[PART, 1.0.2] Anatid Robotics / MuMech - MechJeb - Autopilot - Historical thread

[MK3424]

Is it possible to use the romfarer's gui on mechjeb? because i like it!

[John FX]

The Landing autopilot is in serious need of work. Sometimes its perfect, Spot on gentle textbook landings. But most of the time my landings are going great until the VERY last second the whole thing flips out rolls over and explodes because right before landing the retrograde marker on the navball likes to wander off and mechjeb tries to chase it without considering that its like 5m above the surface. Sometimes it tries to do this about 50+ above the surface and next thing I know my ship is doing backflips as it constantly overcorrects itself and ends up doing a nosedive into the ground. This needs to be worked out.

Same here. It does not seem to realise that below a certain height it should not turn from vertical more than the amount of degrees that it can turn back in the time/space left so it spins faster and faster then crashes into the surface. If my ship for example has the ability to turn 20 degrees in 20 seconds and I am 20 seconds from the surface then I should be under 20 degrees from vertical and no more no matter my horizontal velocity. It could have a semi-abort when this happens so the craft (depending on fuel and whether the user wants it) would ascend a small distance to enable it to reduce horizontal motion then continue with the landing or just accept the speed error and land.

A reducing angle range depending on altitude would fix this. I`d rather land with 1-2m/s horizontal velocity than upside down...

Most of the time the `error` that MJ is trying to fix is not a fatal/serious one but the actions taken to reduce it make the situation a fatal one.

[BloodyRain2k]

Same here. It does not seem to realise that below a certain height it should not turn from vertical more than the amount of degrees that it can turn back in the time/space left so it spins faster and faster then crashes into the surface. If my ship for example has the ability to turn 20 degrees in 20 seconds and I am 20 seconds from the surface then I should be under 20 degrees from vertical and no more no matter my horizontal velocity. It could have a semi-abort when this happens so the craft (depending on fuel and whether the user wants it) would ascend a small distance to enable it to reduce horizontal motion then continue with the landing or just accept the speed error and land.

A reducing angle range depending on altitude would fix this. I`d rather land with 1-2m/s horizontal velocity than upside down...

Most of the time the `error` that MJ is trying to fix is not a fatal/serious one but the actions taken to reduce it make the situation a fatal one.

That's an old bug in KillHS which it's using at that time, sadly this old is still present in the download in the first post.

I think it should be fixed in the later releases from here. I think atleast I've submitted r4m0n the fix.

[pippaf1]

Five unkebaled missions were flown.

3 assent auto pilots operated within acceptable parameters. 2 assents to rendezvous both operated within acceptable parameters.

4 landings at KSC, well with in acceptable parameters. One close but not on target, cause was a well known but rare error.

Conclusion is that MechJeb1 ver.1.9.8 can be considered to be compatible with KSP ver.0.20.2 at a bass level.

[kaldak]

For VTOL aircraft (and other aircraft too), it'd be nice to have a mode where pitch and roll are maintained at zero by mechjeb, but yaw is not. It would keep you level with the ground when your take your hands off the controls. I can almost do this with Smart A.S.S. SURF, but it requires a heading too.

Thanks for the mod! Mechjeb lets me focus on the parts of the game I like best without getting bogged down in other areas. It makes the game far more enjoyable.

[Goatgas]

any fix for exploding ships when switching targets while using MechJeb?

[Goatgas]

rockets explode when switching targets when using MechJeb. any thoughts? simple build, complex build it doesn't matter ... boom

[tek_604]

any fix for exploding ships when switching targets while using MechJeb?

Actually, I've been noticing this also, especially when in the Kerbol SOI. I had one ship yesterday rip the MJ module off, which went floating off on a pretty decent straightline course. I wasn't 100% sure it was MJ doing it, but, if someone else has the same feeling... I also suffer from NaN errors when in Kerbol SOI. I had posted it in the support forum, but then I removed B9 & LLL, and things seemed ok. But, I got it again yesterday when switching to a craft in Kerbol SOI (just before the problem I mentioned above). All very strange.

