Hinge

Hinge


Function:	Hinges can transfer items and rotate up to 180 degrees....
DLC?	Vanilla

Fits small grid
Mass:	225.4 kg
Hitpoints:	862
Power:	-0.002 MW
PCU:	100
Size:	1x1x1
Time to Build:	8 sec

Fits large grid
Mass:	596.4 kg
Hitpoints:	2302
Power:	-0.002 MW
PCU:	100
Size:	1x1x1
Time to Build:	16 sec

Data Controls:	[purge] (?))

Hinge blocks are Mechanical Blocks much like elbow joints that can apply torque to a subgrid allowing for 180 degrees of motion. Use Hinges when building retractable landing gear, collapsible solar arrays, foldable doors, cranes, custom turrets, Mecha legs, and much more.

Usage

Technically, Hinges are Rotors with a -90 to +90 degree limitation and the attachment point on another side.

When attached to conveyor ports, Hinges have conveyor capabilities on both ends.

Like other mechanical blocks, blocks connected by Hinges will appear in different colors in the control panel. The attached grid is referred to as subgrid and is treated differently as far as steering is concerned.

Control Panel

Hinges have practically the same Controls as Rotors. Add the following Control Panel Screen actions to a cockpit's toolbar as needed:

Block On/Off - Toggles the Hinge on or off.
Hinge Lock - Lock the hinge rigidly in its position. Examples:
- To prevent sudden clanging, enable Hinge Lock while configuring a Hinge's limits.
- To keep the hinge in its current position, enable Hinge Lock.
- To allow free flexing within the set limits, like a hitch or chain link, unlock the hinge.
Upper Limit and Lower Limit - Set the two positions between which the hinge will move when its velocity > 0 and it's unlocked.
Braking Torque - A passive value how much the hinge resists bending.
- To prevent slacking when the hinge is switched off or unpowered, set a high Braking Torque.
- To let the Hinge swing loosely, set the Braking Torque to zero.
Set velocity - Enter the velocity in rotations per minute, e.g. 1.0 RPM. Then give this setting a named label, such as “ vel: 1”.
- A velocity of zero means the hinge does not actively move.
Reverse - Toggles the direction of the motion by negating the current speed value.
Rotate to Angle - Enter an angle between -90 and 90. Then enter a velocity in rotations per minute. Then give this setting a named label, such as “tilt 90”.
Reset the speed to zero before controlling the limits manually.
This resets upper and lower limit!
Detach Head - Detach half the hinge to be able to chain Hinges and Hinge Parts together. Used together with Attach Head.
Attach Head - Chain two grid together. After detaching the Hinge Part on one grid, place a solitary Hinge Part on the other grid, and move both so they visually overlap, then trigger the Attach action.
Add Small Head/Add Medium Head/Add Large Head - After detaching, you can add a Hinge Part that converts to a different block size.

Tip: Group Hinges to synchronise controls and to trigger actions on several at the same time.

How to stabilise mechanical grids

In general, it's safest to use mechanical blocks on static grids. Hinges can push grids into one another and generate vibrations that shake mobile grids apart when connected one to another to form subgrids.

On the Control Panel Screen, enable the Share Inertia Tensor setting on all subgrid hinges (except on the first hinge that’s attached to the main grid!) to equalise the virtual masses to achieve more stable behaviour.

On mobile grids, set up a Gyroscope on override for stabilisation; or if possible, lock down the grid safely with Landing Gear to prevent shaking.

Construction

Hinges exist for small grids and large grids. Small grids have a third Hinge variant in addition to the regular one, called the Hinge 3x3, that attaches to a 3x3 block area on a small grid.

Hinges are composed of two separate parts that you must both weld up, a Hinge and a Hinge Part, they operate as a single block.

Large-grid Hinges are quite reliable when fit inside the space of full sized armor blocks because their hitboxes are smaller than 1x1x1 large grid block, allowing for flush doors. Hinges are however not airtight.

When you place the full Hinge from the Toolbar-menu, the Hinge Part is added automatically.
The two halves are also available as separate blocks in the Toolbar-menu and can be built on separate grids. For example, to build a hitch between a rover and a trailer.
To connect the two halfs, move the two grids close together so that Hinge and Hinge Part overlap, then press the Attach button in the Control Panel Screen.
To disconnect the Hinge Part, for example to disconnect a hitch, click Detach on the Control Panel Screen.

Tip: If you're drifting and you can't keep the two Hinge halves in place and at the same time click the Attach button, build a Timer Block that triggers Attach on the Hinge block for you, and then make it trigger itself once per second, to repeatedly try to attach.

Recipes

Hinge
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	10	6	4	2
Motor	4	—	2	—
Large Steel Tube	4	—	1	—
Construction Comp.	10	—	4	—
Computer	2	—	2	—

Hinge Part
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	8	4	2	1
Large Steel Tube	4	—	1	—
Construction Comp.	8	—	2	—

Hinge 3x3
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	—	—	6	4
Motor	—	—	2	—
Large Steel Tube	—	—	2	—
Construction Comp.	—	—	6	—
Computer	—	—	2	—

Hinge Part 3x3
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	—	—	4	2
Large Steel Tube	—	—	2	—
Construction Comp.	—	—	4	—