So how does one upgrade 5,000 MK1 robots to MK2+?

[Tyrindor]

I can't find an easy way to get them out of the network, upgrade, then back to the network without manually going around and taking them out.

[orzelek]

I have a method but it's not pretty - never used it on so many of them also.
Make a small blueprint containing filter inserter with Mk1 robot filter and placing bots in passive provider chest.
Then place it next to your roboports in highly used areas to get those Mk1's out and deliver them to factory that makes Mk2 and puts it back in roboport.

[Tyrindor]

I have a method but it's not pretty - never used it on so many of them also.
Make a small blueprint containing filter inserter with Mk1 robot filter and placing bots in passive provider chest.
Then place it next to your roboports in highly used areas to get those Mk1's out and deliver them to factory that makes Mk2 and puts it back in roboport.

That's basically what I did, was really hoping there's a better way because this doesn't feel right. Feel like there should be an easier way, and more thorough way. :p

[iamwyza]

The "easiest" way to handle this would be to just put in provider chests next to every roboport as a matter of setup. Then just change the filters when it's time to upgrade.

That said. I think .13 lets you even control what a filter inserter needs to pickup. I haven't dug into those examples/changes yet, but it might be possible to setup the filter inserters then use the circuit network to signal when it's time to start pulling them out of the logistics network. (or I could be wrong)

[iamwyza]

That said. I think .13 lets you even control what a filter inserter needs to pickup. I haven't dug into those examples/changes yet, but it might be possible to setup the filter inserters then use the circuit network to signal when it's time to start pulling them out of the logistics network. (or I could be wrong)

So I went and tested this. What you can do, is as you build out your logistics network, setup a passive (or active) provider chest and a filter inserter at each roboport. Hook all those filter inserters up to a single circuit network line and connect that line to a chest (probably near your logistic bot creation area). The filter mode of operation should be "Set Filters". When you want to pull the bots out, take 1 (or more) of those bots and stick it in that chest you hooked up the network to. All the filter inserters attached to that circuit network are now pulling the bots out of the roboports. Combine that with a requester chest that will request whatever bots you're trying to get and within very little time your entire 5k bots should be pulled out of the network and brought to your logistics build area.

You could also replace the chest with a few constant combinators I think to send the same signal.

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factorio_network_filtering.png (4.11 MiB) Viewed 6731 times

[eformo]

I've had this same question for some time. The method described above works, but the trick is getting one of these to all your roboports. I have roboports sitting in the middle of big solar fields that I really don't want to have to access. Of course, one could write off the bots out there on the grounds that, well, they just ain't doing anything.

The farther reaching solution would be to find a way to make the roboport act like a passive provider in that the items it contains are available to the logistics network. In that case, a simple requester chest could call the bots in for upgrading.

[orzelek]

If you don't mind your factory stopping for short while I think you could "lure" all the bots to one location asking them to do something circuler and then grab all of them out of the network in that location. It would call all of them to come there then - drawback being lots of other things could stop during this time.

[Aikonn]

I use something similar. But I went for lazy easy setup. I have "replacing mechanism" only at my central storage. that way it will be easy to change when i get to new tier.

I pull bots out of roboports using filter inserters:
- i pull them only from roboports at my central storage - sooner or later most bots come here and are slowly replaced
- i pull them to active provider chest - this way they are put to storage chest which takes prefence before passive provider chest - which means that pulled out bots will be also used as material for better bots

I am using new 0.13 feature that allows to read bots count. Using simple circuit i supply new bots automatically but with maximum limit. This way total number of bots remains same.
- one requester chest and insterter for logistics bot
- one requester chest and insterter for contruction bot
- both connected with wire to one roboport, which is set to send bots count

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