Rotor

Rotor


Category:	Functional
Function:	Allow controlled rotation

Fits small grid
Mass:	168.2 kg
Power:	0.0002 MW
PCU:	100
Size:	1x2x1
Time to Build:	10 sec

Fits large grid
Mass:	576.4 kg
Power:	0.002 MW
PCU:	100
Size:	1x2x1
Time to Build:	20 sec

Data Controls:	[edit] [purge] (?)

The Rotor is one of the Mechanical Blocks that acts as a swivel for rotating structures on stations and ships.

Usage

Use rotors when building retractable landing feet, collapsible solar arrays, custom turrets, iris doors, turning cranes, Mecha legs, truck hitches, Docking systems, and much more.

The rotor will conduct power and terminal access from one subgrid to another. The Advanced Rotor additionally connects the Conveyor systems of the main grid and the subgrid.

The attached grid is referred to as subgrid and is treated differently as far as steering is concerned. Blocks connected by rotors will appear in different colors in the Control Panel Screen.

See also How to connect small and large grid blocks using rotors.

How to synchronise two rotors

How to set two rotors to the same velocity but opposite direction:

Switch both Rotors off.
Select both together in the Control Panel Screen and set them both to the same velocity and same braking torque values. Tip: Ctrl-click on a slider to enter a numeric value.
Select one Rotor, and click Reverse.
Switch both Rotors back on.

How to set the rotor base offset

The base offset of a large basic rotor is 0.420864 metres. To make it flush with the block grid, stack 5 of them and set their offsets to -0.0792 metres. Stacking 4 at max offsets comes 2 cm short. The base offset of a small basic rotor is 0.03604 metres. To make it flush with the block grid, set the offset to -0.009 metres.

Source: (Official Statement) Piston and Rotor Offsets

How to set up more than two rotor stops

In the Rotor settings, you can set only a min and a max value. To make the rotor stop in between, you need to add Docking blocks and use some smart tricks. For details, see How to set up more than two rotor stops.

Control Panel Screen

Rotors can be grouped to share some controls. Most Rotor settings apply also to Hinges.

Access the Rotor through the Control Panel Screen to adjust its settings:

Torque - Sets the lifting strength of the rotor to overcome subgrid mass and external resistance.
Braking Torque - Sets the resisting strength of the rotor to hold the mass of attached blocks when the rotor has been stopped or if there's a power outage. If this is zero the Rotor swings freely.
Velocity - Sets the number of rotations per minute (RPM) that it should actively spin. Positive numbers spin clockwise, negative numbers spin counter clockwise. This RPM value is not precisely enforced like clockwork, in game it can be a bit faster/slower, especially with a heavy subgrid.
Lower Limit - Sets the farthest stop in degrees that the rotor rotates counter clockwise. Or set it to "unlimited" to rotate freely.
Upper Limit - Sets the farthest stop in degrees that the rotor rotates clockwise. Or set it to "unlimited" to rotate freely.
Displacement - Sets the distance of the rotor head to its base. Useful to position the subgrid precisely, for example, to fit a door frame or elevator shaft. (Added in update 1.040.)

Buttons:

Switch Block On/Off - A switched off Rotor without Rotor Lock spins passively, which is useful for secondary rotors that are used for stabilisation and not for lifting.
Rotor Lock - Stops the rotor even if the velocity is non-zero.
Reverse - Lets you quickly invert the velocity and makes the rotor turn the other way round.
Share Inertia Tensor - See “Stability” section.
Detach/Attach/Add Head - You can connect two grids of the same or different block size by attaching a Rotor Head to a Stator. For usage, see also workaround to connect small and large grid blocks.

Stability

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

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

If you use Rotors on mobile grids, setting Gyroscopes on override and locking down the grid safely with Landing Gear can help to reduce shaking.

Trivia

While axially aligned, the two halves allow for some minor movement; if enough rotors are chained together, they can bend and even be forced to loop around.

Construction

Rotors are composed of two halves: The larger external Rotor casing (technically called stator) and the Rotor Head, the spinning inner shaft with an attachment plate. Though created as one part when being placed from the Toolbar, you must weld the two halves separately. Forgetting this will cause the rotor plate to be non-functional.

You can also build the Rotor and Rotor Head on two separate grids, align the two grids so the rotor halves overlap, and click the Detach/Attach Head button in the Control Panel Screen to connect the two grids together.

Tip: If you are drifting and can't keep the Rotor halves in place and at the same time click the button, build a temporary Timer Block that triggers Attach on the Rotor halves for you, and also triggers itself once per second, to repeatedly try to attach.

Recipe

Rotor
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Computer	2	—	1	—
Motor	4	—	1	—
Small Steel Tube	—	—	1	—
Large Steel Tube	4 (+24 for the head)	—	—	—
Construction Comp.	10	—	—	—
Steel Plate	10	5 (+30 for the head)	3	2