Is Sensor Logic Screwed At The Moment?

OK, I have never really played with sensors before so maybe I am missing a step or just not getting how they work. I have watched several tutorial videos on YouTube but nothing seems to work now!

So, what do I want? Well, all I want is to check a storage block to see if there is anything in it (even just one block) and then for this to activate a capsule refinery. The storage block pulls back from the refinery (so keeping the circuit alive) until you manually empty it and the capsule refineries switch off. I would not have any problem with a timed delay to activate to switch off the refinery after 30 seconds maybe.

Any suggestions or are sensors broken at the moment.

Thanks!

Crimson-Artist said:

Do you have the appropriate amount of activation modules activated/deactivated? The activation modules determine the percentage threshold at which the sensor will trigger. For instance 1 activated module out of 100 will make the sensor trigger a high/on signal when the storage chest is at 1% capacity.

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Yes and yes! I followed three different tutorial videos to the letter and could get none of them to work.

The circuit would sit there primed and waiting until I attached the storage block to the sensor when it would make the light I had connected to the circuit flash in time with the clock! I tried tutorial videos by Bench, Aylad and JW608. All variations on a theme but all did the same thing and all of them just seemed to complete some rogue circuit back to the light and make it flash whether there was anything in it or not.

Wait 1%? What about a single block? I'm going to have 4 or 5 cargo blocks attached eventually. Do I seriously have to have more than 1% to make this work anyway? I remember to day (before that broke I seem to recall) that by placing an OR(?) next to a storage block would give a signal if there was anything in it.

Does anyone have a sensor circuit template that they could share?

Ah...can you still not connect a storage block to an OR?

Thanks, I will try this out.

It would appear that whatever solution there was for my issue is either broken, not properly implemented or not possible in the current game mechanic.

I suppose programming a routine to detect if a storage or refinery block has any content and to send a low/high signal out is of a low priority in the grand scheme of things?

0ldSkull said:

My template does that (detect empty/not-empty) using an OR-block connected to the storage. However, note that this method works only when the storage contents change due to it pulling or being pulled from by another storage. Literally--a factory pulling what it needs does not trigger detection on the storage, or at least not always. (That's why there are two storage modules in the template, one to provide detection and the other to feed the refinery.) Neither does manually changing storage contents.

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So, let me try and get this straight as I didn't get a chance to try it out yet. In order for me to get the system to work that I want will take 3 storage blocks?

One for the manual deposit of resources and then the two from your template, one of which will be drawing from the manual input box?

Seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut to be able to manually switch on/off a refinery but it that is all we have then that will have to do. Maybe a power tweak to give a duty/standby power usage for factories and refineries in a future update?

Anyway, thanks for your help.

Yeah, I do like the automation and use a lot of that myself. My issue was giving a publicly accessible refinery that players could deposit resources for refining manually. As docked ships now draw stupid amounts of power from stations (why oh why oh why???) I just needed a way to conserve as much power as I could, otherwise my entire station will be a massive reactor!

0ldSkull said:

To the original request, here's a template of a smallish capsule refinery which will automatically turn on and off. Just set the front storage unit (below the capsule refinery block) to pull whatever you want to refine in units of 1000 (from wherever you normally deposit raw materials), and the rear storage to pull everything (from the front storage) in units of 164.

The refinery will switch on when materials are pulled in, and switch off to conserve power when it runs out. There will still be a bit remaining in the rear storage, but it will get processed the next time your have a batch of materials. I use several of these on my station, each pulling a different raw ore/shard type. This ensures that all available materials are processed in parallel, rather than one type tying up the system if I have a large amount and it just happened to get pulled first.

Oh yeah... the file is a template so it goes in the templates directory, and can be loaded in the Selection menu of the advanced build tools.

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Quick question...is the 164 items an arbitrary number or does this tie in with anything specific? I cannot quite see the connection.

I did make an alteration to your circuit just for your interest. I added a NOT to the OR and added another storage to the NOT. This storage will draw 1000 items from the refinery storage. The storage connected to the OR pulls from the "flush" storage. This does mean that the system will rotate through a few times but will eventually clear everything out of the system in a couple of passes of so.

Once I have compressed this back into a manageable size I will post my version of the template. Thanks again for your kind support.
[doublepost=1539635322,1539632514][/doublepost]It works the same as your original but is minus 2 factory enhancers. The storage next to the NOT draws from the refinery storage when the main input box is empty. The input box draws from this and wherever you are pulling resources for processing.

This self-flushing does mean that the system will switch on/off several times but will eventually process everything in the system. Helpful if you have a large miner and go on mining trips infrequently. If you do many short trips, the original will certainly suffice.

0ldSkull said:

That template has 40 enhancers so processes 41 units per factory tick. The factory ticks 4 times faster than storage, so that is where the 164 comes from (4*41). It keeps the rear storage pulling at the same rate the refinery consumes in order to maximize production and leave the fewest resources sitting in the rear storage when it shuts off (since shutoff is triggered by the front storage becoming empty). If you add more enhancers you'll want to adjust the pull rate accordingly (or in your current case, reduce it to 156 ideally).

A timer circuit could be added to delay shutoff long enough to process the remaining materials, but you have to weigh that against using the same block space for more enhancers.

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I get it now! Of course [facepalm]

Yes, it did occur to me about a "delay off" timer but as you said, one would have to weigh up the space it would require and the reduction in factory enhancers.