AE + Extra Utilities Pipes Sorting System (Monster)

[Tom_FTB]

I'm wondering if anyone can help...

I am trying to set up a sorting system that uses both regular AE Drives/Disk along with additional 'Mod' chests (w/ Storage Bus attached)

I have tried on a test world to basically, pull everything out of one chest, process whats needs to be processed, like ores, then sort it. I have partitioned disks in and AE Drive to only let what I want to go directly into it, but in addition to that, I would like 'Mod' chests, similar to what Dire has in his LP, to store things like tools or machines I have crafted from each mod. I then attach a storage bus so I can still access it from the main AE set up.

I'm a big fan of AE but at the same time, like the look of individual chest in my base. As far as I'm aware, Extra Utilities is the only mod to offer something like the 'Mod' sorting pipe.

Any ideas/help will be much appreciated.

 

[budge]

It's not the only mod - Logistics Pipes has a "Mod-Based Item Sink" - but the solution I'm working on now should be similar to what you're trying to achieve. In any storage system there are basically two steps: Storing, and then retrieving. My solution is to have Logistics Pipes (and Transfer Pipes, in your case) in charge of storing items that enter the network. Then AE is in charge of retrieving them. The easiest way to force AE to let another system do the storing is to give it only one valid storage inventory, and then let your second system pull from that. To have AE read from your other chests but not store in them, set all your storage buses to Extract Only.

Keep in mind that since AE's autocrafting system expects items to be available the instant they enter the network, you'll run into issues with this, as items will enter the deposit chest and then disappear for a second or two. AE will assume the item has been lost and craft it again, and you'll end up with duplicates. I'm working on a solution to this using a computer and when it's ready, you're welcome to use it as well. (It involves 2 chests and one computer program - nothing else, very simple.)

Edit: Oops, you did say you wanted to keep using disks. In that case make sure your ME drives have higher priority than the deposit chest. You'll still run into the autocrafting issue if any intermediate crafting steps use items not allowed into your drives.

 

[Tom_FTB]

Sounds like you understand what I'm trying to do which is really good as I was struggling to explain.

After spending about two hours in a test world I managed to get a TE3 processing and AE+ExtraUs sorting working nicely together.

Only problem I think I will hit now, which I was unaware about, is the one you mention once I start on auto crafting.

 

[budge]

One difference if you're using transfer pipes is that the nodes are technically an inventory. You could try putting a read-only storage bus on them to see if that solves the crafting ninja problem.

 

[Tom_FTB]

Yeah, I see what you mean. With the nodes, do the items technically stay in there until it finds an available inventory and then put it directly in? Or do they find the available inventory, and then send the down the line?

 

[budge]

The items stay in the node while it searches for an inventory, and when it does, they are transferred instantly as a stack.

 

[Bibble]

Surely one possible solution to this would be to also put a storage bus onto the transfer node, and put it into extract only mode (i.e. the magnifying glass), so that AE can't place stuff in there (although that wouldn't be a massive issue, either). This would mean that, if an operation needs an item, it's always available (as the possible states would be either A)in the input chest, B)in the node, or C)in the storage chest, and would be available in all 3 states).