Let's see your clever builds

[n9103]

With a selection of pre-determined layouts, making that rating into a conformity index, rather than a cleverness one.
If you guys manage to get a true and accurate procedural rating system to work, give IBM or Google a call, I'm sure they'd be interested in your creation of A.I.

[MadZuri]

In an attempt to bring things back on topic:

I built a testing rig to see if there was a faster way to load/unload a train. There is. Two rows of long-handed inserters are a little bit faster than fast inserters. Side advantage: double buffer storage from the 2 rows of chests required to make it work.

[dee-]

Holy Moly!

They really can move stuff around. I especially like the fact it's easily possible to have them fill both sides of the belt:

[MadZuri]

You beat me to showing a test stop in action. The disadvantage to this build is the 48 inserters it takes to make it work. I think I figured out the fastest way to do a train stop in vanilla.

[dee-]

and you can't use filter inserters

[ssilk]

How would you differentiate between random mess of belts, splitters and inserters from something that actually does something?

Good point. Hmmm. You need to measure the throughput of the system, too. And, well, that cannot be automated.

[Neotix]

Smelting without electricity

[mike_smit]

Smelting without electricity

What's up with the snaking coal line?

[MeduSalem]

What's up with the snaking coal line?

He uses them to keep the Burner Inserters on the output side filled with fuel. It's working but it looks really awkward.

I question myself what's up with all the guys trying to do everything without electric power all of a sudden.

[katyal]

To keep the burner inserters working on copper and iron

[mike_smit]

why not like this? seems to me a more future proof design

effecient furnace.jpg (527.35 KiB) Viewed 32573 times

EDIT*************

here is the full screenshot with attachment to main bus

Full image.jpg (554.97 KiB) Viewed 32573 times

[Talguy]

I can't find the original thread, but here seems like a good place for it Bootstrap adaptive power supply, it activates before you have a power failure. This is because of the way accumulators work when they are connected to multiple power networks. It maintains 0 charge, and eats enough power from the main grid to power the inserters and light. Right before your main accumulator bank is completely discharged, the dummy one here can't charge fast enough to run the inserters and the burner inserter can grab the fuel. It is a boot strap because it powers the later steam engines by powering the pumps. Without the accumulator, it works just like any other adaptive steam engine setup. Enjoy.

How do you keep the main engines turned off? With the pumps? If I understand correctly, whenever you have enough energy in your accumulators, the burner inserter doesn't get fuel so the pumps don't let any water go through. Is that correct?

I know for a fact that each 10 engines require 13 or 14 boilers (depending on the travel distance), is there a trick to only use 1 bootstrap steam engine for like 40 steam engines (4 water input sources)?

Edit: Found https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=5&t=6066, that could probably work right?

[MadZuri]

How do you keep the main engines turned off? With the pumps? If I understand correctly, whenever you have enough energy in your accumulators, the burner inserter doesn't get fuel so the pumps don't let any water go through. Is that correct?

I know for a fact that each 10 engines require 13 or 14 boilers (depending on the travel distance), is there a trick to only use 1 bootstrap steam engine for like 40 steam engines (4 water input sources)?

Edit: Found https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=5&t=6066, that could probably work right?

Yes, I keep the main engines turned off by removing power from the pumps. And yes, the inserters prevent the burner inserter from getting fuel. If they lose power, the bootstrap steam engine powers up and allows water to flow to the main engine system. Each cluster of 9 engines needs a bootstrap engine. I've since improved that design, but I didn't think anyone was interested in it.

bootstrap2.jpg (469.25 KiB) Viewed 32523 times

I swapped to a power sensor, and intentionally mixed fuel line feeding the bootstrap engines. It is blueprint tileable, but you gotta remember to remove the cables in the middle. My other design, just south of this one, uses 2 bootstrap engines to power the pumps for 70 steam engines.

bootstrap3.jpg (292.32 KiB) Viewed 32523 times

I like to play around with this sort of thing. I hope this helps.

[Talguy]

Thanks for the answer!

[...] but I didn't think anyone was interested in it.[...]

Anyone viewing this topic is, I guess

[...]uses 2 bootstrap engines to power the pumps for 70 steam engines..

That helps! I love how the first one looks(red inserter trick),and like the way the boilers are set in the second.

[...] intentionally mixed fuel line feeding the bootstrap engines.

Can you explain why you have mixed fuel?

I'm seriously going to experiment with this! Also, if you could export the blueprint, that would be awesome

[MadZuri]

Can you explain why you have mixed fuel?

I'm seriously going to experiment with this! Also, if you could export the blueprint, that would be awesome

Mixed fuel for the staggered burn times, each line is powered for a different length of time. It helps with my wildly varying power demands. I'll do better than blueprint export, I'll email you the save file, send me a PM with your preferred address.

(edit) I can't seem to get the Foreman mod to work, so no easy BP export...

[Neotix]

Wagon Sorter

Train can transport any kind of items (unsorted). Each wagon in sorter have set filters to receive only specific kind of items. For example first row have set to receive Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Coal and Stone. Second row is only for faster unload and transport Iron Ore and Copper Ore. Only wagon in the middle of the second row have all four resource. Next items are transported down and spitted on the left and right. In that way sorter never stuck because it will take only that items which have free space in sorter, and the rest will stay in train.



It's important to set filters with proper priority. On screen Iron Ore have the highest priority and Stone the lowest.



In first step Iron Ore and Stone are sorted so to the next step transportet are only Copper Ore and Coal. Of course with proper priority.



We can build sorter on both side to double sorting speed.

[Talguy]

(edit) I can't seem to get the Foreman mod to work, so no easy BP export...

Blueprint string works just fine, it exports all your blueprints.

[n9103]

Wagon Sorter

Well now that's an unusual setup.
Would come in handy if you don't have smart inserters available until long after trains are running, though I'm not sure that's a particularly valid stipulation.
Definitely functional, but I wonder if there's a problem with the lack of speed from having four inserters on the front/back of each wagon (as opposed to the twelve on the sides, which should be able to keep up with any reasonable throughput requirements).
I suppose it wouldn't be much harder to extend the layout in such a way as to overcome/avoid that being a bottleneck. Something like making it three times as high and therefore having three times as many inserters feeding from the front and backs of the cars, particularly for the output wagons.

A very unusual setup, but quite interesting.

[Neotix]

Sorter with belts and smart inserters have that problem that it can be easily overflowed and stuck. We have to control incoming items to be sure that not wanted items are not unload from the train. In previous gameplays I was able to achieve that by controlling load in mine stations but it become pain in the ass when factory become quite large. I think that wagon sorter can be solution to that problem. Of course my setup is only prototype and it can be improved to increase speed. I'm thinking about combine it with that layouts: Mass production with ZERO belts and robots .

[DoctorWho?]

Why did everyone leave? THIS WAS A COOL POST!!!!

And now it has died. It's so sad!