Also, still no answer on my post about rover autopilot. Anyone got any tips to make the thing drive straight, even after hitting terrain?

[Pontiac]

I found if you don't use stock wheels, MJs autopilot will not work for direction or speed.

[tek_604]

I found if you don't use stock wheels, MJs autopilot will not work for direction or speed.

Sadly, I am using stock wheels, so this isn't the case. Thanks though!

[KhaosCorp]

At the moment I have 6 active flights in Kerbin SoI, 3 in Duna SoI and 2 in Eve SoI, ALL of them have MJ2 onboard. I have done several other flights in Kerbin SoI that I didn't need to keep active. None of them have had exploding issues. I'm gonna guess that since this is a problem that just started getting reported, and its only a couple people, that it is not MJ2 doing this but another mod causing it.

[tek_604]

At the moment I have 6 active flights in Kerbin SoI, 3 in Duna SoI and 2 in Eve SoI, ALL of them have MJ2 onboard. I have done several other flights in Kerbin SoI that I didn't need to keep active. None of them have had exploding issues. I'm gonna guess that since this is a problem that just started getting reported, and its only a couple people, that it is not MJ2 doing this but another mod causing it.

How about Kerbol SOI? So, inbetween planets? Especially leaving Smart ASS turned on (pro-grade or whatever setting you prefer). This is where I have a feeling MJ causes problems (I'm still not 100% convinced, it could be KSP not helping matters also).

[Guest]

At the moment I have 6 active flights in Kerbin SoI, 3 in Duna SoI and 2 in Eve SoI, ALL of them have MJ2 onboard. I have done several other flights in Kerbin SoI that I didn't need to keep active. None of them have had exploding issues. I'm gonna guess that since this is a problem that just started getting reported, and its only a couple people, that it is not MJ2 doing this but another mod causing it.

My experience has been quite the same. Lots of docking, intercepts, landings, etc, and MJ2 has performed reliably. No freak-outs, no explosions, no spinning off into the void. The only other functional mods I have installed are Crew Manifest and Lazor Docking Cam, the rest are all parts. Could very well be a misbehaving functional mod.

[KhaosCorp]

I usually leave Smart ASS on for most vehicles. My stations are always set to prograde, my mappers always set to rad-. And I use smart ass a lot for interplanetary transfers(I know it wastes Dv, but I'm kinda obsessive with getting an encounter from my initial transfer burn....mid way correction is for 'safe' pilots lol)

With such few reports of exploding ships, and how recent those reports have been, it really REALLY sounds like another mod causing issues. If this was actually a mechjeb issues in of itself then there would typicaly be more wide-spread reports of it from MJ users. Also keep in mind that sometimes its not just a single mod that can mess things up, sometimes its 2 mods not playing nice together.

[rosenkranz]

Maybe I'm just blind. I was looking though this thread for methods on using MJ2's docking autopilot but I'm coming up empty. Here's what I'm doing and what it's doing.

I get within about 50-60m of the station.

Switch to the station and point it's docking port toward the ship if possible.

Switch back and point the ship toward the station's port.

Select the ship's docking port and click 'control from here'.

Select the station's docking port and click 'select target'.

Turn on RCS (which doesn't seem to matter since MJ2 will turn this on and off quite a bit automatically)

Click on the Docking AP with a speed limit set to 1m/s.

MJ2 then rotates the ship around to line up on the port saying so in it's status. (so far so good)

Then it says it's 'Holding z while making for the docking axis at 0.1m/s' and doesn't really go anywhere and just runs out the monoprop after awhile.

I've used ORDA in the past so i'm familiar with docking AP's (balancing RCS and plenty of monoprop) so i'm just wondering what part of this I might be missing to get MJ2 to work properly.

Meanwhile, i'm getting better at manual docking (which is a plus I suppose) but that's not really the point

PS: I'm using Win8(64bit) running KSP 0.20.2 and MJ2.0.8 dev build 66 I believe.

[Guest]

Did you try killing rotation on the target? That tends to work better in my experience.

[Hitman]

i have the same "problem" that rosenkranz has.

