HeavyRail and HeavyRamp made from unmodded vanilla KSP parts.

[De4tht1de OnTwitch]

Hey everyone. I built two systems that I wanted to share. I built a rail system for moving equipment and I built a ramp for deploying/retrieving equipment. Both are built from stock KSP parts and require no mods. Check out the videos below.

HeavyRail

Quick Video: https://youtu.be/_IR8TRRQFDU

Usage Video: https://youtu.be/4ihYzC6aJ3o

Build File Download: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8xwDWP6L8uBfmdOSWhTTE8tVnFwZWpUZkhOVnNRMUMtQ1lGNHc0a0VqT3A1THpHdTNvdnM&usp=sharing

HeavyRamp

Quick Video: https://youtu.be/3Wizd8tslno

Usage Video: https://youtu.be/8Hj7cHR9BtE

Build File Download: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8xwDWP6L8uBfmdOSWhTTE8tVnFwZWpUZkhOVnNRMUMtQ1lGNHc0a0VqT3A1THpHdTNvdnM&usp=sharing

[EladDv]

very interesting.... air brakes while animated do in fact push other objects... any limitation on the force exerted(maximum mass/air break)? might incorporate it into a F-14 design or another swing-wing plane

[RixKillian]

This is awesome! A crane build out of this would be very interesting..

[Majorjim!]

Very clever indeed!

I have only seen two stock, free hinge ramps on these forums. And this one is retractable! Genius use of the airbrakes. I know a few constellation builders who will be very happy with this!

[Zucal]

I know a few constellation builders who will be very happy with this!

I've been using this one for weeks

[Majorjim!]

I've been using this one for weeks

Not in the way the OP has though matey. Watch the video.

[TheSecularScooner]

Wow Bravo! That's what I call Awesome!

[Zucal]

Not in the way the OP has though matey. Watch the video.

No, I meant I've been using this exact design for weeks. The OP showed it off on the KSP subreddit a while ago, and he kindly gave me a download

[De4tht1de OnTwitch]

very interesting.... air brakes while animated do in fact push other objects... any limitation on the force exerted(maximum mass/air break)? might incorporate it into a F-14 design or another swing-wing plane

So far I have added a lot more weight to the rig to test this and the air brakes are working brilliantly. The limiting factor will be the casing around the drum. This of course could be easily additionally reinforced and another airbrake added for mega lifting purposes.

[sgt_flyer]

De4tht1de OnTwitch have a try with my microhinges for the free hinges they are extremely sturdy for their size

(surface attached things are extremely sturdy - and the LV1-R's nozzles 'rounded' nozzle makes a good hinge (combined with a surface attached 'triangle' as the housing (Ox-stats work great ) you can drastically reduce both part count and size for the hinge housing )

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Okay, that's just incredible! +rep

I think I'll stick with my old design for constellation.

[Rune]

Yeah, on second thought... the old hinges with landing gears are more practical, they remain a single craft the whole time. Just whipped one up, and with gizmos, they look real good and smooth. Plus you can have them at the end on payload bays, so no real limit on capacity, if one "cargo thing" fits, just make the bay longer and "n cargo things" will fit. Clearance at the back end is complicated, though.

Rune. Sorry for the nightime pic, but gotta go to sleep. If anybody wants the silly craft, though...

[Majorjim!]

Yeah, on second thought... the old hinges with landing gears are more practical, they remain a single craft the whole time. Just whipped one up, and with gizmos, they look real good and smooth. Plus you can have them at the end on payload bays, so no real limit on capacity, if one "cargo thing" fits, just make the bay longer and "n cargo things" will fit. Clearance at the back end is complicated, though.

http://i.imgur.com/UrcUgrh.png

Rune. Sorry for the nightime pic, but gotta go to sleep. If anybody wants the silly craft, though...

The ramp shown by the OP is a new design. It takes up massively less space than the old method you posted above. Sgt-flyiers hinges are a great example of another stock hinge method.

It may take a few more parts and be tricky to make but they can be used in more situations and in more ways and are far more elegant.

[De4tht1de OnTwitch]

Yeah, on second thought... the old hinges with landing gears are more practical, they remain a single craft the whole time. Just whipped one up, and with gizmos, they look real good and smooth. Plus you can have them at the end on payload bays, so no real limit on capacity, if one "cargo thing" fits, just make the bay longer and "n cargo things" will fit. Clearance at the back end is complicated, though.

http://i.imgur.com/UrcUgrh.png

Rune. Sorry for the nightime pic, but gotta go to sleep. If anybody wants the silly craft, though...

I am embarrassed to say but I built the ramp out of parts from my career mode. I haven't started a sandbox yet because I wanted to play through the career mode a bit... so I didn't have every part at my disposal. I am sure there will be better designs on the horizon as I get all the parts.

Also, does this ramp work in 0g?

