Universal Storage 1.4.0.0 (For KSP 1.4.x) 13th March 2018

[panarchist]

Sorry if this was asked before - couldn't find it via search and I can't read all 51 pages at the moment. Since this follows the Unified Resource guidelines, does that mean US assumes 1 EC = 1kJ ?

[Daishi]

Sorry if this was asked before - couldn't find it via search and I can't read all 51 pages at the moment. Since this follows the Unified Resource guidelines, does that mean US assumes 1 EC = 1kJ ?

I'm away from a computer at the moment, but there should be notes about electricity in the fuel cell's config file

[prometheanfire]

The site's not allowing me to download the mod (core or plugins).

Error! Failed to log the download request in the database table

http://www.kingtiger.co.uk/kingtiger/wordpress/?smd_process_download=1&download_id=1478

[Paul Kingtiger]

The site's not allowing me to download the mod (core or plugins).

Error! Failed to log the download request in the database table

I'm installing some updates at the moment which pushes the DB into maintenance mode. Give it 10 minutes and you should be good.

[EDIT]

Downloads are working again

- - - Updated - - -

Electricity is a difficult one because it doesn't really correspond to real life values.

I worked out a rough value by looking at real work solar panels and comparing them to ingame solar panels* and came to a value of 1 unit = 33 watts.

* The in game solar panels are badly unbalanced, with the small ones being 4 times as powerful per m2 as the big ones. I used an average and the ISS to get the value above.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Paul Kingtiger

[Paul Kingtiger]

I should add that when I was balancing both the fuel cell and the various processors I used the solar panels as I wanted to make sure that an interesting amount of power was required/generated.

The Sabatier and Elektron use a lot of power in real life and it would have been less fun if a small panel could run them both. By (roughly) working out the power of the solar panels to be 1 unit =33 watts and using the real life wattage requirements for the Sabatier and Elektron it worked out really nicely with large panels needed to run them, ensuring you don't just put them on every craft. Likewise the fuel cell generates a useful amount of power without unbalancing the solar panels.

[prometheanfire]

Thanks, just bad timing

[gzac95]

Hello I am getting this message whenever I use the parts from this mod. <a href="http://imgur.com/iMdBwVv"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/iMdBwVv.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com"/></a> How do I get rid of it? What is the issue?

[toxicwolf]

Hello I am getting this message whenever I use the parts from this mod. <a href="http://imgur.com/iMdBwVv"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/iMdBwVv.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com"/></a> How do I get rid of it? What is the issue?

To me that looks like a problem with KAS (Kerbal Attachment System). If you're trying to use the US KAS pack then you need KAS installed as well. If you have, you could try checking the install / reinstalling to see if that fixes the problem. Hope that helps somewhat.

[SpacedInvader]

Hello I am getting this message whenever I use the parts from this mod. <a href="http://imgur.com/iMdBwVv"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/iMdBwVv.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com"/></a> How do I get rid of it? What is the issue?

Sounds like a problem with your KAS installation...

[pjf]

I'm playing with the latest (from git) versions of TACLS and RealismOverhaul. At a glance It looks like all the volumes and resources used by US are great (assuming we're using LOX and LH2), but the fuel cell output of 16EC/sec is a lot in RealismOverhaul land, where 1EC = 1kJ, meaning a single fuel-cell can sustain a load of 16kW! The Apollo era cells had a nominal output in the range of 1kW (2.3kW peak), and they were pretty large (1.1m tall, 0.56m diameter), so 16kW represents some serious technology.

The UA wedges are kerbal-sized, so for RealismOverhaul I'd suggest they can sustain loads up to about 1kW (1EC/sec) each at most. That's plenty more tha the RO solar-cells, my current ones of which can sustain 110W per fold-out array.

So, before I go patching away (and making suggestions to the RO folks), has someone already done these calculations? I haven't looked much into how much the UA fuel-cell consumes resources compared to the Apollo missions. Paul, do you have this information at hand? I'd *love* to just supply a straight multiplier to make things RO compatible.

Many, many thanks,

~ pjf

[Paul Kingtiger]

....fuel cell.....

I used the solar panels to balance the fuel cell, with a very approximate figure of 1 unit = 33 watts. I gave the fuel cell an output of 16 units or 528 watts, which is close to what the apollo fuel cells put out (sustained rather than maximum).

The Shuttle fuel cells were much better so you could go higher.

[pjf]

I used the solar panels to balance the fuel cell, with a very approximate figure of 1 unit = 33 watts. I gave the fuel cell an output of 16 units or 528 watts, which is close to what the apollo fuel cells put out (sustained rather than maximum).

The Shuttle fuel cells were much better so you could go higher.

You rock! The power output these are modelled on is exactly what I'm after! Are the resources consumed by the UA cells modelled after the Apollo ones as well?

Many, many thanks!

~ pjf

[Paul Kingtiger]

You rock! The power output these are modelled on is exactly what I'm after! Are the resources consumed by the UA cells modelled after the Apollo ones as well?

Yes, all the values for the fuel cells are based on the Apollo cells. I'm in the process of putting all my research and numbers on Onedrive, along with links to sources.

