Help with Docking?

[Srpadget]

I am beating my head against a brick wall known as -- docking. There's obviously something I do not understand here.

Thing is, my problem is NOT achieving rendezvous. That's both boring (playing catchup across several orbits) and fraught (final approach with RCS jets), but I can do that. What I CANNOT do, for the life of me, is get the flippin' docking ports to DOCK.

Story time: I have flown two "docked" ships with the docking ports bumped up against each other, (apparently) totally motionless--after I saw a sudden shift in position that sure looked to me like the magnetic catches had grabbed each other. However, the two vehicles continued to act like, well, like two vehicles--I could not command the parts of Ship A while acting as Ship B, I could not transfer fuel from one to the other (or possibly, "I could not figure out HOW TO"), and over time the two ships slowly drifted *sideways* in the plane of the docking ports, until they detached.

So I decided to try the quicker and simpler method of doing it on the ground. Build rover with docking port, target to dock it to. Launch rover, drive off launchpad, launch target. Do some rather touchy driving around on the pad to get things aligned without driving over the edge. Eventually get it all lined up, sllooooowwwwly roll the rover's docking port up to the target's, and ... *bounce off*. (This was doubly disappointing, as this 'rover with docking port' project had given me all kinds of cool ideas for a refueling station on Minmus, with tanker-truck rovers transferring fuel between storage tanks and visiting vehicles getting topped off before heading out into interplanetary space...and that's not gonna work if I can't use docking ports as fuel-transfer pumps....)

I am at my wit's end, here. It seems to me as though there is some simple-and-obvious user-interface thing I am missing. Is there some command I need to issue to the docking port itself to tell it "power up, I need you now", or "clamp down NOW"? Can someone walk me through all the steps (i.e., keystrokes) involved in just getting the dang ports to ATTACH to each other...??

Edited June 28, 2014 by Srpadget

[Claw]

What mods are you using?

Everything else you are saying sounds on the right track. And there is no command you need to issue to the port.

[Link]

Could you show a picture as well, so we can make sure its the ports are attached correctly?

Also, instead of being really gentle, give it a nudge.

[allmhuran]

Make sure the ports are oriented the right way in the construction building, when you get close, right click on the target docking port and "set as target", and if you're using the covered ports make sure you open the cover!

[Srpadget]

No mods. Absolutely bog-standard stock game. Playing career mode, not that I expect that makes a difference. Will grab a screen shot and post it when I get the chance.

[Mitchz95]

Make sure SAS is turned off when the ports are touching.

[WanderingKid]

I've found rotation seems to help tremendously with getting the docking to work. My ships are never centered properly, but it does kick in the docking clamp.

[Srpadget]

Okay, then. Next "newbie problem" is figuring out how to post a screen shot. Even cropped down, it's too big to post by more than an order of magnitude. ::grumble::

[Srpadget]

Woot! I finally got it to work!

I trust the science module in between pod and port doesn't screw anything up? I built this by the simple expedient of taking an existing science orbiter, slapping on some RCS, replacing the chute with radials, and sticking a docking port up front where the chute used to be. Worked great for everything--except, apparently, docking.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Srpadget
(Edited to add text after successful image post)

[Blind Dead McJones]

You're gonna have a hard time docking stuff on the ground on Kerbin because the gravity there is stronger than the magnetic attraction of the docking ports. It's possible, but it will be easier on the Mun or Minmus.

The only thing I can tell you is that you could try targeting the port specifically. When you get near enough to see it, right click on the port and select "set as target". Also, try turning off SAS and RCS. They work against the magnetic attraction of the docking ports unless they're perfectly aligned. Lastly, the difficult in making the connection is proportional to the mass of your ships. Small ships have an easier time docking.

[Taki117]

On another note, don't try to fight the magnetic attraction (it kicks in at about 2m from docked) depending on craft size I get it lined up, then about 10m from docked I just turn everything off and let it drift.

[Claw]

I presume you are opening that port up before you dock to anything.

Also, make sure your docking ports are the same size and that they are oriented the correct direction. The Sr ports are suceptable to being attached the wrong way because the graphics look similar on both sides. Look for the silver looking ring on the dockable side.

And make sure you actually have a docking port on your target vehicle. A few parts look like they have a docking port on them, but you need to attach an actual docking port.

[LethalDose]

Also, there are some bugs in the program when it comes do docking. open your persistence file and search for "acquire". If you find something, there's an issue.

Also what Claw said about opening to hatch.

[Srpadget]

Will check persistence file. And after my current obsession with Mun landings has subsided, I'll go back and try docking a couple more times.

So, um, now that I've gotten all this useful info, how do I flag this thread as "answered"?

[iFlyAllTheTime]

No mods. Absolutely bog-standard stock game. Playing career mode, not that I expect that makes a difference. Will grab a screen shot and post it when I get the chance.

Unless you're forcing yourself to keep playing stock, I highly recommend navyfish's docking alignment indicator. HERE

While you're at it, the enhanced navball works wonders as well. HERE

These mods in no way automate things for you. IMHO, they just present the info in an easy to understand way.