FlipNascar

This is now of course on my list of things to do... But I need to finish the Grandfather Clock. And the autogyro. Then I'll come play aeroplanes.

I guess I can now use The Onion as my crystal ball.

Very much interested in taking a peek at the stock cyclic/collective experiment. Do you mean to strut the blades to the mast, and they remain strutted after decoupling (if so, how?), or just to eachother? The only strutting I notice being necessary, is sometimes the individual elements of the blade (wing connector E) are stretching and could probably use a strut. If anyone is interested in seeing where it is at at the moment pm me and I'll happily share the link with you, provided you fly it and crash it and provide some feedback. The only tip, do a wheelie on the runway before you start rolling just to make it easier for the blades, otherwise they don't always flap correctly until you pitch up, and therefore you get an un-commanded roll moment. @Rune: I can't help it. I was raised with a fixed-wing flying father and subsequently my aviator buddies all spoke ill of rotorcraft. I have however seen the light ever since I first flew a chopper, and if I had the cash I'd go and do that. And while I understand the hows and the whys, I can't help but think an autogyro looks like a death trap. Typically open cockpit, has no [fixed] wings and you can't power the rotor blades directly. Still I suppose in an autogyro you can't ever get yourself into vortex ring state? My aerodynamics knowledge is too rusty so always grateful for the hints and tips of those that have it. I just have the experience of flight. - - - Updated - - - Although I wonder, would FAR be more understanding of the autogyro, and would you have more rpm with less mast angle? 'spose I'll add to list of experiments.

So I've now got three autogyro prototypes that fly. With various different niggles... Fundamentally two different setups. The first, which is proving more reliable is thanks to Rune's suggestion with regard to mast and blade angles (thank you kind sir!). This one is looking more and more like a real autogyro - ie a death trap. Bobbles along at a leisurely 35ish m/s. The engine is rotated so much not for vertical lift (although appreciated) but more to counteract the huge torque moment that the rotor disc gives when you lift off. And the second... Well I wanted to see if you could make it work with hinged rotor blades. Yes. Yes you can. It's not elegant, but it works. Has issues that are different - I got it up to 50m/s before physics said no more. RCS no longer needed. The blades actually flap. This design can sometimes struggle to keep the blades rotating, and it does more or less fall out of the sky if they stop. Should probably try and find a way to hid all that dinner in the cargo bay... First function. Then form.

Is the pilot wearing a beret? That's why he looks sad. He's wearing a beret. Poor guy.

Hmm interesting points to ponder. I hadn't thought to try the bigger rotors, but the mass adds up quite quickly and you soon end up having too much mass to be spun through errordynamics? So I gave your idea a go, thank you no offset limit mod for making it easy. Offset the cargo bay bearing box up, added 30 degrees of rotation to the mast, -15 degrees to the blades. And yes, holy crap, it works a dream while you're on the ground. Beautiful. But of course, once airborne... Wants to backflip. But thinking about, I suppose it just involves experimentation to find the angles that give you enough airflow to spin, yet don't lead to asymmetric lift and don't induce massive backflips. This is definitively cleaner than the road I was going down. And I would never have gone to such "extreme" angles on the mast. However... Before I'd read your reply and tried it, I did manage to kludge one into being by going down the "camshaft lobe" style route that would allow a flapping rotor blade. I only got as far as adding freewheeling bearings to the rotor blades, but it works. There is a lot of flap in the blades and it ain't pretty (to be fair, I don't think helicopter flight when you see the blades flap can ever be described as pretty...), nor optimal... But she flies, and is relatively stable. Although disc needs more spin. I suppose this is a cheating autogyro... More tinkering to be done.

Thank you for now giving me the autogyro bug.... I can't see how to solve the issue of asymmetric lift. It never reared its head in stock helicopters. So far, I can either have rotation and crashes shortly after take off. Or zero rotation but a completely decoupled rotor disc and a very pleasant little outing. I suppose the way forward will have to be reaction wheel/rcs spam to overcome the roll moment that is induced. I think Bob and Bill's expressions capture the moment perfectly, they know that if I pitch up there's a good chance they'll be brown bread... Currently the craft is setup with: Rotor disc currently has around 10 degrees of pitch (blades). I tried angling the mast rearwards but I think I ran into movement problems, so to emulate that the rotor assembly mounting point has been angled back 4 degrees relative to the mast. I also tried with the rotor disc at 5 degrees pitch, as well as completely flat and adding fins to the tips at 35 degrees to induce rotation. As it stands I can see one two ways of kludging it: rotor disc flat. But add aerodynamic surfaces somewhere around the rotor blades or the actual mast itself. Something that will induce rotation, without causing the asymmetrical lift. How could you make the retreating blade flap? I can't see a stock solution to that. You could give each rotor blade its bearing between it and the hub and create some sort of track whereby the retreating blade's angle is forcefully changed by a "bump" - imagine a camshaft and its lobes. Seems overly-complicated, but you could[?] get away with a wheelless bearing for the blades... Hmmm. I should really learn to stop thinking by typing. Sorry. I ought to know how to write briefly and concisely...

There's also the panic button strategy. Cannot remember what its called. Bailout or something. In the admin building. Ruins your rep and you have to turn in your bizjet, but cash is cash.

Dude, those are epic! I love that even something "as simple" as a sundial can be so amazing. I love the way your Mk I looks and how it delineates actual time. Overall, I am awed by your aesthetics. So simple, so industrial yet so pleasantly beautiful that I almost want to weep. Congratulations Leibniz, you have kludged four pretty sweet epic looking clocks. I love the way the gifs also give a timelapse feeling. How did you film them - warp speed or screenshots at set intervals? As to your orbital clock, not a clue. If it was mechanical kludgery, yes. Space, I'm total noob at space.

