Struggling with Senior Docking Ports

[allmappedout]

Hello all,

Just a quick one to ask if anybody else is struggling to get the docking ports (the big, new ones) to actually, well, dock? I've been rubbing them together for ages, and still no fire. I'm curious as to whether anybody else has had this problem?

Silly to ask, but senior docking ports will docking with other senior docking ports, yes? Are they unidirectional? (ie: maybe I mounted them incorrectly?) If so, how on earth do you tell?

Is there something obvious I'm missing? There doesn't seem to be the magnetic 'snap' of the other docking ports, which suggests that this may be a bug?

(Before anybody asks, there's nothing wrong with my docking technique, they were quite literally touching, parallel, etc etc).

[Pursuedtank]

They are working fine for me. Have you got ASAS turned on on either ship? Apparently it doesn't work if that is the case. Try turning it off and seeing what happens.

[allmappedout]

That....seems weird. I'll give it a try, but since ASAS is a good tool for docking, what with it holding direction and all, that seems like a bit of a bug.

[mojo3192]

It's working for me, dunno if it matters but I have been turning mine to where the hatch handle is facing out.

[allmappedout]

It's working for me, dunno if it matters but I have been turning mine to where the hatch handle is facing out.

I reckon it is something as stupid as they are directional - I mean, i guess it makes sense in a way, since the normal sized ones only have one way of docking, but since they're more like 'berths' it seems silly that one side is 'inert' to docking. I'll fly some test flights in the morning and find out...

[nine_iron]

I also would like to know which way round, an arrow like those on decouplers would be helpful!

Once you work it out can you post some pics showing which side is which please!

[naloxone]

They are one way. You have to place the side with the slight lip and the handle facing outward. They don't seem to want to attach that way in VAB, i have to fiddle with them quite a bit and they do seem to take their sweet time clamping compared to the old ports.

[OUScooby]

I don't know if it's entirely relevant to this thread but I can say that the new large size docking ports will not dock with the regular size docking port. I already tried an failed.

[allmappedout]

They are one way. You have to place the side with the slight lip and the handle facing outward. They don't seem to want to attach that way in VAB, i have to fiddle with them quite a bit and they do seem to take their sweet time clamping compared to the old ports.

Sigh! Time to relaunch my space station!

[Macenzie]

Yeah, sounds like you have the docking ports on backwards to me :S

[MDBenson]

Yep. I made exactly the same error when I first used them. They are one sided and viewed from the side while stacking a rocket it's not really that obvious which way is the right way up. The white ring with the slots in the face is the docking side, the flat part with the hatch in it is the module side. It also REALLY confused the living crap outy of MechJeb's docking AP. I ended up accidentally ramming the other station module before I realised what was happeneing :\

[MDBenson]

Yep. I made exactly the same error when I first used them. They are one sided and viewed from the side while stacking a rocket it's not really that obvious which way is the right way up. The white ring with the slots in the face is the docking side, the flat part with the hatch in it is the module side. It also REALLY confused the living crap outy of MechJeb's docking AP. I ended up accidentally ramming the other station module before I realised what was happeneing :\

I don't know if it's entirely relevant to this thread but I can say that the new large size docking ports will not dock with the regular size docking port. I already tried an failed.

That's probably what led me to get them wrong. They don't snap to the nodes on the top and bottom of the modules very well and I likely just slapped it on without looking like I do with the small ones. Might bear a little investigation

[RoboRay]

I haven't used them yet but I would imagine that, just like the the older medium docking ports, the side of the port with an access hatch in the texture is the side you dock to.

[nine_iron]

Got it sorted, the side with the litttle handle is the side to dock with. I built me a little space station.

Now to master heavy lifts to build a bigger one!

[Panichio]

I actually thought that there 'magnetic' force that pulls docking ports together seemed a little low, and docking with them has to be quite precise. Am I the only one that thought this? It could be because the force that attracts them together is simply the same as that of the other, smaller, docking ports.

[Sli]

I actually thought that there 'magnetic' force that pulls docking ports together seemed a little low, and docking with them has to be quite precise. Am I the only one that thought this? It could be because the force that attracts them together is simply the same as that of the other, smaller, docking ports.

I actually am finding this too. They seem to need a lot of precision despite their size, but perhaps this is intentional.

I built a rig that uses docking ports to lift modular base parts so i've had a good opportunity to test this. I kept finding the attachment was reasonably inconsistent. Sometimes it would catch straight away, other times it took minutes of wiggling the rig on top before it would trigger. Something definitely doesn't feel right if you ask me.

The landing gear on the base part deploys to push it up and towards the rig. Once Damned Robotics is good for .20 I plan to add hydraulics and rotation to make the rig move rather than the base parts.

* Note in this image the attachment still hasn't triggered, despite being directly on top.

[carranty]

I actually thought that there 'magnetic' force that pulls docking ports together seemed a little low, and docking with them has to be quite precise. Am I the only one that thought this? It could be because the force that attracts them together is simply the same as that of the other, smaller, docking ports.

I think you're correct. I've been struggling with these ports and have found you need to be almost perfectly flush for them to engage. I think most of us are attaching these to much bigger payloads than we used to attach the smaller ones too. I'm not sure if its a bug or intentional, it kinda makes physical sense that the higher the mass of the ship, the less effect a magnet would have

[Panichio]

OK, I'd like to hear what the devs have to say about it. Because I really wonder if it was intentional or just something that was overlooked.