Something wrong during docking

[nannerpuss]

I want to preface this by saying I have literally scoured Google, this forum, and YouTube for all the tutorials and help on docking and rendezvous. I am 72 hours into KSP and still have not completed a docking.

I'm trying to figure out if this is a bug or what, but basically my ships just bounce off each other's docking ports. By that I mean, I have them aligned near perfection and am in docking mode, and using RCS. I can sit two ships on top of each other and park them better than an astronaut. BUT, when my dock ports meet, nothing happens. If I have any inertia going into it, they will bounce away as tho I'd bumped any random parts together in space. There is no "alert" or message or any indication I am near docking. Every video I've seen of this and every tutorial I've read lists what you have to do like there's even an easy way to do it. I haven't seen a single video mention opening my ports or even if the "covered" white docking ports are backwards compatible with the other "non-covered" port. I'm nearing the end of my patience here and just shelving this game until they get closer to a release condition. Any ideas? Can the covered ports dock with the uncovered ports? Can a "Jr." port dock with a covered port? I cannot find that information anywhere. The Wiki is pretty thin on everything, really.

Please do not point me to a Wiki article - I guarantee I have read it 10 times already. Thanks in advance.

[xcorps]

There's nothing wrong with docking, it works fine as long as you meet the requirements.

1) Are your docking clamps installed correctly? If one of them is installed facing the wrong way, you can't dock.

To make sure, build the ships docked in the VAB, then hit the Launchpad. Hit alt-F12, hack gravity. Then turn off the the docking clamps and move around, redock.

2) Have you selected the DOCKING PORT as the target instead of the ship?

[Specialist290]

First off, welcome to the forums!

To quickly address a couple of your specific questions:

Can the covered ports dock with the uncovered ports?

The shielded port and the unshielded standard Clamp-o-tron can dock together, since they're part of the same size class of docking ports. However, you have to manually uncover the shielded port using the right-click menu while the craft it's attached to is active. The same goes for the Inline Clamp-o-tron as well.

Can a "Jr." port dock with a covered port?

No. The Clamp-o-tron Jr. is part of a smaller size class, and thus can only dock with another Jr. Likewise, the Sr. ports can only dock with other Sr. ports.

Hope this helps

[Vanamonde]

The shielded docking ports must be open before they will work. As for sizes, Juniors will only mate with Juniors and Seniors will on mate with Seniors. The Inline, Shielded, and regular docking ports are all medium-sized and will mate with each other, but none of them will mate with Juniors or Seniors. Ports must be facing outward and oriented as mirror images to each other. And you're speed must be around 0.1m/s or you will bounce off.

Now that that's been covered, can you see any magnetic attraction at all between the rings as they get close? And can you post some pictures so we can see the orientation of the rings you've installed?

Edited April 6, 2014 by Vanamonde
Dang! Got some fast typers around here!

[Supernovy]

Any 1.25 metre docking port (the standard clampotron, the covered port, and the inline port) can dock with any other 1.25m docking port. The junior port (0.625 metres) can only dock with other junior ports.

Covered ports covers should be opened before docking. Make sure that the docking ports are the right side up and actually exist (the only parts with docking ports on them are the docking ports themselves).

EDIT: T-T-T-T-TRRIIPLLEE NIIINJAAA'D

Edited April 6, 2014 by Supernovy
ಠ_ಠ

[Specialist290]

And you're speed must be around 0.1m/s or you will bounce off.

Not entirely accurate -- I've successfully docked even when I was approaching the target in the 2-3m/s range, though to be fair I was essentially almost lined up dead-on with my target. That said, the slower you approach and the more "in line" you are with the target port, the easier it will be for the magnetic attraction to close the link.

[Boomerang]

Basically what everyone else has said. The inline, shielded, and standard 1.25m docking ports are all compatable with each other, juniors dock to juniors, and seniors dock to seniors. The inline and shielded ports both need to be right clicked and opened in order to dock, but you sound clever enough to not be mashing bits of white metal together in an attempt to dock.

There's no other initializing or anything that needs to be done to the ports themselves in order to dock. As was said before, I'd make sure I had the ports aligned on my ships the right way, ie: that the actual docking port isn't facing into the ship with the flat back of the docking port facing out. I know I've had to double check that in the VAB a few times, especially with the big ones.

So yeah. If you're watching videos and seeing the ports getting 'sucked together' by the magnetism, that's just how they behave when they're within a couple metres of each other, as long as it's at a reasonably low (3-0m/s) relative speed. If that isn't working and there's nothing else (a mod or something you've changed yourself) to cause them not to be attracted to each other, perhaps try a clean install?

Edited April 7, 2014 by Boomerang
Spelling

[MarvinKitFox]

Docking:

Must-haves:

* Your docking ports must be of the same size class

* Your docking ports must be correctly facing each other. (especially non-obvious with the sr. port)

* Your docking ports must be very-nearly exactly parallel (within <5 degrees, really)

* Your docking ports must be laterally aligned, within less than about 1/8 their diameter.

* You must be closer than about 2.5 meters

* you must not have had a failed docking attempt within the last 30 seconds, or without backing off outside of magnetic range.

* At least one of the ships must have electric power

Good-to-haves:

* Your ship should be controlled from your docking port.

* Other ship's docking port must be set as "target"

* Your docking port should be approaching the other ship's docking port at less than 3m/s and more than 0.2 m/s (yes, there is a too slow.. too slow, and the port triggers but magnetism fails, thus resetting the port)

* both ships have electric power.

* viewing mode as docking mode.

