Docking Ports! Share your unconventional docking attachment methods

[Meecrob]

I've been messing around with orbital stations recently and I'm using 2.5m parts...I've been connecting the modules end to end and constantly adding to them. I'm tired of them maneuvering like the toroidal string mentioned in (I forget which) thread and in the KSP is AWESOME! video due to their length. I tried girders attached radially with Clamp-O-Tron seniors at the girder ends. It works but it vibrates when anything is docked to them. I added struts attached to girders to the outside of the clam o trons, but it looks ugly as sin. Anybody have a better way to stabilize this set up, or even better, let me in on something I might be missing on how to attach clamp o tron seniors radially?

Thanks in advance!

Edited April 4, 2014 by Meecrob

[Meecrob]

Here is a screenshot to give you a idea of what i am building...bear with me, posting pics is not my forte and I am not allowed to post attachments...this might be a copy and paste URL. Any help with that is also very welcomed.

http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/598158853545998885/50843059DA5D43BABEA20FD4F2D5260185B1772F/

[metl]

Not sure why, but it wants to save the link as a .dat file.

[cantab]

The "Rockomax HubMax Multi-Point Connector" and the "BZ-52 Radial Attachment Point" are the most visually pleasing way to radially attached things. They're 1.25m parts, you can still stick the Clamp-o-Tron seniors straight to them, or if you want use the Rockomax adapters.

Here are some examples:

I've not actually tested them for stability, but I expect they'd be decent, and if you do need to strut them it shouldn't look too bad.

EDIT: Seeing your screenshot, yeah, switch to the radial attachment points, and either rockomax adapter depending on how much distance you want. (If you want more than even the deep adapter gives, add an empty fuel tank.)

Edited April 3, 2014 by cantab

[ScottyDoesKnow]

Ya I'm not sure exactly what you're going for without the image. I'll try to remember exactly what I did, but I remember stealing an idea from somebody else. I think it was the 6 direction adapter (1.25m) with the larger of the 1.25 -> 2.5 adapters in all directions, with clampotrons on the end. Then some struts for reinforcement.

Edit: here's what I meant

It's fairly simple, though the symmetries are annoying. I can throw the subassembly up if you want.

Edited April 3, 2014 by ScottyDoesKnow

[Meecrob]

Since my picture is not working, I'll describe my (inadequate) method. I'm trying to use Modular Girder XL segments attached in dual symmetry to an orange tank with clamp o tron seniors attached to the ends - ASCII version:

I I

I I

]==I I==[

I I

I I

Middle part is the orange tank, equal signs are the girders, and square brackets are the clamp o trons.

Cantab, your help is much appreciated, I will be trying this out as soon as I can get home...can't believe I forgot about radial attachment points...haven't used them in a while and I guess its a classic case of the human brain's "use it or lose it"

Edit, ASCII not formatting properly...this seems to be turning into a tutorial about how I can post pics...I can deal with uploading a pic to any image host, but how do I get the correct URL from Steam Screenshot? I'm thinking that is the problem.

In the meantime, though, I'll describe my goal...I want to be able to dock 2.5m parts to eachother radially. Thats it...seems simple but I know I am missing something since I induce massive vibration when I dock. My idea was to use girder segments attached to an orange tank so they stick out radially, and have a clamp o tron placed at each end. Tried struts, but they looked like scaffolding. Cantab has some great ideas and that will be my next experiment. I'm just wondering how all of you attach 2.5m parts radially.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Meecrob
Spelling...crap format wrong also...this post is not working out haha

[ScottyDoesKnow]

Hah, found an old post (10 months ago, damn) from when I was building my station. Here's an image if it that contains one of the 6 way nodes in case you're interested (and a modified one with longer arms):

Lots and lots of modular pieces. At the bottom you can see the tug used to move modules around.

[Meecrob]

Much appreciated, ScottyDoesKnow, Looks like a long night of testing ahead with yours and Cantab and everyone else in this thread's advice. This is why I love this game...I can send 10 ships to Duna in an armada, but I did not think about the ways you guys attached things...Always something else to learn! Thanks all very much! I know there have to be some other ways to do this so lets keep this going, I'm sure someone else will have the same question as me. Also, what are the weirdest ways you guys have docked things? By weird I mean unconventional...I was stuck in the train of thought of 2.5m needs other 2.5m pieces...I'm sure there are some crazy ideas that work very well out there.

I gotta say that until this thread I did not know one could attach a senior clamp o tron to the 6-point connector. If this thread does anything I hope it lets more people know. Again with "why I love this game" you can master certain aspects, then something simple takes you by surprise.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Meecrob

[700NitroXpress]

I pretty much used the same method as what you describe, but I used 8 times symmetry and double stacked it for one of my stations. So you can fit 16 jumbo fuel tanks onto it. The mid section looks the best to me, with the double stack of 4 senior docking ports. These are for docking ships though.

[Meecrob]

Haha that's a little bit big for me, 700NitroXpress! I can get two orange tanks to orbit reliably, but past that its black magic to me. Did you launch that all at once? I don't think I see any RCS on your orange tank assemblies. Either way, did you encounter any constant vibration with the tanks attached? If not, I'm thinking I did something in the build stage to unintentionally sabotage my ship.

Edit - 700NitroXpress, that's a nice piece of machinery you got there!

Edited April 4, 2014 by Meecrob
kudos to someone with a ship in orbit bigger than my ships are before they launch

[700NitroXpress]

The orange tanks were launched up two at a time with an RCS unit and unmanned module on the bottom, attached to that adapter block. Aligning the tanks to the docking ports was easy enough, then once they were docked, I ejected the RCS at the end and the left over engine and unmanned pod. This station doesn't turn too well because the connection just above the fuel pod is a little weak. Also all of the center of mass is at the bottom, almost a kiloton of fuel. If you did anything like this, the best way would be to just have the bottom section only and none of the top stuff that I have there. I'll mainly use this as a refueling station. It was meant to go to Jool, but right now it seems a little unstable. If those were all single tanks, then it would be just fine.

As shown with a variation here on my Eve escape ship, full load for transfer, land, and return. This version with the single tanks worked very well and it was stable throughout the entire mission, engines running at full power.