Octagonal Struts Spontaneously Explode

[davidpsummers]

I am designing a small probe to parachute down onto Eve. The last stage has no fuel and I used an octagonal strut to attack a few panels, attenna, science, etc. But when I hit launch, the instant it settles down, the octagonal strut explodes due to "overheating"?

Any advice? I could use an empty fuel tank as a structural part, but I want it to be as light as possible.

Edited October 25, 2015 by davidpsummers

[Snark]

Yes, this is a thermal bug. Basically, the octagonal strut is completely unusable in 1.04 (or at least I've found it so). Hopefully it'll be fixed with 1.05, they're doing a thermal overhaul.

When I need a bit of vertical spacing these days, in the place where I'd like to use octagonal struts, I generally use Z-200 batteries instead. They only weigh 10 kilograms apiece. Not perfect, but at least they don't go kaboom.

FWIW, if you're only going down to Eve and aren't planning to come back up again, weight's not all that critical. Eve's atmosphere is so thick that parachutes are super effective. With a parachute on a tiny probe like that (not even any engine), honestly you could probably ditch the landing legs-- it'll come down so slowly that landing on another component should work just fine. Your biggest problem will be boredom waiting for it to reach the ground. (And you'll probably want additional battery storage anyway, as solar panels don't work all that great on Eve's surface-- the atmosphere blocks a lot of sunlight, apparently).

Edited October 24, 2015 by Snark

[Gaarst]

Either wait for 1.0.5 or use Claw's Stock Bug Fix Modules:

+ OverheatFix (Experimental) (1 Sep 15) - (STATUS: Updated Experimental Release) - Description: Some parts (especially cubic and octagonal struts) overheat and explode, often associated with time warp.

[SpacedCowboy]

Too much stuff clipped into that octogonal. At least, that's what I can see. A couple more pics closer up would help. And I'm sure there's much more expert advice on the way.

[davidpsummers]

I had the Bug Fix Modules installed. I updated my installation to make sure I had the most recent. (Including the heating fixes) It sill exploded. So I'll use another part.

- - - Updated - - -

FWIW, if you're only going down to Eve and aren't planning to come back up again, weight's not all that critical.

Yeah, but I'd rather not waste money carrying it to Eve. Especially since I want to hit a contract zone so I'm going to kill orbital velocity and drop straight down.