[0.21.x] KerbCom Avionics 0.3.0.6 Alpha (29 August) - now with video!

[ZRM]

Is there anything special you need to do to get this to work? I tried both in 0.20 and 0.21 and could never even get the GUI to appear and it didn't seem to affect my RCS ports.

Did you extract the directories containing the configs into the right place? Please read the readme if you have not already done so. You may also wish to upgrade to the latest Module Manager. The current KCA release provides an oldish version.

[Ledenko]

In GameData I have the kerbcomavionics folder with the dll for the plugin and stock.cfg, that should be correct?

[ZRM]

In GameData I have the kerbcomavionics folder with the dll for the plugin and stock.cfg, that should be correct?

And ModuleManager.dll in the root of GameData?

[Ledenko]

Sorry, yes, ModuleManager is in root of GameData

[ZRM]

Sorry, yes, ModuleManager is in root of GameData

Hmmm. Are there any noteworthy messages/exceptions showing up in KSP_Data/output.log? What other mods are installed? Which platform are you on?

Edit: Have you tried updating ModuleManager?

[Ledenko]

Ugh, sorry, faulty testing on my side - apparently the mk1-2 command pod doesn't have it included in the configs, it works with a mk1

[ZRM]

Ugh, sorry, faulty testing on my side - apparently the mk1-2 command pod doesn't have it included in the configs, it works with a mk1

The Mk1-2 pod does have an entry in the config, however I have now just discovered that the part name changed in 0.21 from "Mk1-2Pod" to "Mark1-2Pod" (why Squad, why?). So that's the problem. Thank you for identifying this issue. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned by someone sooner. I will incorporate the change into the next update.

[Ledenko]

Perfect, I'm really liking this mod already (Don't mean to be snarky - I tested the translation controls and I'm really liking them) One more question if you don't mind - didn't the old ASAS at some point perform a similar function as this mod? I'm pretty certain it did because I was unable to actually dock anything in 0.18.4 until I used ASAS with RCS ports.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Ledenko
whoops?

[ZRM]

Perfect, I'm really liking this mod already One more question if you don't mind - didn't the old ASAS at some point perform a similar function as this mod? I'm pretty certain it did because I was unable to actually dock anything in 0.18.4 until I used ASAS with RCS ports.

The old ASAS aggressively tries to fix your heading to one direction. This means that while docking, if the imbalance on the craft is not too great, it will manage to counter the rotation you induce when translating. However, it does this reactively, so your vessel is prone to wobbling. It therefore works poorly in several common scenarios, especially with larger vessels like space stations, as anyone who has had their station ripped apart by ASAS wobble can testify. Also it only works to maintain rotation - it can easily cause your vessel to drift at an ever higher velocities while maintaining your heading.

[SkyHook]

Edit: Nvm.

Edited July 31, 2013 by SkyHook

[BrutalRIP]

just thought i should add if you use the FX glitch workaround displayed in the OP it will break mechjebs docking autopilot

[ZRM]

just thought i should add if you use the FX glitch workaround displayed in the OP it will break mechjebs docking autopilot

Thanks for the heads up. If that's the case then in theory it should break the docking autopilot regardless of whether the workaround is used. Unfortunately this is just a side-effect of replacing the control mechanism on RCS blocks. MechJeb relies on statistics it calculates from stock RCS control modules to judge the strength of control inputs to use when docking. MechJeb does not consider the possibility of translation control not using stock RCS control modules, or not using RCS at all, which is entirely possible using the Engine Linear Control mode. I recommend just not using the docking autopilot for the time being - it's not as if docking is very difficult, especially considering the availability of other tools in MechJeb like Smart A.S.S..

BTW, the new version of KCA is nearly ready to release, featuring gimbal support, reaction wheel support, an even better solver and a combined RCS/Engine/Gimbal/Reaction Wheel control system.

[BrutalRIP]

well for me mechjeb does fine until trying to translate on H/N then it appears to have no control and ive been keeping an eye on your wip page its looking good will that also require fx glitch workaround ? (once i remove the workaround mechjeb works fine)

[ZRM]

well for me mechjeb does fine until trying to translate on H/N then it appears to have no control and ive been keeping an eye on your wip page its looking good will that also require fx glitch workaround ? (once i remove the workaround mechjeb works fine)

Dealing with the fx glitch permanently is on my todo list before I release the next version. However, the way I plan to deal with it is sort of similar to the way the workaround works, so MechJeb will probably still have problems.