[Rune]

I am embarrassed to say but I built the ramp out of parts from my career mode. I haven't started a sandbox yet because I wanted to play through the career mode a bit... so I didn't have every part at my disposal. I am sure there will be better designs on the horizon as I get all the parts.

Also, does this ramp work in 0g?

Yup, and it is also built on career. All you need are spider engines for the hinge, and landing gears to push it down. In zero G, actually, the "spring back into place" action when you release the landing gear is easier. You can also work out a docking port "lock" so it doesn't wobble in flight. Also, don't be embarassed in KSP, like, ever! Nobody is born knowing everything, much less rocket science.

The ramp shown by the OP is a new design. It takes up massively less space than the old method you posted above. Sgt-flyiers hinges are a great example of another stock hinge method.

It may take a few more parts and be tricky to make but they can be used in more situations and in more ways and are far more elegant.

Hey, no criticism here, and I'm not claiming anything other than "the old landing gear hinges (like the ones Sgt Flyer made) are superior". I'm especially not claiming I came up with anything. Seeing as how they take less space (flush finish with the payload bays, so you can actually roll out form behind, or over it), less parts (that one has a grand total of four spider engines, eight ten plates, two landing gears, and two struts, plus the three payload bays, where you can still put stuff), remain a cohesive unit, and when designed properly, make their action smoother, I think there would be little debate about that.

Rune. Geez, the sensibilities. I'm trying to teach stuff here!

Edited June 23, 2015 by Rune
counted the parts better

[Majorjim!]

Hey, no criticism here, and I'm not claiming anything other than "the old landing gear hinges (like the ones Sgt Flyer made) are superior". I'm especially not claiming I came up with anything. Seeing as how they take less space (flush finish with the next payload bay, so you can actually roll out), less parts (that one has four spider engines, eight plates, two landing gears, and two struts, plus the paylaod bays), remain a cohesive unit, and when designed properly, make their action smoother, I think there would be little debate about that.

Rune. Geez, the sensibilities. I'm trying to teach stuff here!

Please don't put words in my mouth Rune, I never accused anyone of claiming anything..

But you are mistaken in thinking that the old method of pushing with landing legs uses much more space. If you where to combine Sgt-fliers tiny hinges and the docking port and ant engines from that old method you showed you can get better results. Technically and aesthetically.

They are hard to make yes but as I said, its far more elegant. It can also work in 'micro-gravity' simply by using another set of ant engines.

the old method also is severely limited in range of motion. It also puts strain on the craft, further reducing the flexibility. The only way I can see that the old way is better is in part count.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Majorjim

[Rune]

Please don't put words in my mouth Rune, I never accused anyone of claiming anything..

But you are mistaken in thinking that the old method of pushing with landing legs uses much more space. If you where to combine Sgt-fliers tiny hinges and the docking port and ant engines from that old method you showed you can get better results. Technically and aesthetically.

They are hard to make yes but as I said, its far more elegant. It can also work in 'micro-gravity' simply by using another set of ant engines.

the old method also is severely limited in range of motion. It also puts strain on the craft, further reducing the flexibility.

Err... more flush than an ant engine thick? You can roll over the hinges because they are the same thickness as the floor of a standard payload bay. The landing gear and the lock mechanism can safely be on the sides, where they don't steal ramp width, and you get a ramp that is exactly the same width than the floor of the payload bay. Hell, you can use it to cross from one end of the bay to the other with the bay door open, so it could work as a drawbrige. With pistons. That actually looks like the real thing.

Rune. Please try out the file I gave, you might be enlightened.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Rune

[Majorjim!]

you might be enlightened.

I wont be but thanks. LOL I have made them before man, you know I have, we have openly spoken about them on the forum.

I think you may have misunderstood me. Using Sgt-fliers tiny hinge method (you have seen it, I remember you posting about it) you can have the panel that is the ramp remain completely flush and level.

But that is not what I was talking about, in fact I never mentioned flushness. I was talking volume. The hinge is tiny! It uses the little thermometer and other tiny parts. The largest being the ant engine as the moving part of the hinge. The fact that you don't need the landing legs means that is uses less volume.

Using the tiny parts as hinges means you can make really small compact moving hinges. Because there are no massive landing legs getting in the way.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Majorjim

[Rune]

I wont be but thanks. LOL I have made them before man, you know I have, we have openly spoken about them on the forum.

I think you may have misunderstood me. Using Sgt-fliers tiny hinge method (you have seen it, I remember you posting about it) you can have the panel that is the ramp remain completely flush and level.

But that is not what I was talking about, in fact I never mentioned flushness. I was talking volume. The hinge is tiny! It uses the little thermometer and other tiny parts. The largest being the ant engine as the moving part of the hinge. The fact that you don't need the landing legs means that is uses less volume.