You can access what I have so far here: http://1drv.ms/1kjbfeU

The Sabatier reactor is based on generalised data of the process because I haven't found specifics for the unit on the ISS yet. The Elektron is based on data on the unit fitted to the ISS.

Both the Sabatier and Elektron appear later in the tech tree to represent the high tech level.

[Agathorn]

Yes, all the values for the fuel cells are based on the Apollo cells. I'm in the process of putting all my research and numbers on Onedrive, along with links to sources.

You can access what I have so far here: http://1drv.ms/1kjbfeU

The Sabatier reactor is based on generalised data of the process because I haven't found specifics for the unit on the ISS yet. The Elektron is based on data on the unit fitted to the ISS.

Both the Sabatier and Elektron appear later in the tech tree to represent the high tech level.

Holy crap! This has nothing to do with your plugin sorry, but that link you just gave.. lol I never knew there was an Excel online! And it even looks amazing.

[Paul Kingtiger]

....

Yes and it's totally free. I have office on my PC and so do the work there and save to my Onedrive, which I have bits of shared (read only). But the online version of office is fully functional, you get the whole thing!

They have Word, Excel and One Note (which is awesome!).

Highly recommended!

Anyway I have most of the resource research I've done (or stuff that people shared with me). Everything has sources where available (I'm still looking for a few things).

Next Up I'm going to put the stuff for Universal Storage parts up there, so you can see how we took the research and applied it to parts. This will hopefully help people who want to make custom parts for Intersteller and other mods.

For reasons best known to microsoft you have to click on the icon shown below to view the other tabs.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Paul Kingtiger

[Daishi]

Version 0.75 is due out soon! More info on the development thread

[pjf]

Just a head's up that I've got a work-in-progress for a RealismOverhaul patch, which you can find here. It will require the latest ("pre-release") TACLS to run, and I have not yet *tested* said patch because I'm hungry and about to go for lunch.

However it is full of sweet, sweet figures and maths for those who are curious.

~ pjf

[Paul Kingtiger]

Just a head's up that I've got a work-in-progress for a RealismOverhaul patch, which you can find here. It will require the latest ("pre-release") TACLS to run, and I have not yet *tested* said patch because I'm hungry and about to go for lunch.

However it is full of sweet, sweet figures and maths for those who are curious.

~ pjf

Awesome! This is exactly the sort of thing I hoped people would do with the mod. Great to see, thanks

[Fyrem]

sweet, I look forward to using this in .24

[pjf]

Awesome! This is exactly the sort of thing I hoped people would do with the mod. Great to see, thanks

My pleasure! We seem to having some debate over the intended design of the fuel cell, especially with the oxygen tank being bigger than the hydrogen tank. If you have the chance, I'd love for you to pop over to the github issue and provide any input you might be comfortable with.

[Daishi]

My pleasure! We seem to having some debate over the intended design of the fuel cell, especially with the oxygen tank being bigger than the hydrogen tank. If you have the chance, I'd love for you to pop over to the github issue and provide any input you might be comfortable with.

Just be warned the fuelcell is going to eventually get redesigned to be mounted sideways (top right of the image). I know the original cells in Apollo were adhered to the SM vertically, but as it stands now, when the US structure is removed they just "float" and don't seem to be supported by anything. By turning the design horizontal, i can maximise the used space in the wedge, it looks better on the back of a Kerbal, and it can be supported by the new core-clamps by a structure at the rear of the wedge. It's a compromise to make US more consistent in its part designs, and still be faithful to the general form of the original real world equipment. Especially considering I screwed up the tank sizes in the first place.

So in all likelihood, those current tanks are going to disappear, and instead be inset into the X-shaped structure the cells are built around\capped with. I'll chuck up some quick scale mockups so you can see what I mean in the next few days, but please don't invest too much time working out exact values for a part that is likely going to change in the next month or so.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Daishi

[Rakh]

I used the solar panels to balance the fuel cell, with a very approximate figure of 1 unit = 33 watts. I gave the fuel cell an output of 16 units or 528 watts, which is close to what the apollo fuel cells put out (sustained rather than maximum).

The Shuttle fuel cells were much better so you could go higher.

That's interesting. I'm a big fan of both your mod and Near Future Industries (you both have mostly realistic technology and beautiful textures) but according to this new information the two aren't going to be balanced well together *at all*. NFI's Electrical Pack is balanced on the assumption that 1 Electric Charge / Second of Power Generation = 1kW.

I may have to look in to how that could be fixed, from one side or the other, and write a quick module manager script to make them play nice. I mean, they do play nice, there's no proper conflict. But balance nice.

[jrandom]

I may have to look in to how that could be fixed, from one side or the other, and write a quick module manager script to make them play nice. I mean, they do play nice, there's no proper conflict. But balance nice.

Maybe take a look at how Realism Overhaul approaches it? It too uses 1 EC/s = 1 kW.

[Paul Kingtiger]

It would really help if the Devs came out and set the in-game units. It would take nothing away from the casual, stock only players and would add so much for the modders and educational / realism types.

[NoMrBond]

Maybe if Squad develops and balances the units for KerbalEDU, then they can be ported back to the main KSP (eventually)

I remember coming to the conclusion when working on fuel tanks that 1 'unit' was probably 5L (for LF)