Rendezvous (and sort of docking) done, but what happens HERE? (Docking problem)

[Ghostexx7]

Hello again, now with my Rendezvous problem fixed (sorta) i managed to get close to a ship, but it was a p*in in the ass to get to a docking position and do the speed maneuvers, the point is, i finally reached a "stable" position and i have the two docking ports "hugging" each other, but they WONT connect

i used mechjeb for circularize (cant be bothered)

If you need any other info tell me

sorry for the little photo, the bigger one wont upload.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Ghostexx7
Answered

[undercoveryankee]

First thing to try is to turn off any attitude control (SAS, SmartASS) on both ships. Sometimes that's enough to let the ports figure it out.

[Mr Shifty]

Can't really see what's going on in the little image, but it looks like maybe your NavBall is not in target mode, which would help in determining if your orientation is correct. Also, are you sure the docking ports are installed with the correct side facing out? (It's easy to put them on upside-down if you don't know what to look for.) You could try imgur to upload a bigger image. It's what most folks seem to use here.

[Ghostexx7]

Can't really see what's going on in the little image, but it looks like maybe your NavBall is not in target mode, which would help in determining if your orientation is correct. Also, are you sure the docking ports are installed with the correct side facing out? (It's easy to put them on upside-down if you don't know what to look for.) You could try imgur to upload a bigger image. It's what most folks seem to use here.

biggur

[Wanderfound]

Hard to tell with the low-res, but it looks to me like the ports on the station are installed backwards.

[TrooperCooper]

biggur

That docking port is fitted the wrong way.

[Mr Shifty]

That docking port is fitted the wrong way.

Yeah, they're all upside down. The flat part should be facing out.

[TrooperCooper]

^ the upper side of the docking port in this image has to connect to the next port (of the ship that you want to dock with).

[Ghostexx7]

I checked and the docking ports are correctly placed. :/ still cant find solution

[Mr Shifty]

I checked and the docking ports are correctly placed. :/ still cant find solution

We can see in the image that the docking ports are upside down. The wrong side (the side with the ragged edge and cowling) is facing out. You need to have the side with the docking ring and EVA handle facing out.

[Greenfire32]

I checked and the docking ports are correctly placed. :/ still cant find solution

Incorrect. They're upside down.

[Ghostexx7]

Incorrect. They're upside down.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h289/Greenfire31/Incorrect.jpg

Wait, the "+" part is the one that can attach?

oh. my. god

Things just got real! that is why "Docking autopilot" was going the invert! D: im stoopid

[Greenfire32]

Wait, the "+" part is the one that can attach?

oh. my. god

Well no, the docking ports are the parts that do all the attaching (and those can be placed anywhere) but since the docking ports on the "+" part are all upside down, it's an educated guess that the docking port on top of the "+" is also upside down.

Perhaps another image from another angle would be more helpful in this situation, but I'm 100% sure that the ports are facing the wrong way.

that is why "Docking autopilot" was going the invert!

That's probably because your ports are facing the wrong way.

D: im stoopid

No you're not. This is new to you, that's all.

[Mr Shifty]

Wait, the "+" part is the one that can attach?

oh. my. god

Things just got real! that is why "Docking autopilot" was going the invert! D: im stoopid

Everyone makes this mistake early on. It's even tougher to see the correct orientation on the Clamp-O-Tron Sr. because both sides look similar. You'll really want to make sure you know which side should face out when you use those.

[Pecan]

right-click your docking port and "Control From Here". Then, right-click the target port and "Set as Target". This activates the electromagnets that will draw the ports together.

This is not required. Docking ports don't need activating - they will magnetise and lock whenever they are in range and aligned. The only time you can't come straight on in is when you've just undocked and want to immediately re-dock. Then you need to back of a short distance (10m?) before the ports will work again.