How to prevent your Solar panels Turning to the Sun

[Sirad]

Yes.

How can i prevent the Solar Panels turning to the Sun ?

I want to Build a Station where the motion of the Panels would not look cool. If we had hinges i could create my own inflatable Solar Panel but we dont...

So, how to manipulate the game to prevent the solar panels to stick to the sun ?

[Gargamel]

If you put the panels on one end of the station, but have them pointing out radially, and then orient the station normal / anti-normal, the sun will always be at the same angle to the panels in relationship to their axis of rotation, so they would never rotate.   Like so:

It would probably work if you put them in other spots along the station too, as long as the station is oriented the same. 

 

But for locking the actual rotation of the panels, I know there's some mods out there that supply fixed panels for stations.   As for locking stock panels, I'm guessing a module manager guru might have a good suggestion for that.....

 

[RealKerbal3x]

This should be a stock thing. In the solar panel action menu, there should be an option to ‘Lock Rotation’ and ‘Free Rotation’

[GrouchyDevotee]

You can use a long 'Modular Girder segment XL' and mount regular OX-STAT-XL photovoltaic panels.

[Sirad]

Kerbal style solutions:

'mount other panels on sticks'

'mount NO panels at all so turning is no problem'

'prevent moving your station so the panels dont turn'

up to

'don't start KSP so this issue is not present'

A MM fix would be fine....

[Li0n]

1 hour ago, Sirad said:

Kerbal style solutions:

[...]

A Kerbal solution that don't mention any boosters, that must be a first

Give a try at this patch :

@PART[largeSolarPanel]
{
	@MODULE[ModuleDeployableSolarPanel]
	{
		%isTracking = false
	}
}

If it doesn't work you can try to add : "%trackingSpeed = 0.0"

[Sirad]

49 minutes ago, Li0n said:

A Kerbal solution that don't mention any boosters, that must be a first

Give a try at this patch :

@PART[largeSolarPanel]
{
	@MODULE[ModuleDeployableSolarPanel]
	{
		%isTracking = false
	}
}

If it doesn't work you can try to add : "%trackingSpeed = 0.0"

GREAT!

Just ad a textfile containing this and put it in the dir where usually the mods are put in ?

[Li0n]

1 minute ago, Sirad said:

GREAT!

Just ad a textfile containing this and put it in the dir where usually the mods are put in ?

Yep, the text file name must end with .cfg.

It will works only for the big solar panel (if it works at all, I haven't tested). To make it works for others panels, change the "largeSolarPanel" by the name of the panel you want to stop tracking.

[Sirad]

I Checked now. This works as intended, (i inserted both arguments) Thanks.

Now i can Build large arrays that stay in shape. Quite cool.

 

[Curveball Anders]

On 5/2/2018 at 11:35 AM, Sirad said:

GREAT!

Just ad a textfile containing this and put it in the dir where usually the mods are put in ?

I've found it useful to create my directory in gamedata called 'local' or 'myown' or whatever to store any ad-hoc mm-config files.

Makes it easier to find and migrate between versions.