A simple 'smart laser' switch (test setup only)

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Sutremaine
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A simple 'smart laser' switch (test setup only)

Post by Sutremaine »

Please pretend that lamp is a laser turret.

Image
Blueprint string
Power switch enabled condition: [ammo type] < 3
Transport belt settings: Read contents, hold signal.
Inserter settings: Chest inserter has a stack size of 1, turret inserter has a stack size of 2.

When the system is at rest, the gun turret is full of ammo and the belt has three magazines on it (four if you point the belt at the chest). When the gun turret needs more ammo, the turret inserter takes two magazines and the chest inserter replaces one. The chest inserter cannot replace all three magazines before the turret inserter takes at least one of them, and so there remain fewer than three magazines on the belt while the gun turret is requesting ammo.

Burner inserters are used here mostly for a clean visual, though they do have a real use. Their slow speed means fewer magazines going into the gun turret, which means less ammo wasted on sounding the alarm*.

Oh, and if you do choose to build this little proof of concept, test it at night. During the day, the lamp will flash 'no power' even when the power switch is closed.

As you might be able to tell from the displayed stats, if you can make them out, I do not have enough problems with biters to warrant a whole bunch of lasers. Placement of the spotter turret is untried -- too far out and it might get chewed on, too far in and the lasers lose their range advantage. (I've been able to protect my gun turrets from damage by putting some yellow belt right at the edge of their range. Spitters can't get into range and biters get hung up on the belt, and they can all be killed before they start attacking the obstructing belt. Then again, the only attacks I get are expansion attempts, and they're about a dozen bugs apiece. No behemoths yet.)

*You don't need any ammo at all with an accumulator-based switch, but those are a little... intimidating? This is one circuit wire.

4xel
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Re: A simple 'smart laser' switch (test setup only)

Post by 4xel »

Their slow speed means fewer magazines going into the gun turret, which means less ammo wasted on sounding the alarm*.
Ammunition are not wasted any more than in a full gun turret design, although it does feel kind of weird to use ammunition in a system supposed to be cheaper than regular laser.

The main disadvantage of this setup I'd say however is the idle time of the turret. It needs to wait for the gun turret to empty a whole round (one second without tech?), all that while the laser turrets effectively see their range diminished by 25%.
*You don't need any ammo at all with an accumulator-based switch, but those are a little... intimidating? This is one circuit wire.
Accu based switch tend to be what people first think off for laser switch, since after all, if you're wooried about turret drain, you already have a bunch of them. But using a flameturret as hte detecting head is actually much better IMO
- reaction time of 1/3 of s without tech (one third of an unupgraded gun based detector, and still marginally better than a fully teched one)
- longer range than laser turret, dropping the effective reaction time to 0, laser turrets even have time to charge before the ennemies arrive to shoot at max distance (even better than laser detector)
- good statline, and very ammo efficient compared to gun, and is very good as a one of along laser turrets.
- no electricity drain
- the wiring is actually rather simple, much simpler than an accu switch, almost as simple as your gun based one.

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