TR-38 Stack Decoupler Probelms

[Eve]

I have had a problem where the TR-38 does not always detach when I decouple it. Has anyone else had this problem or knows how to fix it? The workaround I am using now involves re-sizing the Rockomax Brand Decoupler. It is fine now, but I like the texture of the TR-38.

[DeMatt]

Um, no?

Keep in mind that the arrows on the TR-38D point to the side that detaches - and that while it may officially detach, if there's other parts which prevent it from moving away, it won't leave.

D'you have a saved craft that does this every time, that you can share with us?

[qoonpooka]

I just had a decoupler fail to separate the stages, and then rattle off the rocket like a ringtoss in reverse. When I went back in I discovered that the fuel tank under the decoupler had somehow attached... not to the decoupler, but to the heatshield directly above the decoupler. Not even sure how that worked, but apparently you can make that happen.

[Vanamonde]

Never had problems with that decoupler. Pics of the ship?

[Eve]

Um, no?

Keep in mind that the arrows on the TR-38D point to the side that detaches - and that while it may officially detach, if there's other parts which prevent it from moving away, it won't leave.

D'you have a saved craft that does this every time, that you can share with us?

I use this craft for interplanetary flights. I usually start burning with the 5th stage and switch to the nuclear engines (6th stage) when the 5th stage uses up the fuel. After I changed the size of the Rockomax Decoupler and started using that instead, this problem hasn't occurred. I don't think anything is blocking the stage. The funny thing is that the stage becomes a separate ship that I can switch to but it sticks to the fuel tank in stage 6. Sometimes it comes of if I time warp. If it does that it usually blows up my 6th stage. I am using a few mods.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do I attach the craft file?

[Laie]

Never had problems with that decoupler.

It's the most problematic decoupler in the game. It works as intended most of the time, but occasionally...

One issue I have is that it won't stage on first request. The solution that works for me: put the decoupler in a stage of it's own, then keep staging until it finally works (usually on the second try).

In my worst case, I had five Mammoths below, five Rhinos above. The above solution still worked: all of the TR38s were together in ONE stage. Every press of the spacebar would cause one of the decouplers to come off. The staging interface remained on that stage until I went through all decouplers; only then would it proceed to the next stage, igniting all Rhinos at once.

Another TR38 issue is that it may cause a crash to desktop; in that case, it helps to set PhysicsSignificance = 1.

Both issues are rare: you can design hundreds of vessels and play for weeks without ever running into it. But if you do, the above solutions should help.

[Eve]

It's the most problematic decoupler in the game. It works as intended most of the time, but occasionally...

One issue I have is that it won't stage on first request. The solution that works for me: put the decoupler in a stage of it's own, then keep staging until it finally works (usually on the second try).

In my worst case, I had five Mammoths below, five Rhinos above. The above solution still worked: all of the TR38s were together in ONE stage. Every press of the spacebar would cause one of the decouplers to come off. The staging interface remained on that stage until I went through all decouplers; only then would it proceed to the next stage, igniting all Rhinos at once.

Another TR38 issue is that it may cause a crash to desktop; in that case, it helps to set PhysicsSignificance = 1.

Both issues are rare: you can design hundreds of vessels and play for weeks without ever running into it. But if you do, the above solutions should help.

The decoupler decouples fine, but it continues sticking to the ship.

[Alshain]

Post a picture of your ship. Sounds like an attachment problem.

I've never had issues with that particular decoupler.

[Pecan]

Decouplers are not very tall for their width and it's possible to push them too far up so they attach to the upper stage by their bottom node instead of the top one. That sort of thing can cause all sorts of problems.

The TR-38 in particular used to (0.24?) have problems but has had some pretty intense love and attention because of that, if I remember correctly. In any case I'm using it without problems at the moment.

[Red Iron Crown]

Another TR38 issue is that it may cause a crash to desktop; in that case, it helps to set PhysicsSignificance = 1.

That's the stock setting for the TR-38, did you mean something else?

[Mahnarch]

The stock setting is to crash to desktop?

I've heard of folks that'll put the decoupler on upside down, but you'd have to actively up the down side, somehow.

[DancesWithSquirrels]

I've had that happen - and upon inspection found that I had directly attached my side stacks directly to my core, rather than to the decoupler. This is especially prone to happen with the Kickbacks, as the attachment point is rather short for the length of the booster, and what appears like a match has you attaching above or below the TR-38.

And with the side stack attached directly to the core, staging the TR-38 does nothing.

Do a visual inspection, and/or try to grab the TR-38 and see if the side stack actually comes off with it (if you can't even see the TR-38 between the two stacks, your side stack is definitely not attached to it), or worst case open your craft file in a text editor and see what connects to the TR-38, if anything.

I've ended up double-checking that attachment on every use - rotating the ship so that I can see if there is a decoupler between the stacks. And building up the side stacks in 1X so I can see what I'm doing, and only then grabbing the TR-38 and using symmetry to add multiple side stacks.