sgt_flyer

erm - just tested, it also work on engine thrust... so i guess they are going to have to patch it :p it's a stock nerva... in atmo... just with a KAL-1000 set with your configuration, and the play time slightly moved in editor ^^ (at more powerful settings, the rocket burns from atmospheric friction.......... i wonder on how much that thing works :p (note : tested at the 'lowest' play time (was at 11000% thrust at liftoff)... - it went through 11000l of fuel in 1.05 minute - and was on a kerbol escape trajectory afterwards :p edit : more ridiculous ^^ : the lv-1 ant engine lifting 350 tons of LFO :p emptied half the thing in 10 seconds at the selected power :p (yup, that's an s4 tank here ^^)

Currently torturing my computer :p 1804 parts 476 tons (the shuttle has been emptied - at close to the shuttle weight with loaded SRB's as payload on the crawler, the runway sometimes broke...) stock (MH + Breaking Ground) note : the crawler tracks are not yet decoupled in this picture :p i think i might try to make a video, but not much more ^^. was fun designing this monster, but the current crawler at 1200 parts is a slideshow in operation :p edit : after a good 20 minutes, i made it to the runway's slope (in game time - 1.30 minutes...) but i can keep the platform levelled with the runway

In impractical but entertaining, you can have continuous tracks made of series of hinges, looped with a strut - all that powered by sprocket wheels (the tracks have still to be kept in shape prior to decoupling) - limited mainly by the track sections impact's speed, and physics cpu usage (with generally around 45 parts per track... it's quite taxing ^^)

a workaround could be doing the reverse use robotics to do automatic staging ^^ You could use separatrons thrust limiter to a KAL-1000 aim the separatrons at the attachment point (made from a throwaway part) then keep the thrust limiter curve to 0 until the right time, then change it to 100% in 0.01s. Then it's just a matter of timing the overheat with the pistons extension (of course, stage the separatrons at the same time of the Kal's startup) Makeshift explosive bolt on a timer a small album to show the tech :p all solid engines are activated with a press on key 1, same time as the KAL-1000 the SRB is surface attached to the fin, the separatrons are attached to the cubic strut, and aimed at the fin. when the separatrons overheat the fin, the booster flies away for the last dregs of it's fuel :p (i set it up to have around 12s of fuel, the separatrons fire at 11.5s ^^) small album with the technique https://imgur.com/a/yPCGUzZ

I can't reduce the number of hinges - anymore width between the hinges pivots and i would need larger sprocket wheels. If i use small hinges, i would end up with the same number of hinges, but more parts i might release a separate version with the same steering and levelling system, but with rovemax XL3's instead of the tracks As a sidenote, an idea for you - the edge radiator panel (the flat one) has higher impact tolerance than the decouplers (12m/s) (that, or if you have Making history, the SP06 panel has a 80m/s impact speed ;))

rebuit a bit the articulation point and levelling system (was not strong enough, the pods tended to bend inwards under weight load) testing out the top speed of the rebuilt system 11.6 m/s (tough the game runs at 1 FPS ^^) the Crawler destruction sequence once 1 of the track hinges exploded (directed by Michael Bay) the aftermath of the breakup (going to be fined for littering :p)

Crawler First run - at around 1 FPS ^^ 1217 parts (without the scaffold and struts which holds the crawler tracks prior to decoupling) 289 tons (of which, 'only' 29 tons of tracks ^^) 18 fuel cell arrays to keep all the systems powered ^^ Features : 8 independant tracks (2 on each tracked pod) the pods can have independant inclination, be steered, and can elevate the rotation point to level the platform when moving on inclines Torque of the pods sprocket wheels is controlled by the main throttle, RPM limits of the sprocket wheels is controlled by the translate F/B axis Play position of the KAL managing the steering is controlled by the translate L/R axis Play position of the KAL managing the levelling is controlled by the translate U/D axis Middle point of the KAL's is the neutral position for the platform / steering. still, those tracks are crushing the FPS ^^

mmh :p with the strain on my computer, i think the computer might go on a grand tour by itself if i tried to add a grand tour rocket on top of that ^^ - the game runs at 25fps with the full crawler - while still in editor !

Stress testing with 288 tons weight attached unfortunately i still needed to hide two LY-60 landing gears in the middle of the track to bear the load (else the track unit collapses and destroys itself) still, with this configuration, the track can manage a whooping 0.9 m/s of speed with that kind of weight on it

I like the game but doing Deserts of Kharak vehicles would maybe be a bit too high partcount (just this crawler transporter is already making the game crawl - and it's not finished ! :p )

Still WIP but it's stable under kerbin gravity (even after decoupling) (need to change a bit the supports, they collide with eachother during unfolding ^^) - maybe good 'ol separatron magic for that to roll the supports away from the crawler :p currently at 1103 parts, 247 tons and it bears it's name of crawler well - makes the game itself crawl :p

well, one small improvement i found, is to set the limiters to 0-90 on the track elements to prevent it from bending the wrong direction. (that was one of the features of the large ones, as the crocodile hinges couldn't bend the wrong way ^^) doesn't improve top speed, but the track doesn't wobble anymore, and is now nearly instantly responsive to sprocket gear speed changes. for movement, i currently have the sprocket gears torque limiters set to main throttle, and RPM limit to F/B translation. (with RPM limit at 100, the tracks runs smooth at around 3m/s - i only reach top speed (and track destruction) at RPM limits of 250 :p

