My docking ports aren't working!!

[JHarvey]

Help. Over the last couple of days I've learned how to get into orbit, rendezvous and dock! but it doesn't always work.

There have been a couple of times where I have been bumping two ships together but the ports won't engage. Sometimes I'll get close and they'll grab, other times they won't.

I just build a space station module with a large docking port on each end. I put it in orbit, and then went back and launched another. When I rendezvoused they would not dock.

Any ideas? or questions?

James

[sal_vager]

Make sure the ports are the right way round on both craft (handle facing outwards), not obstructed/covered and not clipped into other parts

Pics of your craft would help a lot!

[CheftonUTD]

Turning off SAS when you're very close often helps them snap in to place.

[Clamps]

How do you expect help without pictures?

[Tiron]

How do you expect help without pictures?

A bit blunt but true. We can barely begin to guess what the problem is without being able to see the setup. Screenshots or .craft files will do.

[Tripzter]

Ports can be bugged if you use a decoupler to hold it in place while you launch stuff. If you think you've had it just perfect click f12 and go to debug menu. You'll see a red msg pop up again and again if the port is bugged.

\__port___/

/decoupler\

vs

\___port___/

/```port```\

[Dashman]

Please tell me you are selecting the port you want to dock at as "target" and the port you are docking from as "control from here"?

Without doing this the magnet on the ports dosnt engage.

Well, Ive found that anyway...

[Tripzter]

Please tell me you are selecting the port you want to dock at as "target" and the port you are docking from as "control from here"?

Without doing this the magnet on the ports dosnt engage.

Well, Ive found that anyway...

That is false. Theres no such thing. The port is either docked or undocked, there is no on button that we can control. It would be nice to see the feature added though to help with bugged ports. The problem is when a port bugs as docked while you're undocked.

[JHarvey]

I'll try to post a picture. I need to find somewhere online to host them.

I'll also try the debug check. I had the ports touching and perfectly aligned.

If there is a bug, is there anyway to correct it?

James

[JHarvey]

Let's see if this works.

You can see the docking ports in the middle. The two craft are basically touching. I've looked at the docking ports and they all seem to look the same, so I don't think they're backwards. I am new to KSP and anything is possible.

I am starting to think they may be damaged. One of them was just above a decoupler.

Any ideas?

Edited August 12, 2013 by JHarvey

[DMagic]

It's possible that they are bugged. There is still a lot of weirdness involved with the docking ports and doing things like putting them above a decoupler or saving and loading while docking can cause issues.

You can check in the persistence file for the line "state = acquire" if that is present on any of your docking ports then they are probably bugged and won't dock. Change this to "state = ready" and it should be fixed. Just be careful poking around in the persistence file and make backups.

[Thomas Cook]

The FTP link results in asking for a login name and password.

The only reasons I can think of that docking won't work optimally are the same as mentioned before:

1. The docking ports are not properly placed on the ship. I sometimes make that mistake with the senior docking port.

2. Both the source and target ship got SAS enabled. You can quickly see this if you also got RCS enabled. Both ships should spew RCS fuel into space.

3. Sometimes it just takes a few seconds before both port, but this should never be langer than about 5 to 8 seconds.

Other than that I can't think of anything else.

[JHarvey]

Ports can be bugged if you use a decoupler to hold it in place while you launch stuff. If you think you've had it just perfect click f12 and go to debug menu. You'll see a red msg pop up again and again if the port is bugged.

\__port___/

/decoupler\

vs

\___port___/

/```port```\

I tried again, and hit F12 once I had the ports touching, but nothing happened. Where should I see the error pop up?

[NeoMorph]

Just checking... did you use the same size docking ports? The number of times I have tried to dock a Jr to a medium sized port and failed is beyond belief. It doesn't help that the icon for the small sized port is larger than the one for the medium sized port.

[xub313]

I tried again, and hit F12 once I had the ports touching, but nothing happened. Where should I see the error pop up?

I belive DMagic meant pressing Alt + F12 to open the debug console and cheats. Alt + F2 will only bring up the debug console.

[JHarvey]

I think I have it figured out, but need to run a simple test to be sure. It looks like I might have the ports on backwards on one side of the space station module. I just tried docking a couple of times. It looks like on the large docking ports there is a + sign on one side. This seems to be the inside.

When I build my SS module I placed a dockingport on the top and bottom. One of them needs to be rotated 180 degrees. I'll go back to the VAB and figure it out.

I'll report back later.

James

[JHarvey]

Yep, I managed to put some of the ports on backwards!

I fixed the SS module in the VAB, took it up and docked it with the one good port on the existing SS module.

I EVAed the Kerbalnauts into the new station, terminated the unusable station, and all is well.

I do have a space station that has one end nothing can dock too, but that shouldn't matter.

J

[Joe Shmoe]

If you're having a hard time getting the docking nodes to connect, try using the 3 Meter (largest) node. That's what I used for my early dockings.

[Payload]

They aren't damaged. You have one of them the wrong way around. That is why we ask for pictures. You will need to flip the one on the lower portion of the ship around.

[Neveah_T18]

I'm having a similar issue, I'm going to try again with smaller ships, however here are the picks from mine, this is just after the two ports met, and then decided not to stay together, so instead they just bounced off each other.

[Neveah_T18]

I had a similar issue, I'm going to try again with smaller docking ports, but it appears the big ones don't work. Pic are after they touched, bounced off each other and are drifting away.

Pic 1

Pic 2

[JimJones]

I just ran into that same issue. After reading up above I went to the hangar and looked. That docking port you're using has a yellow handle on one side and not the other. It seems the handle goes outward.

[GuitarDude]

Turning off SAS when you're very close often helps them snap in to place.

This worked out great for me!

[demian_travis]

Maybe you are hitting them too hard. Try a more delicate and slower approach - it works for me...

[xcorps]

My solution:

1) Build and save your mission ship.

2) Build a small highly maneuverable and easy to control test ship consisting of an RCS tank, thrusters, probe, and docking port from the docking port on your mission ship.

3) Launch.

4) Do not take off. Hit alt-F12. Hack gravity. Alt F12.

5) Decouple the test ship, move it a few hundred meters away and wait a minute or two.

6) Dock.

7) Alt F12, unhack gravity, Alt F12, return to VAB and remove the test ship.

Don't forget when you start building the test ship to flip the docking port. If you clamp it on with the wrong side, it won't work.