Factorio Forums

One thing that's been bugging me in Factorio is the missing RC Circuit Switch.

Why can a Power Switch be toggled from the map, no matter the distance, but a Constant Combinator can not?
Going even further, an Artillery can be used with a targeting remote - no matter the distance - and, recently, the Spidertron also has a "universal" remote, but I can't have a remote on hand that sends a basic signal to a specific circuit network number (or receiver device)? That's a bit sad.

So I've searched for ways around that limitation and found a reddit post (ab)using train stops for that (send a train to a station and read a station signal), but I thought I would prefer to (ab)use the power switch for that, and turn it into a basic remote circuit toggle switch.
First I tried with (dis)charging an accumulator and reading the accumulator power charge. But that falls apart when on solar power, as the accu won't charge at night (and the circuit signal read-out won't toggle).

The only other feasible way I found, is using storage tanks and pumps to turn the electric power switch into a "circuit switch".
If anyone else has another solution to this (or a fitting mod), I'd be glad to hear it.

[edit: see below for a much nicer solution!]

Here's my storage tank/pump setup: Copy blueprint

Two pumps circulate water between two storage tanks (in a loop). First I fill one tank with water, then disconnect it from the offshore pump.
The setup uses the fact that, when both pumps are running, one tank is always full and the other always empty (instead of equalizing the contents). So I switch one pump off (electrically), and the formerly empty tank now fills as the loop is broken.
I read out the fluid content level of that (usually full) tank, and use a decider combinator to output a signal based on "water < 20k" level in the tank, but reading either tank would work.

Any fluid works, of course, and the first tank doesn't need to be full, you just have to adjust the combinator fluid logic. So if 1k oil is more handy than finding water at the location, I'd use that.
There is a slight delay, since the pumps take time, but the tank fills a lot faster than it empties, so I check the upper fluid level (~20k in a 25k fluid system). This way it reacts reasonably fast for both on and off conditions. And make sure to connect the correct power pole to the grid, the one that powers the combinator.

And this turns an electric switch into a remote controllable circuit switch, basically.

Copy&paste functionality can be used from map view:



That trick allows applying any settings/recipes/etc that can be applied via blueprints. It allows even adding circuit wires that did not exist before (cannot remove them though).

Cool use of copy / paste. But yes, sad state of affairs with the power switch.

My hack was to use an accumulator which powered on from the switch and sent the A signal to enable things, and then when I turn off the power pole I drain it with a beacon. Expensive and slow power off, but it works.

Need a power switch for turning on artillery when I'm ready to fire. Will use copy/paste properties for now, but please address!

Hmmm, didn't work My artillery shell inserter isn't switching to enabled after copying in the constant combinator, though when I mouse over it, it does say the signal is present and when I copy the inserter to my local map the enabled condition is present. However, curiously, it doesn't work either. I have to create a fresh inserter with the condition in order to get it to work.



See here - https://imgur.com/a/Ppg3TSR for the corrupted inserter

https://imgur.com/a/GthjvKN for the fresh, working inserter.

You have the inserter connected to the logistic network.You have to disconnect it from it:
That checkbox needs to remain unchecked.

The logistic network is not the same as the circuit network. The logistic network condition is based on item counts in the logistic roboport network, if there's no roboport network in range then the condition will always be false and your inserter won't work. Don't touch the logistic connection panel unless you really want to setup a condition using the roboport network.

Ah brilliant. Cheers

I created a remote switch ispired by the pump and tank design but without the need for a fluid. In case there is no water around. Its basically two counters and the one on the right resets the left when it has power. The lamp turns off then the left counter has not been reset for 10 ticks

here is a string for it:
Copy blueprint

im sure it can be more compact tho

Further refined:

Copy blueprint

Brathahn wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 10:06 am I created a remote switch ispired by the pump and tank design but without the need for a fluid. In case there is no water around.

zaubara wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:34 pm Further refined:

Wow! This is amazing. (Only just checked back on this now, oops.)
Exactly what I was hoping to manage, nice and compact and no dependency on fluid or accumulator hacks.

Thanks so much, guys.

armatas wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:11 pm

Brathahn wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 10:06 am I created a remote switch ispired by the pump and tank design but without the need for a fluid. In case there is no water around.

zaubara wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:34 pm Further refined:

Wow! This is amazing. (Only just checked back on this now, oops.)
Exactly what I was hoping to manage, nice and compact and no dependency on fluid or accumulator hacks.