Not really the forum post for that, but here's your answer The required delta-V, ejection angles etc varies with the relative position in their orbit of the planet you come from and the planet you want to go to. depending on when you launch, both planets can be in the ideal position (least amount of delta-V needed for the transfer) that's the same reason why in real life space agencies have to wait for specific times to launch interplanetary missions. check transfer window planner / or http://ksp.olex.biz/ (there's other transfer guides too, less old than this one, bit the why is still valid) for help calculating the right date for your transfer windows

Managed to miniaturize the track unit . roughly 1/2 the size of the previous one) this new version as a bit less top speed (around 10 m/s on grass (the runway breaks before that ^^), afterwards the track breaks) , and is more wobbly than the big one) but the sprocket wheels have guides on this version, which allows the thing to traverse by reverting one side direction / stopping one track (on the previous one, with no guides, the track would leave the wheels during traverse) it's lighter too (~ 54 tons with the 5 ton tracks - each) and with less part count (197 parts once decoupled) the sprocket gear teeths are made with 8x upside down vernors on each sprocket wheel (the bottom of the vernor faces the track) - after the startup, the sprocket almost instantly sync with the track speed Should be more easily to place under the platform still a bit big, but it'll do (i can actually fit four of those underneath the platform ^^) Currently, AG1 decouples the track, unfolds the support structure, (which fall on it's side, once unfolded) starts the fuel cells and extends pistons to straighten the track

I'm trying a smaller track with g-11's - it's roughly half the size (track unit ends up being less part intensive too for now - as i need 4 of them, that's a good thing ^^)

groumf :p the G-32W hinge is too big to be used as the track for the Crawler Transporter :p (the resulting tracks units would be too comically too big for the platform - and with a platform of the correct size would likely exceed the runway's width :p (and the tracks don't like to take inclines sideways ^^)

@klond Rebuilt my large crocodile hinge track - managed up to 16 m/s of speed (though, any more and the track parts start to disintegrate ^^) best gears i found for the 3.75m sprocket wheels was x8 1.875 fuel tanks (the track really moves in sync with the wheels, which won't turn faster than track speed) Track tension : after scene load, i extend a bit the pistons for the two guide wheels - helps a bit for high speed, i add the center wheel with a bit more tension to the track still, needs at least a RPM limit of 100 to begin to move here's another angle with one of the sprocket wheel and the 16 m/s speed - only the sprocket wheels are powered The roller wheels are 1.875m Structural tubes, with 1.875m engine plates. the guide wheels are 1.875m Structural tubes with 2.5m engine plates current track + rollers + struts (to hold track shape before decoupling) + the energy systems are around 115 parts / 60 tons. (i may add a few decouplers to strut the track to, so it'll dispose of the struts on decoupling)

I don't think i'll use it in my own shuttle for the SRBs thrust curve it's hard to calculate the true burn time with variable thrust curve (especially if you want to do it for multiple kickbacks per shuttle SRB) i prefer my good ´ol method of using multiple pairs with different set thrusts my current shuttle SRBs have 5 kickbacks + 1 thumper - three of the kickbacks and the thumper have a thrust limiter set lower - when the two full thrust run dry, gives me a booster throttle back for the remaining burn duration of the three other kickbacks The thumper is there to burn even a little longer, for post separation residual thrust in the SRBs However, i might use it for something else : i'll set separatrons with thrust limiter at 0, to ignite them by going full thrust some time after separation and burn the nosecones without input, to free the parachutes :)

Sorry Frozen_heart - variable and redockable krakendrives already exists since at least 1 year - feel free to use any idea from there to improve yours more krakendrives is fun just a word of caution though - the wheel stress seems to increase more and more the farther away you get from the center of the SOI (until the wheels break)

LOL Just tested the 1.7.2 Thrust Limiter in KAL-1000s the KAL can now even control SRB thrust limiter in flight ! (and really works ingame - the SRB can shut down before emptying it's fuel ) so it's feasible to create custom thrust curves for your SRBs it would be like grain geometry ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-propellant_rocket simply use AG1 or the staging AG to fire the KAL and the SRB at the same time ^^

nifty thing in 1.7.2 - we can now bind the control surfaces authority limiter in the KAL-1000 - it really allows to control the control surfaces with the KAL - simply set the control surface to 'deployed' mode, and add the authority limiter axis to the KAL-1000 could allow cool things for videos, etc simply bind to an action group decouple + start KAL-1000 on an attached plane, and it could follow on it's own a preprogrammed flight course (that, or even easily automate initial gravity turn on rockets...) edit : we can also add the engines thrust limiter to the kal-1000 too

As of note, you can kinda copy /import animated parts and their controller config (it's not entirely guaranteed - and will not work for mirror symmetry) 1) Basically, create a standalone craft of the animated section you want to copy (for placing a second time elsewhere, or it's a design you want to reuse on various crafts (ex :solar panel assemblies or turrets), with the root part surface attachable or with a free node, and save it. Open the craft you want to integrate the animated section onto, then use the merge function to import the animated assembly (so far, it seems to be able to import it the first time, but may pose a problem on second import, as the game seems to defines a unique ID to each part in the controller)

yup - the G-32W hinge in it's glory ^^ each crocodile hinge half covers the next's one's half. a single track itself is 43 parts and weights 17 tons... the sprocket wheels are 3.75m parts...

it's early POC :p but it ... works :p - still needs better sprocket and guide wheels though ^^ - still, at ~4 Kph, it's in the unloaded CT speed range ^^ Tought, creating a full CT from that... it's going to melt computers ^^ this dual track alone is 103t / 284 parts :p (not counting any payload... rebuilt a shuttle stack from scratch for Breaking Ground, it's 310 parts / 475 tons fully loaded, without it's payload ^^)

Checking out how the (nearly) full truss looks (currently 508 parts...) (at 0.01 g of course, the masts are not meant for 1g ^^)