Mining and refueling on Minmus?

[strider3]

Do the Convert-O-Trons have an available connector port (the 250 looks like it does)...or is that just a graphics thing and not a real port?

[Leftotian]

21 minutes ago, Victor3 said:

Do I not have enough cooling? I have 12 small radiators (8 where you can see them, 4 on the nosecone).

Move them down to the fuel tank, they only cool stuff one part away. 1 small radiator/small drill is enough.

[strider3]

See...you guys are amazing! Thanks Leftotian!

A couple more... You can see that I added a Connector Port on the Ore Tank (at top of ladder). Do connector ports have to be directly attached from Ore Container to ISDU, or can they be attached anywhere on the vessels which have these parts? I plan on dropping an ISDU lander, with a fuel tank, next to this drilling rig and I'm just wondering where I MUST put the connector ports.

Will an ISDU with a fuel tank attached put it's created fuel into that tank?

I also have to re-do the drilling rig, with the new info from Leftotian.

Thanks guys!!!

[Plusck]

I don't know about connector ports (sounds like that is KAS, which I've never tried).

However, I very much doubt that the placement of the connector ports will change anything. In stock KSP, if parts are connected in any manner then resource transfers work fine: they are all considered part of the same ship even if there is an asteroid between them. I'd expect KAS to use the stock approach, only with benefits.

The ISRU will fill all "connected" fuel tanks at the same time. Again, by "connected" I mean they're part of the same ship. If you can read a tank's fuel level at the same time as you can control the ISRU, that tank is connected and will be filled. But again, if you're talking about KAS connections then I couldn't say. If I were you I'd test that sort of connections on the launchpad then revert - no cost, minimal time wasted.

 

One thing though: that looks like a junior mining rig. Beware that they operate at 1/5th the rate of the full-sized versions. In a sense they are not as bad as the junior ISRU (which effectively throws away 9/10ths of the ore that you mine), but if you can possibly avoid using Juniors and attach the full-sized versions, do so.

[fourfa]

4 hours ago, Victor3 said:

Do I not have enough cooling? I have 12 small radiators (8 where you can see them, 4 on the nosecone).

The fixed radiators only cool the part their are attached to (the parent) and parts directly connected to the parent.  So the central fuel tank is OK, but the drills are not being cooled.  Attach them to the fuel tank - or better yet use the folding deploying radiators.  Those cool every part on the whole ship (which is why they are heavier - for invisible coolant lines running all over)

Edited September 3, 2016 by fourfa
oops - I missed page 2 and posted redundant info

[Palaceviking]

19 hours ago, Victor3 said:

Do the Convert-O-Trons have an available connector port (the 250 looks like it does)...or is that just a graphics thing and not a real port?

? Like docking? 

19 hours ago, Victor3 said:

Do the Convert-O-Trons have an available connector port (the 250 looks like it does)...or is that just a graphics thing and not a real port?

? Like docking? 

[psychogre]

22 hours ago, Victor3 said:

Do connector ports have to be directly attached from Ore Container to ISDU, or can they be attached anywhere on the vessels which have these parts?

Those KAS connector ports can be anywhere on the ship.  To make things easier for yourself, put them where they are accessible by the Kerbals for the link/unlink actions.  I put multiple ports around the ship, so that when connecting pipes between two closely-separated ships on the ground, you don't have to worry about which way the ports are facing during landing.

Once your two ships are connected via the KAS pipe using those connectors, they are considered a single ship, and so any resource can be transferred amongst the various tanks, irregardless of what part the connector is actually on.  As long as the ISRU and ore tanks are within the same ship, the ore can be processed.  The resulting fuel produced by the ISRU will be evenly distributed amongst the appropriate fuel tanks of that same ship.  You can control this distribution if needed by turning 'off' certain fuel tanks in their status displays, click on the green triangle - turns it into a 'No' sign.  Click again to restore flow into it.

 

[strider3]

Palaceviking: not docking, I was referring to pipe connections using KAS mod.

Thanks psychogre...that's what I needed to know.