Factorio Forums

Hi,
i try to supply my ore stations with things needed, but i ran into a problem...

How to unload only X of each item?

I cant see a way to limit it, except build an extra inserter per item... which i cant do.

You will need a local circuit network to control the inserters. This is a big topic, so I would recommend reading about circuit networks or watching a video or two about how to set up and use them.

Here is a fairly detailed but not too long video that covers what you will need and more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfxA6e6bJF8

Not that you don't *have to* connect to power poles, you can hook things up directly to each other, but the poles give you a sort of central trunk line to keep it all together and check on the network data values easily.

I hav enot time to watch 30 min video, but it seems like it onkly tells me what i already know.

I need a solution where i can use 1 inserter to just pick the items which are needed e.g. 20 poles, 20 laser towers, 100 repair kits... how i can do it with a seperate inserte i already know.

I wonder why i cant just block the items like in the train, but in a chest, would be so easy...

Although it is possible for a circuit wire to carry the information indicating the number of multiple items in a chest or group of chests -- it is not possible to configure an inserter to act on more than one condition. So, there is no way to do this in the vanilla game using a single inserter. I suppose it would be possible to write a mod which allowed inserters to have multiple or complex conditions. However, I am not aware of such a mod.

Easy to do with vanilla items and some combinator magic.

1. Build a constant combinator and input the number of items you wish to have stored in the outpost. (As an example, 10 ammo)

2. Build a arithmetic combinator, connect the output from the arithmetic combinator and tell it to multiplicate each item by -1 and then output the result. (the signal should now be -10 ammo)

3: Build a decider combinator, connect the output from the artihmetic combinator (green) and a wire (red) from a couple of chests at the station to the input. Tell the decider combinatior to output a value of 1 of each item with a signal less than 0. (if the chest is empty the output signal should now be 1 ammo)

4: Connect the output to the filter inserters unloading the train. The inserter should be in the "set filter" mode.


The inserters will now unload the item(s) until they reach the desired amount (or the train is empty). If you have multiple items it will switch between them as the chests get filled.
I usually combine this with the train condition which tell the train to wait until x amount of seconds of inactivity.

If I understand the question correctly the problem is mainly that there are more items to unload than inserters fit to one cargo wagon.
Solution 1: Use more cargo wagons.
Solution 2: Now it gets complicated. Unload the entire train into local chests, sort it out there, pack the rest into the train again.

Slimey wrote:Easy to do with vanilla items and some combinator magic....

I guess I should have said it can't be done with ONLY a single inserter, which is actually what I meant. I thought perhaps using combinators might contain a solution, but I wouldn't have been able to describe it and hence I didn't mention it. That's some pretty good "'cyphering" -- very well done Slimey.

Slimey wrote:Easy to do with vanilla items and some combinator magic.

1. Build a constant combinator and input the number of items you wish to have stored in the outpost. (As an example, 10 ammo)

2. Build a arithmetic combinator, connect the output from the arithmetic combinator and tell it to multiplicate each item by -1 and then output the result. (the signal should now be -10 ammo)

3: Build a decider combinator, connect the output from the artihmetic combinator (green) and a wire (red) from a couple of chests at the station to the input. Tell the decider combinatior to output a value of 1 of each item with a signal less than 0. (if the chest is empty the output signal should now be 1 ammo)

4: Connect the output to the filter inserters unloading the train. The inserter should be in the "set filter" mode.


The inserters will now unload the item(s) until they reach the desired amount (or the train is empty). If you have multiple items it will switch between them as the chests get filled.
I usually combine this with the train condition which tell the train to wait until x amount of seconds of inactivity.

Blueprint string

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You sir, can have an internet cookie

Even with pictures im too dumb to make it.

But since you offered blueprint ... it works. ic ant believe. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I even use this to seperate my differnt logistics networks.

If i need more items then i can select in the kombinator.. how can i add another?

Build one next to the first one and connect it with a green wire to the first one.