proper use of seperatrons

[SGT_RIZZO300]

All this time I have been putting seperatrons on the top of radial dismounted boosters pushing the bottoms under my rocket and the top away but Im starting to think after killing a few hundered kerbals that im doing it wrong. Or is that normal....

[rryy]

Try angling the seperatrons so that they point downwards and away from the rocket.

[Francesco]

for large radial boosters, I've found it to be more effective to put sepratrons roughly on their center of mass - that is, in the middle of their section, maybe a little lower.

[ThatBum]

Use Shift+WASDQE to rotate parts in 5 degree increments. Try to position the sepratrons so they're angled outwards from the thing you're attached them to radially. You should need just two, one on either side. Unless it's very heavy, then use 4.

Something like this:

If you want to get rid of a stack mounted booster, just put two near the top and angle them 25 degrees or so from each other. The stage will spin and back away.

Edited April 27, 2013 by ThatBum

[SGT_RIZZO300]

Ah ok that would make more sense, I was putting they on the top where the nosecones would go. Thanks for the help everyone!

[Alistone]

With hexagonal geometry I place them at aproximatly the vertical center of mass for the empty tanks. Your urge is to have them point outward, but this will often catch one of your still running and very hot rocket engines with hot seperatron exhaust that can cause a sudden increase in overheating and explode your remaining rocket engine(s).

To avoid this, I usually use a pair of them with a 120 degree angle so they are pointed mostly toward eachther. Just use snap to angle and make sure its exhaust is turned enough to not be pointing at the adjacent tanks.

[The Ideal Gas Lawyer]

I find them woefully inadequate as staging motors. To use enough to ensure good separation is an undue addition to my part count. IIRC there's a mod that added scaled up sepratrons but I keep forgetting to download it.

As of late, I mostly use them to spin up my ship axially immediately before ejecting my radial stages centrifugally. Also as deorbit engines on escape pods and JATO motors for heavy spaceplanes. Pretty much anything but what they're meant for

[3_bit]

Why can't we have long-burning tiny SRBs for our cute little Space Shuttle scale models?

[Giggleplex777]

Why can't we have long-burning tiny SRBs for our cute little Space Shuttle scale models?

You can just use Oscar-Bs and 24-77s as mini boosters:

[Panichio]

Aren't they called 'Sepratrons'? Never mind...

I like to put them horizontal on a radial stage so that when decoupled, it get's thrust perpendicular to the rocket, which proves pretty safe.

[squeaky024]

I love the mini booster space shuttle thing

[FluffyBob]

I always rotate them completely horizontal, what use is delta-V in the vertical axis when you are trying to move the spent radial stages away from your core? I place them between the decoupler and the rocket motor, and angle them out a little bit to avoid hot exhaust damaging my core stage. This always works very well.

and in action...

I will align seperatrons vertically when using them as deorbit motors for the core stage. You can see some in the picture.

[Alistone]

I will align seperatrons vertically when using them as deorbit motors for the core stage. You can see some in the picture.

That seems sooo much easier than the pair of upside down small solid rocket boostera I used to try to squeeze onto my rockets. Definitely going to test those out.

[rocketmanHK]

Yeah i can confirm that placing the seperatrons in the centre of mass of the discarded stage, in a horizontal position is the best and easiest method. Use the Centre of Mass tool if you can't figure out where to place them. Only my two cents after trying both methods

[CalculusWarrior]

I like to put my sepatrons so that their total thrust vector is slightly above the centre of mass; then my spent stages have an attractive spin to them.