[ZRM]

New version released! See the OP for details.

Dealing with the fx glitch permanently is on my todo list before I release the next version. However, the way I plan to deal with it is sort of similar to the way the workaround works, so MechJeb will probably still have problems.

I have now finally squashed the FX glitch. You will want to revert any changes you made to deal with it.

[Chestburster]

Holy. Can't wait to test the gimbal support. If it works how i expect it, this will be a must have mod!

[ZRM]

Holy. Can't wait to test the gimbal support. If it works how i expect it, this will be a must have mod!

And if it doesn't, please tell me what's wrong and I will see if I can fix it.

[skykooler]

Why does it not work with Mac or Linux? I thought KSP plugins were cross-platform compatible?

[ZRM]

Why does it not work with Mac or Linux? I thought KSP plugins were cross-platform compatible?

It's because I reference a native library, lp_solve, as explained in the OP. I will try to add Mac and Linux support eventually, by figuring out what I need to do to reference native libraries correctly on those platforms.

I use lp_solve because of its very good stability and performance. There are literally no open source CLP solvers in C#, so previously I wrote my own. Unfortunately they were too slow, unstable and inaccurate, so I have ditched them in favour of lp_solve. I figured that it's better to have the plugin work on one platform than not work at all.

[Mihara]

Pardon for a potentially silly question, but...

I've been eyeing your plugin for some time. So I hear a version with support for engine gimbaling is out and install it, using modulemanager to add it to all my unmanned probe cores and mechjeb units. The window comes up, I turn it on and find that it appears to be working as advertised, at least for RCS. So the first thing I try it on is docking a shuttle (Well, an airship, but I digress -- it has bulky inflatable envelopes where wings would be, so it has most of the same problems) to a crowded space station, something which I have previously had difficulty with.

I hyperedit a sacrificial shuttle into orbit next to the test station, open up the top docking port, control from here, target a port on the station. Usually, I then switch to the station, control it from that particular docking port, target the port on the docking vessel and use SmartASS to orient the station towards the incoming vessel's docking port, (TGT+) which makes docking far easier, and in certain cases permits them to dock without using RCS at all. Only, this time I find that the station -- which has no mechjeb unit, and a pod which natively includes MechJeb which I forgot about when adding KerbCom module to everything -- spins and does not follow SmartASS at all. It follows the key input and rotates, but no SmartASS. The shuttle somehow does follow SmartASS and orients it's docking port towards the station, but that's not much use when the station can't do the same.

So I launch a test case, two probes with docking ports and RCS, one has the port on the top, the other on the side, to simulate the situation in a minimal fashion, and try to do this again. Both have KerbCom Avionics modules in their probe cores. Attempting the same approach I find once again that SmartASS functions on one probe (The first one I turned KerbCom on) but not on the other one. The logs seem to show nothing of interest except complaints from the solver about being infeasible, which does seem to manifest in certain unwanted rotation, but that appears to be it.

Am I just doing something horribly wrong, or have I stumbled into a bug?

[pina_coladas]

So is there a way to disable certain control methods? Say I wanted to disable differential thrust control and rcs and use only reaction wheels and gimbals... Is this possible? Because it would be super useful to have. In combined mode it seems to tinker with the thrust levels more than I would like. Also, I disabled reaction wheels on the pod but the craft was still able to turn on its own with engines and RCS off, depending on whether or not I had the combined control menu open. The behaviour seemed inconsistent so I'm not sure exactly what was happening.

E: I'm a bit confused about the logic of the interface as well. Is kerbcom active whenever the menu is open, regardless of the submenues? Because I seem to have gimbal roll control even when none of the modes are active, and reaction wheels seem to be still running even when I disable them on the pod. Also, kerbcom seems to interfere with mechjeb's smart a.s.s. (mechjeb does not respond to pressing prograde or retrograde buttons for example), but inconsistently.

E2: Even when I take mechjeb off my ship (I only have the mechjeb config installed, so kerbcom should disappear), I still have always-on reaction wheels and gimbal roll authority.

Edited August 6, 2013 by pina_coladas

[TomatoSoup]

I decided to test the new version by loading the Rocket powered VTOL from the VAB and sticking one of the cylindrical monoprop tanks onto the back. I then enabled Combined Control and started to lift off. It promptly started to do a backflip.