The Calculator Project challenge The Chunkin' Challenge Sadly these challenges were 0.90 and I hadn't yet discovered the joy of kludging.....

Made some progress. It seems that we are one step closer to a KSP Grandfather clock that works. If we ignore a few, mildly catastrophic design flaws. Namely the "hand" goes backwards and gets blocked by clock structure... If I were to build another one, I probably wouldn't build it this way... Oh well, in way too deep now. Had to break it into two parts because the online .mov -> gif converter I use can't handle more (open to suggestions on sites to use for that too!) These two gifs represent c. 10 seconds of video footage.

Just means the Engine/s. Typically Basic Jets. But I kludge mine with Turbojets because I don't have any sort of efficiency in my designs yet. I build caveman-tech helicopters... Edit ninja'd... so in that case: Telephone. As in: "Babe yer mum's on the blower, do we wanna come round fer tea tomoorra?" Or jet engine. I'm always getting them confused.

The world is your oyster mate. But, start simple... That way when it clogs up on you, there aren't a zillion possible things. On another note, it seems all I needed to get the clock turning again was a bottle of Köpi...(König Pilsner - currently my preferred bottle). As you'll see from the gif, it works. You will also notice a couple of glaring design failures: 1) The clock hand can't rotate fully. D'oh (was an afterthought just to show movement) 2) It goes round the wrong ******* way. 3) 445 parts power this contraption... And the mechanics nor the greebles are done yet. 4) Smooth... Aint it's strong point. But only three jet engines power it. The third was needed to unclog the gears it turns out. Had to break it into two parts because the online .mov -> gif converter I use can't handle more (open to suggestions on sites to use for that too!) These two gifs represent c. 10 seconds of video footage. - - - Updated - - - This explains why my turbine-in-a-box doesn't work too well then!

Welcome to the world of crap that spins. See what I mean by its easier just to pull one apart and learn it like that? @clown_baby: I don't usually pay attention to mod craft, in spite of the fact I do love to play with mods here and there. But that thing just baffles me. Yet I find it so mesmerizing.

TLDR: Deconstructing a bearing will teach you the fundamentals far quicker, and easier, than reading about it. Bearings are theoretically very simple - poke around the wikipedia entry, seeing "real world" bearings can help you twig them in KSP. I don't think I'm that good at them. I'm still learning them, and for me to write a tutorial about it would seem arrogant... And, they're very much a "niche market" and I think that there are too many variables that can jam them. When you take a bunch of lego parts and use them in ways that they were never intended... Issues. But there are plenty of craft out there that have them. I am however all for sharing the knowledge. So with that in mind, if you want to learn, the easiest way to do it, is to go and deconstruct a bunch. Strip them down to the bare essentials. Or ask the craft builder if they'll send you a stripped down bearing. I'm happy to send you any of mine that you can use in whichever way you want. If you have questions about mine, I'm happy to answer them. Can't understand why a part is where it is? Just ask. I might not know why it's there, but hey at least we'll be on the same page! Oh and the most poignant part - experiment. Different techniques will work for different scenarios. And keep building. So, what are you waiting for? Go find some bearings to pull apart. If you get stuck, send me a PM. Also, apologies for the wall of text...

One day... But an enterprising soul desiring such a thing and not wanting to have to start from scratch, could in theory take my Ferris Wheel (DL link in sig) and add that to a space station. Replace the "cars" with Hab Modules... Et voila, vous avez un station d'elegance.

You and me both pal...! I am just trying to get it to work in a way that it replicates a grandfather clock - it will look like the pendulum swinging causes the hands to turn, whereas really what is driving it all will be an engine (or many) spinning one of the gears. Then, in theory, it can be "driven hands free" in the sense that, stage and forget (and time how long before it jams?). I hadn't thought of using the scanner in this. I have played with them here and there, but found that they weren't really that useful. Ideally I am trying to get the clock hands to be powered by the main mechanism... But I can always cheat one of the hands... So.. as I contemplate it. Yes, perhaps it will help! But, then its speed won't be linked to the rest so that still brings you somewhat back to square one - hands free and everything stays in sync. I should have built a sundial. Previosuly I'd tinkered with the scanner for a prop, but its size made it awkward. However, I beseech you to install that onto a space station - can you stop that wobble? I've been meaning to build a bearing into a space station to spin the hab ring, but that requires going to space.

Broke my clock mechanism. Added one gear too many it seems.... Haven't had the patience to troubleshoot this week. Six (eight if you want to be really pedantic about it) intermeshing gears that are all interdependent... When it works, it works beautifully, for all of about 3 seconds. Moar boasters will fix this....

I built a little manned Ion shuttlet called the "Steinsieker" that can transfer from LKO to the Mun, land and then return to LKO where it redocks for transport down... So I guess that counts? I don't have pics that show the orbital info, and I'm not doing "space" right now, but I'll leave the album here. So for the time being it's unvalidated. But craft info and dl link are in my sig if you want to try it yourself for giggles. It can land on the Mun without the SRBs, they're just there in case you make a mistake with the low TWR. Afterthought!! I did do a run with more info as a K-Prize entry. I probably could have just flown it by now... Ah well.

Praying that Unity 5 will make it possible to loft more than 150 parts into orbit again! I couldn't go back to 0.90... But sometimes I wanna just for part counts.

I'm lazy.

I expect it. Will my expectations be met? Unlikely.

Loved it. The only thing... maybe add a docking port or decoupler so I can take it out of the box on the runway... I'm lazy.

That's sweet! Good to know that they work then. I have been ignoring mine for the last few days, added some more wheels and stuff, and now I'm all jammed all the time. So back to the drawing board...

You could try the radiator panels because of their natural curvature and then you can probably emulate that boat-like back end that Chitty has. Also props for the replica.