Things NOT to have:

* SAS engaged on either ship. If you have *any* misalignment, SAS will fight the magnetic, breaking the dock as soon as it is formed.

* ANY torsional speed relative to your target. (by this I mean any non-normal rotation. Twisting to the side, for example)

* more than a teensy drop of rotational speed relative to your target. (some rotation around the axes of the port is ok. *some*. not a lot)

Docking will forgive a lot, if either of the ships is very low in mass, and be absolutely merciless if you are docking two behemoths.

For me, docking two ships of >100 tons each is only possible by getting into the right spot, fully stationary, then exiting and re-entering physics range. (easiest is F5-F9)

[nannerpuss]

There's nothing wrong with docking, it works fine as long as you meet the requirements.

1) Are your docking clamps installed correctly? If one of them is installed facing the wrong way, you can't dock.

To make sure, build the ships docked in the VAB, then hit the Launchpad. Hit alt-F12, hack gravity. Then turn off the the docking clamps and move around, redock.

2) Have you selected the DOCKING PORT as the target instead of the ship?

Thank you everyone for the swift replies. I will try to address everything here:

Yes, installed correctly and have tried about 20-30 different configurations and setups. I have not seen any magnetic attraction happen. That leads me to another question though: When does the magnetism take place? Like distance wise, and does the relative velocity affect the magnetism?

I haven't tried any mods or hacks or anything outside of a base sandbox mode. I use one mod, it's a flight data HUD that shows all the things I wish KSP had built in on the interface. I will go try Alt + F12 now if it disables gravity and inertia.

As far as the shielded ports, yes I do know you have to open them, but I only use those as "cosmetic" side ports that I don't intend to use. I use just the medium sized ports, one of them inverted and pulled "out" a little bit, and the other stuck on in the standard position with the little handle or "window" showing on the texture's exterior. I had mentioned the shielded ports because out of frustration I parked my ships on top of each other in orbit and was trying every port I had.

As for targeting, yes I enable the port as the target and not the vessel. However, I can't get the stupid pop-up "Set as target" dialog off the goddamn ship when I set the port as a target, and it isn't transparent so it really messes with my view. I also rely on vision a lot, maybe that is a problem. The gauges just aren't accurate enough and I can't find a "first person" docking view anywhere, not even in cockpit mode. So I try to get onto the Sun-side of Kerbin to do the docking, where I can see what is happening.

Thanks again.

[nannerpuss]

Things NOT to have:

* SAS engaged on either ship. If you have *any* misalignment, SAS will fight the magnetic, breaking the dock as soon as it is formed.

[AcidSludge]

Docking:

Must-haves:

* Your docking ports must be of the same size class

* Your docking ports must be correctly facing each other. (especially non-obvious with the sr. port)

* Your docking ports must be very-nearly exactly parallel (within <5 degrees, really)

* Your docking ports must be laterally aligned, within less than about 1/8 their diameter.

* You must be closer than about 2.5 meters

* you must not have had a failed docking attempt within the last 30 seconds, or without backing off outside of magnetic range.

* At least one of the ships must have electric power

Good-to-haves:

* Your ship should be controlled from your docking port.

* Other ship's docking port must be set as "target"

* Your docking port should be approaching the other ship's docking port at less than 3m/s and more than 0.2 m/s (yes, there is a too slow.. too slow, and the port triggers but magnetism fails, thus resetting the port)

* both ships have electric power.

* viewing mode as docking mode.

Things NOT to have:

* SAS engaged on either ship. If you have *any* misalignment, SAS will fight the magnetic, breaking the dock as soon as it is formed.

* ANY torsional speed relative to your target. (by this I mean any non-normal rotation. Twisting to the side, for example)

* more than a teensy drop of rotational speed relative to your target. (some rotation around the axes of the port is ok. *some*. not a lot)

Docking will forgive a lot, if either of the ships is very low in mass, and be absolutely merciless if you are docking two behemoths.

For me, docking two ships of >100 tons each is only possible by getting into the right spot, fully stationary, then exiting and re-entering physics range. (easiest is F5-F9)

This! Especially the thing with the SAS. At my first docking attempts the SAS annoyed the hell out of me Now I turn off the SAS at least on the "active" ship/probe a few moments before the magnetics from the docking ports take over.

[xrayfishx]

Another thing to note is that the docking port might be attached to one or both of your ships through the node that it would dock to. When you attach it, wiggle it around to make sure it'll attach to your ship with its bottom node, not the top one.

[xcorps]

If you are using mechjeb, you can switch to the ship you are docking to, set the other ships docking port as target, then turn on smartASS to target+. Then switch back to the ship you are bringing in and dock as normal. Having the other ship locked to your docking port makes it easier to recover from overthrust.

[nannerpuss]

UPDATE:

[FLUFFY BUNNIES] AND YES. I just docked my KISS (Kerbin International Space Station) core with the cockpit/front. I was definitely not doing something right, because compared to how perfectly I had them aligned before, I barely got my vessels near each other and they magnetically docked. Literally, I was thinking like 0.5 degrees variance MAXIMUM, and it turns out you can be waaay misaligned and the game forgives it.

[Frank_Black]

I met the same problem when the first time to perform the docking, and I think I know exactly what is wrong.

1. Only docking ports with the same size can be docked together.

2. The O ring of two docking ports can be docked together only after you have activated both of them.

3. To activate the docking port on your own ship, right click it and click the 'Control from here'; To activate the docking port on the target ship, right click it and click the 'Set as target'. This is really important, if not doing so, the docking ports just do not have any magnetic.

4. After these steps, just go for it as you did before~ I know you perform a really good alignment.Good luck:D