Rovers that pick up things

[DrJonez]

I'm trying to build a rover that can pick up various bits of machinery, move them around, then drop them off again. I'm not having a lot of luck though!

Just curious to get a look at some working designs for inspiration. Anyone got a rover that does something like this?

YOUR DESIGNS. SHOW THEM TO ME!

[alacrity]

Ok first the disclaimer.... I am not a STOCK builder for the most part... I like mods

For this beast I am using primarily the KAS system, Nukemod for 1/2 meter parts, Infernal/Damned robotics with some KW and B9 prolly hidden on there somewhere....

Did I mention I love mod parts.

Any way... the pics

Day time driving

Night time glow

Have used this thing a few different times for smaller rover rescue... limited fuel transport and scientific excusions. The control panels are mostly decorative but I couln.t resist and the mechJeb controller looks good there anyway.

Hope this helps your planning

Alacrity

[Levelord]

I suppose I can record a short video of my stock rover moving stuff about like a forklift. It'll take a while to render.

[Tw1]

A but old, but here's a prototype base relocator. Uses five KAS cables with magnets.

I called it the Mega Munar Load Lifter.

Larger than the one that moved a module 10 km on the Mun.

I should go re build it some time.

[Brofessional]

I had a design very similar to Tw1's

And this one that's more like a typical crane, it gets very unstable with heavy loads though.

[blubbermonkeys]

I have A stock + KAS on mine

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It Even has rocket motors to turn it around if it flips

[DrJonez]

Some cool designs, but I need something more compact! This rover is attached to the Kethane tanker along with some bits of mining equipment. No room for a big sprawling rover like you guys are showing

[EvilotionCR2]

Some cool designs, but I need something more compact! This rover is attached to the Kethane tanker along with some bits of mining equipment. No room for a big sprawling rover like you guys are showing

Could you show us some pictures of your Tanker?

[Tiron]

Some cool designs, but I need something more compact! This rover is attached to the Kethane tanker along with some bits of mining equipment. No room for a big sprawling rover like you guys are showing

Well as you can see, the 'pick up stuff and move it' aspect most people do with KAS, one of the most awesomest mods of all.

Thing you run into there is counterbalancing it: If you try to pick up something heavy and you're not counterbalanced, at best you'll tip your rover over, at worst you might lift the rover instead of whatever it is you're trying to lift.

The OTHER trick being is that KAS itself might obviate the need to move whatever it is you're trying to move anyway, if a Kethane tanker is involved: KAS allows you to dock two craft via a 50 meter cable, attached to a connector port on the target craft by a Kerbal on EVA. The winch, connector, and port weigh a bit more total than stock docking (at least the Jrs, and maybe the mediums), but it's all concentrated on the 'winch' side (the port weighs very little).

The big helpful thing for Kethane setups is that because the docking connection is made by a Kerbal taking the end of the cable to the connector port, you don't have to somehow get the two docking ports aligned to transfer the Kethane/Fuel, you just have to get within 50 meters.

There's even a detachable radial connector port, which can be taken off one craft and placed onto another, allowing you to KAS dock with a craft that didn't have a connector port in the first place.

There's also a pair of 'hooks': Grappling hook (attaches to anything it hits hard enough, or can be manually attached to the ground by a Kerbal), and Electromagnet (attaches only to parts, uses lots of electricity), but neither of these allows docking, just grabbing.

And there's a big heavy anchor for airships.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Tiron

[-RanZ-]

I might have to try KAS out... would make base construction much easier. I am assuming you can transfer fuel through KAS connections?

[MrPopcup]

I understand what you want but you need to provide us with pictures of your base, location really matters as I want to design a rover for you, so please, a picture of the base and location

[A Fat Pokemon]

A but old, but here's a prototype base relocator. Uses five KAS cables with magnets.

-snip-

I called it the Mega Munar Load Lifter.

Larger than the one that moved a module 10 km on the Mun.

I should go re build it some time.

Haha, who needs a base lifter when you have kerbals?

I'm surprised he could actually pull it, much less fly with it.

[SteevyT]

Haha, who needs a base lifter when you have kerbals?

-snip-

I'm surprised he could actually pull it, much less fly with it.

What is that?

[A Fat Pokemon]

What is that?

A kerbal pulling a tower from the extraplanetary launchpad mod

[DrJonez]

This is still a work in progress so major changes might occur, but here's what I've got so far:

http://imgur.com/a/yMkO3

Just behind the cockpit is the rover, drilling module, power module and refining module. The ship lands, the modules are dropped a few feet to the ground, then the rover comes and picks each up and moves them a short distance and sets them up. Can't figure out a good way to move them or to redock them with the ship.

I do have KAS but that won't entirely solve my problem. I could put winches above each module to hoist them up and attach them to the ship from the ground, but something still needs to move them out to deploy them and bring them back under the winch again.

