Better electrical readout on craft

[John FX]

I`m currently in the position of having a craft with a few items that use electricity and a set output from my RTGs with no way of seeing how the consumption compares to the generation. I`d like a readout that tells me how much electric I am currently using, how much electric I am currently generating and the difference between the two rates. Also, how long my batteries would last at the current rate of usage.

[Greys]

the ElectricCharge resource is as a whole disappointing really, from how it behaves to the information you're given about it. IntakeAir as well, really the way RESOURCE{}s work is just poorly suited to anything that is generated in flight instead of lump sum at the start and burned down throughout. As well the granular ElectricCharge resource really doesn't act in any way like electricity, because electricity really doesn't act in any way like a tank of Kerosene.

If they're going to try and fix the informatics of ElectricCharge, I'd really like to see them fix the bulk of it's problems at the same time instead of just adding a Source & Load meter describing a still broken system.

[MaYBiS]

I would like to also see burn time and T+ & - data inside the craft and maybe the CCTV used for docking inside as well.

[rkman]

For the time being electricity in KSP is just place holder, so Squad made sure it does not get to much in the way of playing the game. As a consequence it brings very little in the way of challenge of spacecraft design. For the most part you're good if you just slap on a bunch of solar panels or RTGs.

But presumably some day electricity will be better integrated into the gameplay. By then we'll really need proper electricity units in KSP.

no way of seeing how the consumption compares to the generation

There is a way but it involves converting seconds and minutes to hours, which is more complicated than it is in real life where we use Watts (consumption and production) and Watt-hours (battery storage), which makes for very straightforward comparison of consumption, production and storage.

[John FX]

For the time being electricity in KSP is just place holder, so Squad made sure it does not get to much in the way of playing the game. As a consequence it brings very little in the way of challenge of spacecraft design. For the most part you're good if you just slap on a bunch of solar panels or RTGs. But presumably some day electricity will be better integrated into the gameplay. By then we'll really need proper electricity units in KSP. There is a way but it involves converting seconds and minutes to hours, which is more complicated than it is in real life where we use Watts (consumption and production) and Watt-hours (battery storage), which makes for very straightforward comparison of consumption, production and storage.

Which is sort of my point, in that there is no readout that lets you know the usage and generation of electricity on the fly (for solar panels for example), you have to calculate it external to KSP and this would lead to errors so I am suggesting one...