Sr docking port not docking.

[psyper]

I'm constructing a large space station and it has large docking ports which connect to fuel tanks - there are 8 fuel tanks in all along with 8 docking ports on the station - There are rows of two ports which jut out of the station in 4-way symmetry - the tanks have docking ports on both ends and I have created connectors for these which are girdles with jr docking ports and solar panels. I created the girders using the original station in the vab to ensure the docking ports line up okay.

Thought I'd mention above to point out I have a large number of docking ports on the station!

I'm half way through putting the tanks on the station but one of the station docking ports isn't playing ball.

1) I have ensured that the docking ports are on the right way around. (the yellow handle is showing on both the tank and station ports)

2) the docking ports have been created using 4-way symmetry and its counterparts have docked with tanks okay.

3) the tanks have been created using 4-way symmetry in a separate craft and again its counter parts are working fine.

now when leaving LKO I temporarily put the girders on the station ports (flat packed for transport) as the tanks will be sent to minmus separately and constructed in low minmus orbit. Now I didn't worry too much about lining the two sets of ports up so some had locked all four ports together while others didn't but they were pretty light so only getting the one connection didn't bother me too much.

Once in orbit and all the bits together I started disconnecting the end girdles from the station - putting the tanks on the station and then putting the girdle back on. - first side done fine. next side one tank docks while the next one doesn't. The magnet doesn't even kick in! I get the tank lined up using the transport ship - come in at 0.10m/s - aligned perfectly - but they just bump each other and drift off. I've saved and reloaded which normally kicks undocked ports alive if they are less than a metre from each other but nothing. I've even reversed out 3 metres and come back in - nothing.

Album below shows the first two pictures of the two docking ports showing that they are the right way around. 3rd picture shows the docking ports lined up and closer to 1 metre and not locking. 4th picture shows me constructing the station - the two tanks at the top of the image pointing vertically is the side I've already done - as you can see the cap is on top of it and all ports have docked perfectly. on the right you can see the cap connected directly to the station as all of them was prior to transporting to minmus and the transporter is currently moving two of the tanks in to place - I managed to get the first tank in which is currently being done in that screenshot but once that was in and I started moving the other one in to place did I have problems!

EDIT: 5th image shows the tank docked with the opposite port to the docking port I was trying to dock with - these ports were all created in 4-way symmetry.- just tried to dock the transporter to the problem port and it just bounced off too.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

I'm suspecting its a bug in the persistence file - I created a quicksave and have been playing with that then reloading but I'm not sure what I'm looking for a which port it would be as there are a fair few in the station part!

Edited April 14, 2014 by psyper

[Taki117]

If this is what i think it is you want to find the name of your ship in your quicksave (so you dont screw up your persistant) and then search for your docking port. it should have state = ready with the dockUId and the other number right below it set to 0

[Remkeau]

If you search the persistence file for " State = Acquire " and you find something, I am 99% certain it will be your not-docking-docking-port. Might save you some time going through the file if it's large. Then as Taki said, change acquire to ready to reactivate magnetism and docking ability

Also, I think this might be caused by quicksaving/loading while in docking port range

[psyper]

If this is what i think it is you want to find the name of your ship in your quicksave (so you dont screw up your persistant) and then search for your docking port. it should have state = ready with the dockUId and the other number right below it set to 0

hmmm - checked and went through - found a lot of these ports like this on the same station - changed all of them and still having problems

[Rusty6899]

I spent ages trying to dock using the Snr. docking ports recently. It took about 5 minutes of rubbing the ends together until they got the message. It's happened to me twice recently, so I think they just might be a bit unresponsive in general. The Jr. ones are no trouble, they join up as soon as I get within about half a metre, even if the angle is a bit off.

[psyper]

If you search the persistence file for " State = Acquire " and you find something, I am 99% certain it will be your not-docking-docking-port. Might save you some time going through the file if it's large. Then as Taki said, change acquire to ready to reactivate magnetism and docking ability

Also, I think this might be caused by quicksaving/loading while in docking port range

I noticed these too so will edit those when I'm back home from work - I also saw one with disabled as the status - I changed that to ready too but that didn't make any difference

I spent ages trying to dock using the Snr. docking ports recently. It took about 5 minutes of rubbing the ends together until they got the message. It's happened to me twice recently, so I think they just might be a bit unresponsive in general. The Jr. ones are no trouble, they join up as soon as I get within about half a metre, even if the angle is a bit off.

I've had this before and normally I just take the sas off and wait for it to rock in to place and give it a nudge with some rcs if needed but in each case I can 'feel' the magnetics drawing the ships in to each other - but not in this case.

[psyper]

If you search the persistence file for " State = Acquire " and you find something, I am 99% certain it will be your not-docking-docking-port. Might save you some time going through the file if it's large. Then as Taki said, change acquire to ready to reactivate magnetism and docking ability

Also, I think this might be caused by quicksaving/loading while in docking port range

This did it - found a few of them that had the state of acquire. Changed it to Ready reloaded and as soon as the physics came in to play the craft snapped straight in to the docking port!! Thanks Remkeau.

[Starwhip]

I might have thought I had put the darn thing on backwards, had it happened to me. Seems like you figured it out, though.