Thanks so much, guys.

I'm not at my Computer at the moment to check it out and make a screenshot. But I don't understand why you us so much combinators?

Imagine two power poles. Left one is connected to power network, right one is not.
(Like on your screenshots).
On left side put your signal lamp (or inserted or circuitry for whatever you want to do) set it to operate at condition "A>0". On right side put constant combinator set to "A=1" and an arithmetic combinator set to "A*1".
Now connect const-out --> arithm-in; atitm-out --> lamp-in.
The const will always send A=1 it operates also without energy. But the arithmetic will only output A*1=>A=1 if power is available. In case of no power A=0

Without power, combinators don't change their output, no matter their input.
So when you disconnect the arithmetic combinator from the power network, it will still output A=1

zaubara wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:30 pm Without power, combinators don't change their output, no matter their input.
So when you disconnect the arithmetic combinator from the power network, it will still output A=1

Oh ... it seems I've miss that.

With use of endless counter you can reduce it to just 3 combinators ...
Copy blueprint
Edit:
This has the disadvantage that once in a time the counter is on Zero and the lamp will activate for one tick.
You may alter this in a way that on left combinator is output "red" and on right combinator it outputs "X" .... condition in lamp then is "red = X" or "red /= X".

very good

here's one using 2 combinators: Copy blueprint

This will also activate for 1 tick when A=0, lamp/inserter activation condition is A=1

zaubara wrote: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:30 am here's one using 2 combinators:

OK that will beat me on a single swich.
But when it comes to serial switches this may have a better ratio ...
It is only two combinators for the setup and one for any electric switch to observe. Copy blueprint

blazespinnaker wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 12:49 pm Cool use of copy / paste. But yes, sad state of affairs with the power switch.

My hack was to use an accumulator which powered on from the switch and sent the A signal to enable things, and then when I turn off the power pole I drain it with a beacon. Expensive and slow power off, but it works.

Need a power switch for turning on artillery when I'm ready to fire. Will use copy/paste properties for now, but please address!

Why use circuitry for that? Just switch on (and off) inserter by electric switch:

Ah, I was defending the artillery with lasers / satellite, and I needed power to be on.

Eventually I figured out to put artillery on islands and defense / switches were no longer relevant.

blazespinnaker wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 7:15 am Ah, I was defending the artillery with lasers / satellite, and I needed power to be on.

Eventually I figured out to put artillery on islands and defense / switches were no longer relevant.

If no water are available for islands, the following solution may help you:

(It is with backup energy-line, so that in case of destroying one power pole from first line only a few turrets are without power and not the whole line.)
Copy blueprint

I was deploying artillery throughout the map and I wanted something very compact. I also felt that the more clustered the lasers were, the more damage they would bring to bear on biters. With the power off, I couldn't put the lasers tightly around the artillery.

blazespinnaker wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 2:27 am I was deploying artillery throughout the map and I wanted something very compact. I also felt that the more clustered the lasers were, the more damage they would bring to bear on biters. With the power off, I couldn't put the lasers tightly around the artillery.

Ok, this was just a copy of my own wall-defend extended by switch which I typically don't use. And in my level of bitter agro and laser bonus this is plenty enough.

As you can see the laser turrets are very tight to the arty. That is because you only need ONE tile without power. Laser has a footprint of 2 by 2, so in any circumstances it has power as long as the gap for inserter control isn't wider than one tile.
I'll provide a BP as soon I've free time to play.

A little offtopic and normally I'd spoiler the reply, but it doesn't work so well with attachments.

Yeah, so my megabase world is a bit weird. I like to spread out and eliminate biters from the map - so that wouldn't quite work out.
Here it is with roboports turned on for the map. I like to play most of my game in map mode. My radar consumes 653 MW, true story. Running or even driving around is so terribly slow. And that reach limit is so annoying, even with a personal roboport (which has limited logistics access)
To take out biter bases at the borderlands I had something like this for awhile after I got artillery. That's the one with the remote switch (so as not to completely hijack this thread

I was dealing with a lot of incoming behemoths.
But, I don't use lasers or turrets anymore. Sometimes a few landmines to act as virtual barriers when stragglers wander in to chomp on my radar.

Now I just use this:
I've stopped increasing artillery range, though maybe I'll get back to that someday. That exponential infinite research increase is pretty brutal tho. Don't imagine I'll be able to increase it by much more.