Factorio Forums

Not really a 100% bug, but I don't know what to think about it.

In mid-game I use a dedicated assembling mashine with productivity modules 3 to craft all things I need instead of handcrafting, because it is faster and (and as of 0.8.8) i get a lot more products. I used to connect this assembler with an intelligent chest with all the basic products, where it takes out what it needs.

Problem now: When I change or delete the recipe of the assembling machine, mostly the inserter just holds something the recipe needed. If now the new product doesn't need that specific ingedient, the inserter is holding, the inserter is stuck and I have to manually mine and rebuild it.

Possible solution?: If the inserter loses his destination-machine/recipe or chest, he puts the items back into the chest he got it from (just like you get all the items in your inventory when you mine an assembler or a filled underground belt)

Yes. Had this problem also. I would just delete/drop the item, because it's not sure that the chest is already there.

Maybe inserters should just stop working when there is no factory/belt/chest/etc to place items. I can't see any use in putting items on the ground.

The problem in this case occured/occurs when you stop the assembler in the small time frame after the item is taken out of the chest/belt by the inserter, but before it can deliver the item to the machine. (Well relatively "small". when the inserter is on full load, it's 50% of the time)

Undermind wrote:Maybe inserters should just stop working when there is no factory/belt/chest/etc to place items. I can't see any use in putting items on the ground.

Other inserter can pickup that item from the ground.

slpwnd wrote:

Undermind wrote:Maybe inserters should just stop working when there is no factory/belt/chest/etc to place items. I can't see any use in putting items on the ground.

Other inserter can pickup that item from the ground.

This is actually common setup.

this is maybe related:
not sure if this is intended or not, but I often have problem with smelters and inserter feeding it with whatever is in belt, so e.g. on same belt goes stone and copper, so I expect inserter to pick some and put into smelter. Problem comes when smelter has inside e.g. stone, but inserter has no more stone from belt to buffer and put it in and hold copper now. Smelter is stuck and won't smelt remaining stone for some reason and inserter can't insert copper anymore. Only manually removing stone from smelter solves the problem and smelter is filled with copper now.

dusho wrote:not sure if this is intended or not, but I often have problem with smelters and inserter feeding it with whatever is in belt, so e.g. on same belt goes stone and copper, so I expect inserter to pick some and put into smelter.

Well, you simply shouldn't do such designs then and use separate furnaces for burning stone vs metals. You can still use the same belt to feed them all but will need to use smart (filtered) inserters to pick up only stuff that is actually allowed to go in that specific furnace.