Karbonite help

[NASAengineer]

Hey so I just downloaded Karbonite and it looks really awesome. Just one problem: I have no idea how to use it.

Really I only have two questions:

1. How should I set up a lander that would drill for Karbonite? A picture would be great, but maybe a parts list in order would suffice.
   
2. How can I effectively scan for karbonite. I've seen screenshot were people have maps of the planets with karbonite spots in orange on them. I have no idea how to make that happen.
   

Thanks in advance for your help!

~RJ

[Captain Sierra]

Okay. The orange hotspots are an artifact of ORSX, which was the ISRU framework Karbonite used to run on. It has now since been converted over to Regolith, a custom built ISRU framework. Resource concentration is now linked to biome and can be scanned for via SCANSat (you MUST have the 9.4 dev build though).

As for a Karbonite mining lander, I'd need to know whether your intent is to refuel itself, something in orbit, or what. Karbonite is a lot less feasible than Kethane in terms of throwing down a lander a few times to refuel a larger interplanetary ship. While that works, I find Kethane to be more supportive of that particular style of play.

Either way, I do need more info on what exactly you're trying to accomplish to advise you appropriately.

[NASAengineer]

Youre absolutely right, I was very vague. My intent is just to figure out the system. I was trying to construct a lander that could refuel itself that I could fly to some other point in kerbin and test out the refueling process. My intent is to eventually use it for a interplanetary mission. Should I quit now and try kethane?

As for the first part of your post, I did not understand really any of that (I apologize my gaming experience is minimal and I'm new to mod-lingo if that makes sense). Is there another mod that i need to download in order to use karbonite (or kethane) in that way? If so, what is that called?

Again I apologize for my limited knowledge of the language and the system. I'm trying to learn all of this.

Thanks!

~RJ

[shooty]

Hi RJ,

"Okay. The orange hotspots are an artifact of ORSX, which was the ISRU framework Karbonite used to run on. It has now since been converted over to Regolith, a custom built ISRU framework. Resource concentration is now linked to biome and can be scanned for via SCANSat (you MUST have the 9.4 dev build though..."

-This means the mod has changed since the pictures you saw.

SCANSat is the mod that allows scans of planets and makes the maps there are a couple versions of it right now.

the 9.4 dev version is the one being actively developed for use with karbonite's changes.

I dont think it is included with Karbonite. It is a seperate mod that supports karbonite and other mod resources as well as informational mapping.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/96859-0-90-SCANsat-v9-0rc4-1-Dev-version-UI-Updates-Dec-22

You will want Blizzy's toolbar 1.7.8 (mod) to get most functions working.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60863-0-90-0-Toolbar-1-7-8-Common-API-for-draggable-resizable-buttons-toolbar

I havent tried karbonite, and I am not currently using toolbar or scansat so I dont know how well they are working since the new versions dropped. Not that there should be any problems...

Tips:

I would add one mod at a time. In case one of the mods doesnt play well with others.

Also read the threads for the mods you are using, especialy the first post and the last couple pages as they often have important instructions, tips, and late breaking bug reports and work arounds.

Good luck to you.

Edited January 3, 2015 by shooty
mmm spelling grammer stuff like that

[Captain Sierra]

Youre absolutely right, I was very vague. My intent is just to figure out the system. I was trying to construct a lander that could refuel itself that I could fly to some other point in kerbin and test out the refueling process. My intent is to eventually use it for a interplanetary mission. Should I quit now and try kethane?

As for the first part of your post, I did not understand really any of that (I apologize my gaming experience is minimal and I'm new to mod-lingo if that makes sense). Is there another mod that i need to download in order to use karbonite (or kethane) in that way? If so, what is that called?

Again I apologize for my limited knowledge of the language and the system. I'm trying to learn all of this.

Thanks!

~RJ

Sorry, I was assuming you were rather familiar with modding KSP.

In that case, I'll break this down a whole bunch more. Firstly, the term ISRU, in case you don't know, stands for In-Situ Resource Utilization. Its a fancy acronym for mining stuff and turning into something usable. In the case of both Kethane and Karbonite, the usable product is fuel.

From extensive experience with Kethane and partial experience with Karbonite, I will say now that a self-refueling lander is more easily accomplished using the Kethane mod. That said, I'm not suggesting Kethane over Karbonite. I personally prefer Karbonite because it is a better ISRU mod for what I use it for.

In your case, there are two things about Karbonite that makes a self-refueling lander a bit more difficult.

1) Karbonite drilling equipment is somewhat bulky and heavy.

2) Karbonite is extracted based on concentration (you can find it anywhere, but its best to find a high concentration area) and can be slow

Now, Karbonite will continue to be harvested in the background while you're off tending to an LKO space station and what not. This is one of it's main advantages. What I find to be the most effective way of utilizing Karbonite is to build a surface base on the Mun or Minmus (or both) which extracts and processes Karbonite into usable fuel. From there, I haul the finished product to orbit to fuel up an interplanetary freighter or another large reusable ship.

Another key thing to know is that Karbonite has two separate converters each using a different mechanic. The normal convertor does a straight up one to one* conversion of raw karbonite to liquid fuel and oxidizer. The distiller, the other conversion option, produces monopropellant (and LiquidHydrogen if you use Near Future) BUT it only converts 10% of the karbonite it takes in to product. The remainder is pumped back into the tanks for re-use. To achieve complete conversion*, you'll need to run it for a while. My personal experience is that its best to run both the converter and distiller at the same time. The distiller will skim 10% off for monopropellant (something you don't normally need a lot of) and then the rest is converted to LFO mix (which you generally do need a lot of).

As for finding Karbonite, it is tied to biomes. The concentration of it varies from biome to biome and planet to planet. You can send down a probe with a mini-drill, which is one way of determining the concentration, or if you choose to use the SCANSat mod, which is for mapping planets from orbit, you can see the karbonite density in any given area, allowing you to pick the optimal site for your karbonite mining operations.

I've done my share of refueling infrastructure so if you want any help/suggestions/advice in that department, feel free to ask.

[NASAengineer]

-shooty: Thanks a bunch. That's exactly what I needed. The scanning mod is great, and I'm gonna install the toolbar one now. Thanks mate.

-Captain Sierra: All a misunderstanding bro. No problem. Thanks for the great explanation. I would be interested to see a picture of your refueling base, and the design of the ship you use to ferry it up to another ship. Thanks man!

[Captain Sierra]

-shooty: Thanks a bunch. That's exactly what I needed. The scanning mod is great, and I'm gonna install the toolbar one now. Thanks mate.

-Captain Sierra: All a misunderstanding bro. No problem. Thanks for the great explanation. I would be interested to see a picture of your refueling base, and the design of the ship you use to ferry it up to another ship. Thanks man!

Yeah . . . I don't have one done in this save. Though I can give you some helpful resources I use. This and this are by forum user Temstar, who has since vanished. Bear in mind these were created before landing leg suspension was a thing so that will affect you some. It also uses Kethane instead of Karbonite (Karbonite didnt exist back then) but its still good material. These are where I derived my methods for base building. Give it a read. It may be worth your while or it may not.

[shooty]

Your are very welcome.

[NASAengineer]

Yeah . . . I don't have one done in this save. Though I can give you some helpful resources I use. This and this are by forum user Temstar, who has since vanished. Bear in mind these were created before landing leg suspension was a thing so that will affect you some. It also uses Kethane instead of Karbonite (Karbonite didnt exist back then) but its still good material. These are where I derived my methods for base building. Give it a read. It may be worth your while or it may not.

Sick I appreciate it