Edited August 16, 2013 by DrJonez

[Tiron]

I might have to try KAS out... would make base construction much easier. I am assuming you can transfer fuel through KAS connections?

If you use the connector -> connector port 'docked mode' connection, yes. Which means you need an EVA'd Kerbal in order to make the connection. Hooks can connect without going on an EVA, but can only use 'undocked mode'. Swapping hooks or making 'docked mode' connections requires a Kerbonaut.

'Docked Mode' works the same as if you used a pair of docking ports. Just there's a 50 meter cable in there, so you've got a LOT more wiggle room on positioning.

As for Kerbals pulling stuff, I discovered that if they're carrying a part on the end of the cable while pulling, the extra weight of the part increases their pulling power somehow. With the 1-ton anchor on their back, a single kerbal was able to flip my 2 ton rover back upright by pulling on the cable, or even drag it around.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Tiron

[SkyRender]

Hm... You know, with a bit of creativity in fuel routing and positioning, you could make a multi-purpose compact "carrier" rover with a counterweight that normally has half a full fuel tank on either end, but fills the rear tank according to the weight of the object lifted to counterbalance the weight. It'd require KAS, of course, but it would be a great way to take advantage of the fuel transfer mechanics to adjust center of mass according to what your current needs are.

[sgtscuba]

What about for transporting these rovers inside of aircraft for example, around Kerban and the like?

[katateochi]

This is the rover I used in my Constellation style mission to Duna to move several small mining modules about.

I did need a Kerbal to go EVA to hook them up with KAS but since then I've figured out how to cut out the middle man. I still use the rover to move the modules about, but now they are connected to the landing craft by KAS winches rather than decouplers, when to rover connects to them I then release the KAS winch and the rover can move and place them but they remain connected via the KAS. When it comes to packing thinks up the rover can bring them back to the landing craft and hold them near the KAS winch while I retract the winch and with a bit of fiddling around you can get the winch to lock again. Quantum struts are a must to hold them securely in place!

There is a trick to making docking ports work with DamnedRobotics. If you have a docking port on an arm with DR hinges then docking will cause the hinges to stop working, quick save and quick load can get them working again but parts often end up mis-aligned. The solution is have the docking port attached to the DR arm via a KAS winch, then before you do any docking, first release the winch and then retract it again, this allows you to set the winch mode to be undocked. That way the docking port is actually a separate craft to the rover with the DR arm and now docking won't mess the hinges up.

Here's a link to the vid at the time where the rover deploys and starts moving stuff about - http://youtu.be/Tp6yj2k0Fpc?t=6m33s

That shows the steps to get DR and docking working together.

[Tw1]

As for Kerbals pulling stuff, I discovered that if they're carrying a part on the end of the cable while pulling, the extra weight of the part increases their pulling power somehow. With the 1-ton anchor on their back, a single kerbal was able to flip my 2 ton rover back upright by pulling on the cable, or even drag it around.

That is cool. I'll have to try this.

I would be very surprised if a kerbal could lift the big things I used the base relocator's smaller sibling for.

Today, Jeb used his pod car to drag things to the launchpad for recycling. There's a funny glitch where the rover and debris jumps into the air when you grab it with the magnet, but these wheels are strong enough to take it.

This rover's primary use was transporting Jeb, I wouldn't trust it with sensitive pieces of equipment.

[ASnogarD]

This is a older version of my mining rover...

... however such designs are typically inefficient, and while it sounds good to have a vehicle that can travel around and relocate at will the vehicle isnt very good at actually mining much.

It has a crane, a kethane drill mount able to be packed away for travelling, a set of KAS winches to attach to multiple vehicles and some portable attachment nodes in case the target vehicle hasnt got a KAS attachment node, it can fly (sort of) with built in engines and RCS, landing gear to hold the craft stable when it gets to its mining location, solar power and kethane power generators, xenon gas + mono prop gas containers to top up vehicles that need those.

It can travel at a respectable 13 - 15 m/s safely but can reach 20 m/s on flats but then is prone to toppling and blowing up.

I am still working on the upgraded version I sent to the mun, trying to work out the kinks

[DrJonez]

Starting to wonder if I shouldn't just put rover wheels on the damn modules so they can move themselves around

[sirkut]

I tried to pick Jeb's pocket. He guess he was broke from cashing so many vessels.

(using Infernal Robotic parts/plugin and soon to be released Magic Smoke Industries Animator parts/plugin (the claw))

[DrJonez]

Some really neat designs in here, but most seem to rely on using mods on top of mods. Sounds buggy and unreliable! Have things held up or are you constantly battling problems?

[sirkut]

Some really neat designs in here, but most seem to rely on using mods on top of mods. Sounds buggy and unreliable! Have things held up or are you constantly battling problems?

Mods generally don't clash with each other at least that's not how I have experienced them.