Factorio Forums

Ive been trying to automate the supply of ammo and commonly needed replacement buildings to outposts. Using requester chests, cargo wagons with filters, then smart inserters to unload (possibly into a provider chest).

This works as long as each requester chest and smart inserter is only for a single item, but since there are many low volume items I would like, I think it would be a lot better to have multiple items for each. I can almost see how this works, since requester chests and smart inserts can have multiple filters, except:

• When loading from a chest into a wagon, sometimes the inserter gets stuck "holding" something the wagon does not want, which prevents it from loading other items
• When unloading, I know I can limit how much a chest will accept by restricting most of the slots, but cant seem to do it per item type

There any ways around this, or do I already have the best possible?

I use the Smartloader mod for this. Once researched, it adds an inserter that can put items back into its input chest so it doesn't get stuck loading trains with filtered cargo slots.

Another alternative is to use one different inserter by item. Like :
And you filter slots in your wagon so that there can be only maximum of whatever you want that can be loaded. This is less elegant, but it's vanilla.

Yes, it does. You want (at least) one smart inserter and provider chest per item. I sometimes do two or more for ammo. If you don't, the inserter will get stuck on a different item. https://lennier.info/factorio/maps/awes ... .57,9.91,7 Like this. It's the one at the top.

For loading stations, you want this: https://lennier.info/factorio/maps/awes ... 8,-73.27,7

Note that you can use a double row of chests with long inserters, giving you 6x2x2 (six long times both sides times two rows)=24 types of items per wagon. Which should be enough in most cases

(edit: see viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19874 and viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20031 (top-left))

OK, so guess I was right about the current chests/inserters not quiet working beyond the one item per inserter/chest. I saw with more searching that filtering chests (passive/active provider, or storage chests in my case) has been asked a lot, so really hope that happens in 0.13 along with that slightly better inserter logic.

vanatteveldt wrote:Note that you can use a double row of chests with long inserters, giving you 6x2x2 (six long times both sides times two rows)=24 types of items per wagon. Which should be enough in most cases

(edit: see viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19874 and viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20031 (top-left))

Yes, thats a great idea, but how did you manage the unloading of the wagon? Although I could get a modded long-armed smart inserter I guess?

For that one using the circuit network though, it still seems to me it can get stuck, if the train was to leave while an item is being moved, and the next train does not want that item, then it will jam up the belt? And again unloading, since the smart unloading inserter cant have a condition per item it seems.

Or you can also "feed" the inserters that insert into your wagon with a belt. You won't have item stack issues, as inserters only grab one at a time on belts.Filling your wagon would be slower, but stall proof.

I was only looking at loading, this was my "FARL" setup to have all materials for building a railroad and a new outpost.

For unloading I don't really see a better solution than 2x6 smart inserters, unless you want to go the road of multiple cargo wagons acting as buffer chests with reserved slots.

Koub wrote:Or you can also "feed" the inserters that insert into your wagon with a belt. You won't have item stack issues, as inserters only grab one at a time on belts.Filling your wagon would be slower, but stall proof.

What you mean exactly? I can kind of see how a belt could have 2 item types for loading, one on each side, but more than that? And does the game ensure an inserter finishes moving an item even if the train moves?

Here is a POC of what I had in mind : This can be done symatrically so you can ensure a stall free 24 different item types insertion in a wagon. Biggest drawback : you lose inserter stack bonus, so it's longer. But it works.