Everybody's clutch SUCKS!!!!

[agrimes]

I've looked at dozens of workshop items and usually to get them working, even at a minimal level, the first thing I need to do is to find the circuitry that controls the clutch, rip it out, throw down my autoclutch, and then evaluate the design to see if it is worth trying to overhaul.

How do ppl get clutches wrong time and time again? How hard is a clutch anyway?

What are the requirements for a clutch anyway?

In this game, the one and only use for a clutch is to allow the engine to idle without driving the load. Secondary to this one use, is the ability to engage the load without stalling the engine.

So, what specifically are the requirements:

First, we require the clutch to be fully disengaged (as much as possible) when the engine is idling. I've seen engines idle happily enough as low as 180 rpm and idling as high as 220 or so is perfectly reasonable too. So therefore, whatever function we use, it must not start engaging until at least the mid 200s in RPM.

All of the diesel engines have a sharp efficiency peak at 450 RPM, so therefore the cruising speed for any vehicle using these, should be between 400 and 500 RPM, so therefore we want the clutch to be fully engaged before 380 RPM and remain fully engaged through redline.

Ok, so the solution that works in all cases that I've tested, is to implement a simple linear function that takes RPS as an input and outputs clutch engagement.

We can't simply switch the clutch in because that will kill the engine, and we shouldn't make the slope too gradual because that would waste fuel. We therefore implement a reasonable slope depending on our application.

NOTICE: PROPELLER AIRCRAFT NEVER HAVE CLUTCHES. IF YOU FIND A CLUTCH ON A PROPELLER AIRCRAFT THEN THAT AIRCRAFT WAS MADE BY A MORON. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW BEAUTIFUL THE BUILD IS IN ALL OTHER RESPECTS OR HOW INTRICATE THE DESIGN IS, THIS PERSON PUT A CLUTCH ON AN AIRCRAFT AND IS THEREFORE A MORON. They always have the chance to take the clutch out of their design and thereby become smart but until they do so, they are dumb. In all aircraft applications, we attach the output of the autclutch to the propeller trim input and calibrate the full scale output and gearbox to put an appropriate load on the engine at full throttle. Another valid approach is to inject an adjustable trim signal and multiply it into the output of the autoclutch. Under no circumstances should a clutch ever be considered for aircraft use.

For our purposes, there are two kinds of loads, "soft" loads and "hard" loads.

Soft loads are loads where the engine will be driving some kind of fluid (air, water I don't care.) or a generator where the generator load is known beforehand to be within the capacity of the motor. Clutches are only used with generators when it is necessary to drive the generator with multiple engines because it is necessary to be able to start the engines sequentially. There are two types of generators, variable and ON-OFF generators. Variable generators can idle while fully engaged with the generator, though at the cost of a bit more fuel. ON-OFF generators are more efficient but less powerful. They run either at 450 rpm or not at all. Once again, clutches are only ever used in generators when it is necessary to start multiple driving engines in sequence.

Hard loads are wheels, either rail or ground. Hybrid electric drivetrains work very well in this game, in which case clutches are unnecessary. In cases where you want to use a gear drive anyway, use a clutch.

In all "soft load" applications I have tested, engaging the clutch at a rate of 1.0 (or over the span of a delta of one rotation per second) works quite well.

In all "Hard Load" applications I suggest an engagement rate of 0.5, (or over the span of a delta of 2 rotations per second.) Depending on gearing, the engine will frequently have to "fight" the clutch but will seldom stall and will meet all performance requirements just fine.

Regardless of what you do, if I hop in ur build and it can't move or it stalls or it wastes fuel or explodes or doesn't run right, the culprit is almost always the clutch, and it almost always works adequately once I rip whatever you had out and throw in my autoclutch module without any further tuning...

[BRRRT]

chill

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

What the clutch did you just mucking say about me, you little snitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Clutch Gaming, and I've been involved in numerous secret clutch installations on the workshop, and I have over 300 confirmed repairs. I am trained in gorilla glue and I'm the top wrencher in the entire Stormworks crew. You are nothing to me but just another steam member. I will install your clutches with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my gosh darn words. You think you can get away with saying that stuff to me over the Internet? Think again, motherducker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of engineers across the USA and your car's bad clutches are being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your clutch philosophy. It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ over, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can install clutches in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed clutch installation, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Engineering Corps and I will use it to its full extent to install clutches in ways you deem wrong, you little poopyhead. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your ducking tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ silly person. I will defecate fury all over you and you will drown in it. Your clutch is installed, kiddo.

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

P.S. You're also wrong on just about every point you make and to make it worse your numbers are also catastrophically off the mark :^)

I can elaborate if you really want, but be warned, i have proof and test results, not just funny copypastas.

[Quattro]

slaps clutch on aircraft
sorry what did you say again?

[Overland]

clutches are A REQUIREMENT on aircraft!!!!!

I mean.. The blamfs rub against the chumbles ...

And the ploobis and grumbo are shaved away

how do you do that without a clutch???

[Quattro]

Originally posted by Overland:

clutches are useful on aircraft though, in stormworks you can get minced by a prop easily

having s clutch stops it
and im pretty sure piston helis have a clutch

don't bother trying to reason with him his IQ is way too high for us plebs who use clutches on aircraft
even tho it's just a game so it doesn't matter what you put a clutch on

[Overland]

yes sorry, ive updated my post with hard hitting facts

[Overland]

To further my post

It’s important that the fleeb is rubbed, because the fleeb has all of the fleeb juice. Then a schlami shows up, and he rubs it and spits on it. They cut the fleeb. There’s several hizzards in the way.

that requires a regular old CLUTCH

[NiceGuy]

As all our creations suck and the last thing I want is to embarrasse genius people like agrimes... Can we please get a black list for steam workshop to free agrimes from the pure embarrassment he/she has to take because he/she has to see and use our moron designes.

[m61a1]

I use clutches on aircraft so they don't bloody move until I want!

[agrimes]

Pretend the propeller itself was a clutch, just make the trim 0 when you want to stop, and 0.83 or whotever it needs to move forward...

[ElfBossHogg]

Look up the RL term "Hotel Mode" for aircraft engines. It's the consideration for spinning the engines up just to run their generators for extra power outside of using an APU. Easiest method to do that in Stormworks... use a clutch between the engine and the prop. Sometimes there are other reasons for powering up the aircraft engines other then spinning the props.

[m61a1]

If(more like when lol) I get really serious about aircraft I'll keep that in mind. The ones I've already done are....less than desirable lol.

[Revenant]

i have a clutch between my main rotor and tail rotor on my helicopter, just in case i dont want that back one wasting my valuable spinning power.

[ChyonE]

*parking brake in the distance laughing*