Mux/Demux combinator

[evandy]

TL:DR:
There is a type of combinator missing, which I am going to call the Mux/Demux combinator. It is essetially the "Pointer Logic" combinator.

What?:
The "MUX" Combinator would use a selector-signal to select which logic signal to route to a defined output signal
The "DEMUX" combinator would use a selector-signal to select which output signal to fill with its input signal

Examples: Assume the Logic network has:
{ iron-ore: 5,
copper-ore: 100,
A: 1,
B: 25
}

Also assume that "iron-ore" has an internal integer ID value of 1, and "copper-ore" has an internal ID value of 2 (I am assuming that every logic signal has a unique internal integer ID)

MUX( Selector: A, output-signal C) --> Outputs the value of 5 (the current value of iron-ore) onto signal C
MUX( Selector: 2, output-signal C) --> Outputs the value of 100 (the current value of copper-ore) onto signal C

DEMUX( Selector: A, input-signal B) --> Outputs the value of 25 (the value of signal B) onto signal iron-ore
DEMUX( selector: 2, input-signal B) --> Outputs the value oy 25 (the current value of signal B) onto signal copper-ore

[ssilk]

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/TriCircuits

[evandy]

I don't think that's quite the same thing (though the names are similar) - the TriCircuit's combinator appears to need a manually set channel selector, as opposed to taking it from the circuit network.

[ssilk]

Maybe you should read the description a second time...

BTW: There are also mods that transfer signals without wire.

[evandy]

Maybe you should read the description a second time...

BTW: There are also mods that transfer signals without wire.

No, it definitely isn't quite the same thing. I might be able to use it to achieve the same ends, but I will need to go play with it to confirm. That mod lets you swap between (and latch) multiple versions of the same signal. And the selector is essentially manually set.

My suggestion has two key differences:
1) Instead of selecting between multiple versions of the same signal (iron-ore from Mux1 vs iron-ore from Mux2), it allows you to select between different circuit network signals (e.g. iron-ore vs copper-ore)
2) The selector signal can be a circuit network signal itself, rather than coming from a manual setting (and a constant combinator iterating through numbers is still essentially manual)

[ssilk]

Maybe you should read the description a second time...

BTW: There are also mods that transfer signals without wire.

No, it definitely isn't quite the same thing.

Yes, of course. But you describe something, I still not understand, but the mod is what’s called a mux/demux or multiplexer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplexer

I might be able to use it to achieve the same ends, but I will need to go play with it to confirm.

Well as said, I don’t understand how your suggestion works and why, I think mainly because what you described isn’t a multiplexer, but something else.

You can try to explain it with some graphics, see above. But I think most important for this kind of suggestions is the WHY-part. Which is missing.