Quad/Tri/Bi Couplers

[CuAnnan]

So I'm building an outpost on Minmus and, because the mission requires it, I need to have 4k liquid fuel.

So I though I'd send up 12 FL-T800s with quad couplers on both ends. But when testing it on the landing strip, only one of the bottom ends is bound to the quad coupler. Is it possible to set it up such that all four are and if so how?

[TimePeriod]

You would have to dock them in space as far as I know, which requires a lot of precision on your part.
Its possible, just very annoying and finicky.

[CuAnnan]

So I can't do {=====}

Edited April 11, 2016 by CuAnnan

[TimePeriod]

 

Just now, CuAnnan said:

So can't do {=====}

Yes, I speak out of term.

You "could" dock them on land but it is far easier to do it in space.

How you do it, no idea.

[steuben]

You are seeing correct behaviour from the engine. You'll either have to do some docking port tricks or strut things together and hang a sign on them that says ignore this. Go with the struts it is easier.

[Archgeek]

Actually, you can dock the silly things on the pad.  Do quadcoupler=>tanks=>docking ports=>other docking ports(only one will attach but they'll be perfectly aligned)=>quadcoupler.  The other three port pairs should almost instantly dock to each other once physics notices what's going on just after the craft hits the pad,

Unless you're messsing around in the pre-release, in which case you'll be very disapointed and somewhat disturbed at the results.

[CuAnnan]

22 minutes ago, Archgeek said:

Actually, you can dock the silly things on the pad.  Do quadcoupler=>tanks=>docking ports=>other docking ports(only one will attach but they'll be perfectly aligned)=>quadcoupler.  The other three port pairs should almost instantly dock to each other once physics notices what's going on just after the craft hits the pad,

Unless you're messsing around in the pre-release, in which case you'll be very disapointed and somewhat disturbed at the results.

I am messing around in the pre-release, but I felt it should be asked generally first.

[swjr-swis]

The docking port trick worked up to 1.0.5, not in pre-release at the moment (and I really hope it's considered a bug that needs fixing).

Alternatively, don't use the multi-couplers, but use girders and surface attach the FL800 tanks in symmetry around that. Use the girders as the attach nodes above and below and ignore the top/bottom nodes of the tanks. Put one fairing on one of the ends, and close it on the other end.

[cantab]

Vessels in KSP are topologically trees. Each part can only be attached to one other part, and can then have any number of parts attached to it. So it's not possible to place a part that links two existing parts, except for struts and fuel lines.

[CuAnnan]

14 minutes ago, swjr-swis said:

The docking port trick worked up to 1.0.5, not in pre-release at the moment (and I really hope it's considered a bug that needs fixing).

Alternatively, don't use the multi-couplers, but use girders and surface attach the FL800 tanks in symmetry around that. Use the girders as the attach nodes above and below and ignore the top/bottom nodes of the tanks. Put one fairing on one of the ends, and close it on the other end.

I wanted docking ports on both ends. I'm just a picky stand-up guy today.

[swjr-swis]

7 minutes ago, CuAnnan said:

I wanted docking ports on both ends. I'm just a picky stand-up guy today.

I do hope it gets fixed to work. In the meantime, perhaps a compromise: instead of docking ports at the ends, place surface-attached Jr ports on the central girders and on the tanks, and attach them that way.

 

[passinglurker]

Why bundle Fl800's in the first place? Is there something wrong with stacking the 2.5m tanks?

[theend3r]

1 hour ago, cantab said:

Vessels in KSP are topologically trees. Each part can only be attached to one other part, and can then have any number of parts attached to it. So it's not possible to place a part that links two existing parts, except for struts and fuel lines.

Except you can with multiple docking ports. Same thing when they told me Unity is the reason why cargo bay doors aren't "real" but then the M4435 Narrow-Band Scanner has both animation and collision for the moving part.

[CuAnnan]

6 minutes ago, passinglurker said:

Why bundle Fl800's in the first place? Is there something wrong with stacking the 2.5m tanks?

I was going for an aesthetic choice. Also, the length and moments of inertia.

Edited April 11, 2016 by CuAnnan

[passinglurker]

Just now, CuAnnan said:

I was going for an aesthetic choice.

Have you considered part welding?

[CuAnnan]

1 minute ago, passinglurker said:

Have you considered part welding?

If that's a mod, I'm testing 1.1

[passinglurker]

Just now, CuAnnan said:

If that's a mod, I'm testing 1.1

Actually It's a stock config file editing technique

[Archgeek]

1 hour ago, CuAnnan said:

I am messing around in the pre-release, but I felt it should be asked generally first.

Drat, perhaps try making your own quad-couplers, with blackjack, and...erm, I mean do the girder thing mentioned above, but put those little FL adaptors on the ends of your 800s, with struts coming off those to the girder corners, then cap off the girder with the same so it still looks all spindly.

[CuAnnan]

I couldn't get the aesthetic from girders I was looking for and the quad proved too troublesome, so I've gone on with 2.5m and confounded my earlier design.

[stoani96]

Just use struts? can be tricky to place, but works for me

[Beowolf]

2 hours ago, cantab said:

Vessels in KSP are topologically trees. Each part can only be attached to one other part, and can then have any number of parts attached to it. So it's not possible to place a part that links two existing parts, except for struts and fuel lines.

It just hit me: I've heard that stated many times, but how does the multiple-docking-port trick work then? Once they dock and the final vessel's assembled, it can't still be a tree structure, can it?

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I use tri-couplers with Mk1 tanks, On the second end it only connects to one of them, so I use struts to staple them together

Edited April 11, 2016 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[KerikBalm]

56 minutes ago, Beowolf said:

It just hit me: I've heard that stated many times, but how does the multiple-docking-port trick work then? Once they dock and the final vessel's assembled, it can't still be a tree structure, can it?

The multiple docking port connections are not "real" connections, but seem to act in a manner not unlike struts, if I recall correctly... there was some video demonstrating the quirks of these "psuedo connections"

[Snark]

Gameplay question moved to Gameplay Questions.

[Plusck]

The octagonal cubic strut fits perfectly in the middle of a quad group of tanks. You'll suffer an aero impact, but if you want to attach something centrally to the "wrong" end of a quad cluster it's a practical solution. I do it with LV-Ns all the time.