But if I wait long enough finally it will dock, but it needs really long and the ship rotates a lot. it looks kinda strange the way it docks.

[rosenkranz]

Did you try killing rotation on the target? That tends to work better in my experience.

Oh yeah. Like I said, I'm familiar with ORDA and Hydrotech. I usually use the timewarp trick to kill all rotation before I start. I assume some are getting this to work and was just wondering what the 'trick' might be.

Someone is still trying to peddle some old version of ORDA on spaceport for some reason but I've not touched that in case it's viral. I actually kinda like Hydro but it requires extra parts and I have flights and designs in use that I don't want to recycle if I don't have to. I can dock manually, I just don't enjoy it.

[viperwolf]

Maybe I'm just blind. I was looking though this thread for methods on using MJ2's docking autopilot but I'm coming up empty. Here's what I'm doing and what it's doing.

I get within about 50-60m of the station.

Switch to the station and point it's docking port toward the ship if possible.

Switch back and point the ship toward the station's port.

Select the ship's docking port and click 'control from here'.

Select the station's docking port and click 'select target'.

Turn on RCS (which doesn't seem to matter since MJ2 will turn this on and off quite a bit automatically)

Click on the Docking AP with a speed limit set to 1m/s.

MJ2 then rotates the ship around to line up on the port saying so in it's status. (so far so good)

Then it says it's 'Holding z while making for the docking axis at 0.1m/s' and doesn't really go anywhere and just runs out the monoprop after awhile.

I've used ORDA in the past so i'm familiar with docking AP's (balancing RCS and plenty of monoprop) so i'm just wondering what part of this I might be missing to get MJ2 to work properly.

Meanwhile, i'm getting better at manual docking (which is a plus I suppose) but that's not really the point

PS: I'm using Win8(64bit) running KSP 0.20.2 and MJ2.0.8 dev build 66 I believe.

I ve had this happen a couple of times, but it was bc i would kill the auto pilot to make an adjustment. It seems, if you are to close to target, it will hit that area and hang there. you can back off 50m and sometimes that will correct the problem. im running the same Win8/20.2/dev66

Edited June 21, 2013 by viperwolf

[therealcrow999]

Did you try killing rotation on the target? That tends to work better in my experience.

Does Mechjeb have electricity usage? Like if I use all the power up on my vessel, I wont be able to steer it.

I can run my power all the way down and when I use mechjeb Smart A.S.S. to do retro turn or prograde, it will still turn, even though there is no power. I have tried the AmpYear mod, and when the power is dead, the flight computer wont work.

I am not using any mechjeb parts, just the mechjeb command pods.

[Guest]

If you're using Capt. Robau's MechJebbed pods, no, there is no additional power cost to running MJ. Just verified it by checking the config files. The AR202 part, however, does require power.

[therealcrow999]

If you're using Capt. Robau's MechJebbed pods, no, there is no additional power cost to running MJ. Just verified it by checking the config files. The AR202 part, however, does require power.

Yeah I checked the AR202 and it has a power drainage. When the AR202 has drained its power, will the ship therefore be uncontrollable?

I wonder if there is a way to add a power drain to mechjeb, while using the pods mod.

I like the idea of the newer version of KSP using power and if there is no power, there is no power!

[Guest]

I haven't tried it lately, but in the past when I've lost all power, the vessel is stone dead.

[therealcrow999]

I haven't tried it lately, but in the past when I've lost all power, the vessel is stone dead.

Yeah I gave it go with AR202, took out the mechjeb mod code in the smaller capsule. Added AR202 to ship, went up and drained to power. When I used Smart A.S.S. to rotate ship to retro or pro, it would do it, regardless of not having power.

[therealcrow999]

Yeah I gave it go with AR202, took out the mechjeb mod code in the smaller capsule. Added AR202 to ship, went up and drained to power. When I used Smart A.S.S. to rotate ship to retro or pro, it would do it, regardless of not having power.

I can not have mechjeb mod code out of pod, and not have a mechjeb part on a ship. Ship can be mechjeb free and my ship without power, I can still move it around, even without RCS thrusters. I don't know how it is moving about with out RCS.