Using the tiny parts as hinges means you can make really small compact moving hinges. Because there are no massive landing legs getting in the way.

Are you... are you talking about the same thing as I am? Have you seen the OP's video, and the 0.625m hinges he uses, housed inside large cubic struts? Now, the hinge I gave is exactly one spider engine thick, because as I said it's the part I use to hinge. And thanks to gizmos, the space between the plate and the bay floor is zero, or as close as I could get it to that by eye without getting Z-fighting. Do better, I dare you. It could move with, say, RCS or engines, but those "huge landing gears" push from the sides, so the vertical of the ramp is clear all the way to the ceiling, and the only parts present at the hinge are the ant engines and the plate covering them. And last but not least... one single ship at all times. You can timewarp and quickload, and nothing clips except the landing gears. That counts a lot.

Rune. Seriously, try it. At least one of us is really confused right now.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Rune

[Majorjim!]

Are you... are you talking about the same thing as I am? Have you seen the OP's video, and the 0.625m hinges he uses, housed inside large cubic struts? Now, the hinge I gave is exactly one spider engine thick, because as I said it's the part I use to hinge. And thanks to gizmos, the space between the plate and the bay floor is zero, or as close as I could get it to that by eye without getting Z-fighting. Do better, I dare you. It could move with, say, RCS or engines, but those "huge landing gears" push from the sides, so the vertical of the ramp is clear all the way to the ceiling, and the only parts present at the hinge are the ant engines and the plate covering them. And last but not least... one single ship at all times. You can timewarp and quickload, and nothing clips except the landing gears. That counts a lot.

Rune. Seriously, try it. At least one of us is really confused right now.

Dude, sorry I am trying to be clear. I didn't reference anything about the hinge in the OP I was at first speaking about new hinge methods in general. I then gave sgt-fliers tiny hinges as an example of separating hinges.

I have built a lot of them and if I was to replace one with the one you showed in the picture it would fit the same way. As in it would be flush and only as thick as the ant engine. You use the bell as the hinge. Place parts around it.

I agree that the old leg method is much simpler but I found it to be quite limited. And having built many of each I was giving my opinion based on gained knowledge. Incidentally there is no clipping required for the tiny hinges. They can re-dock and are unaffected by timewarp. Placing a probe core on there too means it wont disappear if you save when its deployed.

And they can be built really small too. And as I said, because they don't use landing legs the mechanism takes up almost no space.

And I am confused as to why you persist that I haven't "tried it". I said before I have made many of those old hinges and you know this. We have spoken about this before. Now I am repeating myself..

I urge you to 'try it'. Try the tiny hinges. They really work.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

In my opinion, the awesome innovation in the OP is the airbrakes as actuators, not the hinge design. I think that it's a great idea, and which hinge mechanism you us is up to you.

I love both kinds of hinge, they both their own pro and cons, and are useful for different kinds of thing.

[Rune]

Dude, sorry I am trying to be clear. I didn't reference anything about the hinge in the OP I was at first speaking about new hinge methods in general. I then gave sgt-fliers tiny hinges as an example of separating hinges.

I have built a lot of them and if I was to replace one with the one you showed in the picture it would fit the same way. As in it would be flush and only as thick as the ant engine. You use the bell as the hinge. Place parts around it.

I agree that the old leg method is much simpler but I found it to be quite limited. And having built many of each I was giving my opinion based on gained knowledge. Incidentally there is no clipping required for the tiny hinges. They can re-dock and are unaffected by timewarp. Placing a probe core on there too means it wont disappear if you save when its deployed.

And they can be built really small too. And as I said, because they don't use landing legs the mechanism takes up almost no space.

And I am confused as to why you persist that I haven't "tried it". I said before I have made many of those old hinges and you know this. We have spoken about this before. Now I am repeating myself..

I urge you to 'try it'. Try the tiny hinges. They really work.

Can you give me a working example?

[Majorjim!]

Can you give me a working example?

Possibly if I have time. I am 100% focused on my constellation project. If you have time, give them a go.

I am still a little miffed that you didn't even recognize the efforts of the OP on this. He is one of the very rare innovators on this forum and it should be celebrated.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Majorjim

[sgt_flyer]

I hope squad will soon fix the airbrakes actiongroups bug the bug was still there when i tested it in 1.03. (After that, airbrakes will have a lot of cool applications )

[De4tht1de OnTwitch]

I am not looking for any recognition. I have just fell in love with the game and I wanted to try and give back to the community that I have only begun to explore. I see so much promise for fun in this game, I am going to continue to keep putting little projects like this together. I am also doing this without "help". I just wanted to see where trial and error would take me. After seeing the couple pictures in this thread of some other ideas/parts, it has me excited because I know there is more innovation on the horizon. I just want to thank you guys for being apart of this community because we all know this game wouldn't be half as fun without the great people that play it.