Can you perhaps provide a tutorial on how to actually use this?

[ZRM]

First of all, thank you all for the feedback - this plugin is in alpha after all, and all users are effectively alpha testers.

Pardon for a potentially silly question, but...

I've been eyeing your plugin for some time. So I hear a version with support for engine gimbaling is out and install it, using modulemanager to add it to all my unmanned probe cores and mechjeb units. The window comes up, I turn it on and find that it appears to be working as advertised, at least for RCS. So the first thing I try it on is docking a shuttle (Well, an airship, but I digress -- it has bulky inflatable envelopes where wings would be, so it has most of the same problems) to a crowded space station, something which I have previously had difficulty with.

I hyperedit a sacrificial shuttle into orbit next to the test station, open up the top docking port, control from here, target a port on the station. Usually, I then switch to the station, control it from that particular docking port, target the port on the docking vessel and use SmartASS to orient the station towards the incoming vessel's docking port, (TGT+) which makes docking far easier, and in certain cases permits them to dock without using RCS at all. Only, this time I find that the station -- which has no mechjeb unit, and a pod which natively includes MechJeb which I forgot about when adding KerbCom module to everything -- spins and does not follow SmartASS at all. It follows the key input and rotates, but no SmartASS. The shuttle somehow does follow SmartASS and orients it's docking port towards the station, but that's not much use when the station can't do the same.

So I launch a test case, two probes with docking ports and RCS, one has the port on the top, the other on the side, to simulate the situation in a minimal fashion, and try to do this again. Both have KerbCom Avionics modules in their probe cores. Attempting the same approach I find once again that SmartASS functions on one probe (The first one I turned KerbCom on) but not on the other one. The logs seem to show nothing of interest except complaints from the solver about being infeasible, which does seem to manifest in certain unwanted rotation, but that appears to be it.

Am I just doing something horribly wrong, or have I stumbled into a bug?

I am aware of some form of incompatibility with the targeting system used by MechJeb. I will peer into the MechJeb source and look for a way to implement a compatibility fix for that once I fix the more critical bugs I have overlooked, as demonstrated by these posters:

So is there a way to disable certain control methods? Say I wanted to disable differential thrust control and rcs and use only reaction wheels and gimbals... Is this possible? Because it would be super useful to have. In combined mode it seems to tinker with the thrust levels more than I would like. Also, I disabled reaction wheels on the pod but the craft was still able to turn on its own with engines and RCS off, depending on whether or not I had the combined control menu open. The behaviour seemed inconsistent so I'm not sure exactly what was happening.

E: I'm a bit confused about the logic of the interface as well. Is kerbcom active whenever the menu is open, regardless of the submenues? Because I seem to have gimbal roll control even when none of the modes are active, and reaction wheels seem to be still running even when I disable them on the pod. Also, kerbcom seems to interfere with mechjeb's smart a.s.s. (mechjeb does not respond to pressing prograde or retrograde buttons for example), but inconsistently.

E2: Even when I take mechjeb off my ship (I only have the mechjeb config installed, so kerbcom should disappear), I still have always-on reaction wheels and gimbal roll authority.

I decided to test the new version by loading the Rocket powered VTOL from the VAB and sticking one of the cylindrical monoprop tanks onto the back. I then enabled Combined Control and started to lift off. It promptly started to do a backflip.

Can you perhaps provide a tutorial on how to actually use this?

From the sound of it, I think I might know what is causing the reaction wheel bugs, though I must admit I thought I had already fixed them. I am not so sure about the problem with the stock VTOL. It may be related to the reaction wheel bug, as that craft relies a lot on its reaction wheels for attitude control. I have tried replicating it, editing the craft as you describe, but it seems to work for me. Then again, if you have a joystick plugged in with an inadequate deadzone it may be that causing the problem. I will look into these bugs soon, though I do not think I will have time to do so today. We will see.

[ZRM]

New release - Version 0.3.0.1

This is a bugfix release. It should fix the reaction wheel issues, and possibly the reported MechJeb issues. See the updated OP for details.

[pina_coladas]

Tried out the bugfix. Now stock engine control disables gimbals, and combined control (apparently) disables all engines. Pod torque now appears to behave normally though. Also, I'm still getting gimbal roll authority even when no mode is activated. Is that intended? I don't mind it but it implies that kerbcom is doing stuff even when the UI says nothing is turned on.

e: combined control is showing "internal error 04"