Allow inserters to insert and remove modules from mining drills

iloveidea · Post by **iloveidea** » Sun Sep 20, 2026 11:15 pm

TL;DR

What?

Allow inserters to insert and remove modules from mining drills, just like beacons.

Why?

I want to build a mining outpost that turns on quality modules when there aren’t enough quality items.

eugenekay · Post by **eugenekay** » Sun Sep 20, 2026 11:23 pm

iloveidea wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2026 11:15 pm
Why?
I want to build a mining outpost that turns on quality modules when there aren’t enough quality items.

You can use a power-switch controlled Beacon to selectively transmit a Speed Module (which penalizes Quality).

Good Luck!

quineotio · Post by **quineotio** » Mon Sep 21, 2026 1:47 am

iloveidea wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2026 11:15 pm Allow inserters to insert and remove modules from mining drills

I like the idea of being able to do this, but I think that a circuit condition is a better way to implement it. What do you think?

viewtopic.php?p=684150#p684150

mmmPI · Post by **mmmPI** » Mon Sep 21, 2026 2:29 am

You can also put quality modules in every other mine, leaving the rest without them, and selectively activate either the odd or even mines depending on whether you want to produce quality items or not.

iloveidea · Post by **iloveidea** » Mon Sep 21, 2026 7:23 am

I just found this thread, and it looks like the developers don't want to implement this feature.
viewtopic.php?t=103876&p=576188

mmmPI · Post by **mmmPI** » Mon Sep 21, 2026 9:16 am

iloveidea wrote: Mon Sep 21, 2026 7:23 am I just found this thread, and it looks like the developers don't want to implement this feature.
viewtopic.php?t=103876&p=576188

To me it look like someone filed a bug report at the time and it was moved to suggestion, about the possibility to remove module from mining drill with the same clicking hotkey AND with inserters as if they were beacons.

With beacons though you can't "insert" modules in them with inserter, you can only "remove" them as far as i know, you would have to power or unpower them with a setup similar to what eugenekay linked, so your suggestion is a bit different imo. It is occasionnally suggested by players for beacons, less often for mining drill that inserters could do both insertion and removal of modules.

I think you are correct overall that it's not a feature devs are looking forward to implement, but it's just a feeling, i have no evidence.

Silari · Post by **Silari** » Mon Sep 21, 2026 1:02 pm

mmmPI wrote: Mon Sep 21, 2026 9:16 am With beacons though you can't "insert" modules in them with inserter, you can only "remove" them as far as i know, you would have to power or unpower them with a setup similar to what eugenekay linked, so your suggestion is a bit different imo. It is occasionnally suggested by players for beacons, less often for mining drill that inserters could do both insertion and removal of modules.

Inserting works totally fine with beacons, same for removal. It's been used plenty of times for various setups.

mmmPI · Post by **mmmPI** » Mon Sep 21, 2026 2:01 pm

Silari wrote: Mon Sep 21, 2026 1:02 pm Inserting works totally fine with beacons, same for removal. It's been used plenty of times for various setups.

Thank you for correcting me, i think it used to be the case that you could only remove them and i haven't been using the feature recently. Maybe it could be done for the mining drills to afterall.

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