Distributing repair packs

[Nova]

How can I get logistic bots to spread my produced repair packs? I want to always have a few near my bases, but I can't order them per requester chest, because the repair bots ignore them if they have to repair something.

I tried to move them per smart inserter into a storage chest, but the logistic robots fill the requester chest with this repair packs - not what I wanted. ^^

I don't want to insert them directly into the roboports, because that would overfill them. Getting the amount of repair packs out of the roboport doesn't work because they don't accept a smart wire connection.

[DaveMcW]

You can abuse the fact that bots prefer storage chests over passive provider chests.

1. Repair pack assembling machine outputs to storage chest.
2. Requester chest orders repair packs where you want them.
3. Smart inserter moves repair packs from requester chest to passive provider chest.

[Nova]

The problem is exact this fact that they prefer storage chests: They fly to the storage chest to get more repair packs, even if the passive provider chest is much closer.

[DaveMcW]

Maybe limit the assembling machine storage chest to 1 repair pack?

[sillyfly]

I have a question and a suggestion (I guess feature/mod suggestion):
If there are repair packs in the roboport, will the construction robots in this roboport prefer them over any chest?
If so - what if you could wire roboports with green/red wires, and use smart inserters to keep them supplied with a reasonable amount of repair packs?
It is also possible now to put a requester chest with an inserter into the roboport, but putting 500 or so repair packs in each roboport is probably a bit overkill...

[Nova]

Maybe limit the assembling machine storage chest to 1 repair pack?

That would create some ugly problems, like a very slow distribution of the repair packs to the targets, and a very long travel way for the first construction robot if it wants to repair something.

If there are repair packs in the roboport, will the construction robots in this roboport prefer them over any chest?

Yes, they should prefer the repair packs in the roboport, but I'm not sure.

If so - what if you could wire roboports with green/red wires, and use smart inserters to keep them supplied with a reasonable amount of repair packs?

I hope that this comes with the smart logistic update (0.12?), that every building with an inventory can be connected with red and green wires.

It is also possible now to put a requester chest with an inserter into the roboport, but putting 500 or so repair packs in each roboport is probably a bit overkill...

Yeah, that's the reason I don't automatically let the inserter put them into the roboport... ^^

[DaveMcW]

The problem is exact this fact that they prefer storage chests: They fly to the storage chest to get more repair packs, even if the passive provider chest is much closer.

Construction bots give up when the item they want is removed from the storage chest. Logistics bots keep going anyway, and only give up if the storage chest is empty when they arrive.

So if you constantly fill and empty a storage chest, you can provide repair packs to logistics bots and not construction bots.

[Nova]

I will try that, thanks. (I hope I remember this thread until tomorrow... ^^)

[Align]

I was just thinking, what happens if you output into an active provider chest and limit by using a smart inserter tuned to the amount of repair packs in the logistics network?

[Nova]

Active provider chests would let the items be transported into storage chests. :/

[DaveMcW]

Active provider chests and the robots emptying them do not count as part of the logistics network. So the smart inserter would not be able to get an accurate count.

Probably the easiest solution is to request electronic circuits and iron gear wheels, and produce repair packs locally.

[ssilk]

Or put the repair packs into storage chests and request low numbers (requester chest), which are moved into a passive provider chest - either limited by stacks or via circuit network. The logistic bots will first try to take the repair packs from the storage chests, not the passive providers.

[DaveMcW]

The logistic bots will first try to take the repair packs from the storage chests, not the passive providers.

So will the construction bots... as mentioned by Nova in the third post.

[ssilk]

Argl. Damn. I know why I never have tried that, it is just not worth the hassle. Put some repair packs anywhere, ready. If the bots take too long upgrade their speed or split network into two parts.

[Nova]

Producing the repair packs on the place with delivered gears and circuits and then storing them with smart inserters in storage chests should be the best solution in the moment. Not really nice, but the best I can think of.

[seancl]

I came up with a way to stock remote passive provider chests to serve as a cache for items, which you could use to create little caches of repair packs near your roboports. Here's how it works:

Remote Cache Illustration

-Chest A (the requester chest) is set to request some number of items, which we will call X.
-Chests B and C (the buffer smart chests) can only hold some number of items, which we will call Y. You can limit Y by disabling most of the slots in the chest.
-Inserter 1 will fill chest B when the red wire connection (to D) has 0 of the item.
-Inserter 2 will fill chest C when the red wire connection (to D) has 0 items AND the green wire connection (to B) has at least Y items.
-Inserter 3 will fill chest D (the passive provider chest) when the red wire connection (to A) has at least X items and the green wire connection (to C) has at least Y items.
-Inserter 4 will fill chest D (the passive provider chest) when the green wire connection (to B) has 0 items.

This setup will only request items when the cache (chest D) is completely empty, at which point it will refill chest D with 2*Y items. This can be inconvenient, but it is by design - by only requesting items when Chest D is empty, it will prevent an infinite loop where bots try to fill the requests from A with items from D. Now you can create a source of items for your logistics system away from the main source of those items, which will refill itself automatically from the main source when it runs dry.

Hope this helps!

[Turtle]

I asked the same thing before and found no solution... I just discarded the idea lol. If it takes more than 1 chest and 1 inserter... it's not worth it for me.