder, I always get this line :

[02:02:29]: Structural failure on linkage between Gigantor XL Solar Array and Octagonal Strut.

You can replace "and Octagonal Strut." by just about anything I stick the panels on.

That last explosion was on a pure 100% stock vessel I had designed back in 0.22.

It also happened 3 times today on newer vessel that featured the "KR-ML Trio Concentrating Solar Array"

It happened a whole lot on the huge balka solar panels as well a month or 2 ago.

The only constant I seem to be able to find is when I am in a gravity well (not in/nowhere near atmospheres).

It also only happens after I leave the ship and come back to it later. IE: I'll do something else or close the game, then come back to it.... POOF ! Solar Panels blow up.

I've spoken with ppl using the same parts I am, and they say they never run into the problem... that Include Bob Fitch who put me in contact with the "KR-ML Trio Concentrating Solar Array" in one of his videos.

I really don't know what to do anymore, but that bug is killing most of my projects now.

If you ran into this bug before, please let me know

If you know what causes this, PLEASE tell me. It's driving me crazy.

EDIT: I know I don't include all of the information as per the must read sticky. I am more seeing if anyone ever ran into this before and how they fixed it.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Francois424

[includao]

I'm having the same exact problem.

[boolybooly]

I have just had an example of the basic solar panel exploding repeatable with octohedral struts when timewarped 4x in atmosphere. Its only the Octohedral strut, the same configuration stuck to an octo command unit for example doesnt explode.

You just need to stick 4 say on an octohedral strut atop an octo command pod launch and [alt] + [.>] key to timewarp and boom. Happens every time.

[T.C.]

I have been experiencing what I first thought were exploding solar panels. However, I now think it is not the solar panels which are exploding, but the octagonal struts they are connected to.

To elaborate, there have been several instances where I start a maneuver, hear an explosion, inspect the craft, and find one or more solar panels missing. In every case, the panels have been attached to octagonal struts, which also go missing. Once or twice, I've spotted the panels, unharmed, receding into the distance. This is why I now think the octagonal struts are exploding, and not the panels.

On one craft, I attached four octagonal struts radially to a hitchhiker storage container, and another four radially to a mobile processing lab, then attached solar panels to all eight of the struts. The four struts attached to the hitchhiker storage container all exploded at one point or another during the mission. The four attached to the lab all survived. Therefore, I think the problem has something to do with the part the octagonal strut is connected to.

I am not satisfied with the way some attachments look. For instance, when I attach a part radially to the hitchhiker storage container or the mobile processing lab, the attached part seems to be embedded partially beneath the surface. That's why I use octagonal struts to attach my solar panels -- I prefer to have my panels raised above the surface of the craft, rather than embedded within it. I use Editor Extensions and the offset tool to make everything look as clean as possible. I has occurred to me that, while my placement may look clean, it may actually violate KSP's laws of physics, and that's why the struts are exploding. But even if that is the explanation, I'm not sure what to do about it.

-TC

[maceemiller]

Same happened to me again connected panels to struts.....only was I can fix is to put in a fairing....

[Xyster]

Did you check to see if it is a an overheating issue? Debug menu tick the Ignore Max Temp option and see what happens with the same craft. I've had that problem with that specific part AND other parts in the same fashion where they blow up and sever a ship or destroy the whole thing.

See this thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/126664-MAJOR-Heating-Bug