AESU's & Nuclear reactors

[Bertybetelgeuse]

I'm running Unleashed and i have 3 MK1 reactors that directly connect to an AESU each then transfer power around using MFFS. I have an inconceivable amount of control over every aspect of my reactors, but i am trying to automate it. i have suscessfully automated almost everything except one thing that still alludes me, specifically i need to automate the charging of the AESU's. I need the reactors to charge their AESU's to 100% then allow them to drain to nothing before coming back on again and cycling. im out of ideas but i dont have many, i am already awful at redstone and so my redpower ability is obviously lacking so i need some.. detailed, itemised & instructive inspiration.

I have tried a few things, namely using detector cable between the reactor and its aesu and then between the aesu and a central MFFS extractor (that i use to send my power around) to compare where (if anywhere) power is going and return a result but it is to no avail, so far all i have been able to do is massively overheat (when it was mk v) almost to the point of explosion by inadvertantly forcing the reactor to stay on regardless of any other input (automatic, cycle timer, failsafe or manual) & failing that create the most annoying timer between some redstone and the detector cables imaginable.

 

[Omicron]

Does Unleashed have Immibis' RedLogic? That should give you all the RP2 logic gates, including the toggle latch. Grab one of those for each of your reactors.

Either AESU's have the same redstone output logic as core IC2 modules, or you can use Buildcraft gates to detect filling status. I'm assuming you can use the inbuilt logic.

Start by making sure yourAESU is partially filled. Set the toggle latch up on the reactor so that the latch is outputting a signal and the reactor is running off of it. Set your AESU to "emit if partially full". Invert the signal (NOT gate or torch inverter). Connect the inverted signal to the toggle latch. Done.

What happens now is that when the AESU fills up, its redstone signal goes low, which is inverted to high. This toggles the latch and its signal goes low. Reactor turns off. AESU starts draining, its redstone signal goes high, which is inverted to low. This does not affect the latch. AESU drains fully empty, its signal goes low again, which gets inverted to high. This toggles the latch and its signal goes high, turning on the reactor.

This system will bounce back and forth between full and empty indefinitely, so long as you do not allow a condition to occur twice. I.e. AESU empty, reactor turns on, AESU starts charging, reactor runs out of fuel and the AESU runs empty again. This will lock up the system in the "reactor off" state until you manually reset it. However, since I assume you have automated fuel replacement in the reactors, this shouldn't pose a problem.

If you also want the reactors only to run when it is completely full (a common tactic used on auto fuel replacement systems), then you can hook up the toggle latch and the buildcraft gate redstone signal monitoring the inventory to an AND gate and only allow the reactor to run if both signals are high.

 

[Steel]

Are you comfortable using ComputerCraft and do you have OpenPeripherals installed? It adds the AESU as a type of peripheral for CC computers, so you can write a program that reads it's value, and controls your reactor based on the AESU's energy level. Other than that, if you can find a way for the AESU to send a redstone pulse when it empties and when it fills, then an SR latch is all that's needed. Connect the "AESU Full" line to the R side of the latch (so the output is off if the AESU has filled up recently) and the "AESU depleted" signal to the S side, which will turn the reactors back on. I haven't really messed with AESUs though, so I'm not sure what methods there are to determine the current energy level for it other than CC.

~edit~ sniped by Omicron! It's okay, that's a better post anyways. :-D

~edit2~ Oh, and here's the relevant link for the methods added for the AESU by OpenP. http://www.openperipheral.info/open...gregtech-addon/adjustable-energy-storage-unit

 

[Bertybetelgeuse]

Does Unleashed have Immibis' RedLogic? That should give you all the RP2 logic gates, including the toggle latch. Grab one of those for each of your reactors.

Either AESU's have the same redstone output logic as core IC2 modules, or you can use Buildcraft gates to detect filling status. I'm assuming you can use the inbuilt logic.

Start by making sure yourAESU is partially filled. Set the toggle latch up on the reactor so that the latch is outputting a signal and the reactor is running off of it. Set your AESU to "emit if partially full". Invert the signal (NOT gate or torch inverter). Connect the inverted signal to the toggle latch. Done.

What happens now is that when the AESU fills up, its redstone signal goes low, which is inverted to high. This toggles the latch and its signal goes low. Reactor turns off. AESU starts draining, its redstone signal goes high, which is inverted to low. This does not affect the latch. AESU drains fully empty, its signal goes low again, which gets inverted to high. This toggles the latch and its signal goes high, turning on the reactor.

This system will bounce back and forth between full and empty indefinitely, so long as you do not allow a condition to occur twice. I.e. AESU empty, reactor turns on, AESU starts charging, reactor runs out of fuel and the AESU runs empty again. This will lock up the system in the "reactor off" state until you manually reset it. However, since I assume you have automated fuel replacement in the reactors, this shouldn't pose a problem.

If you also want the reactors only to run when it is completely full (a common tactic used on auto fuel replacement systems), then you can hook up the toggle latch and the buildcraft gate redstone signal monitoring the inventory to an AND gate and only allow the reactor to run if both signals are high.

Thank you for the quick response, the only problem is that AESU's dont output a signal like their lower tier brothers do. And if they do im lost as to how to change/enable it as they don't have the option on their interface

Are you comfortable using ComputerCraft and do you have OpenPeripherals installed? It adds the AESU as a type of peripheral for CC computers, so you can write a program that reads it's value, and controls your reactor based on the AESU's energy level. Other than that, if you can find a way for the AESU to send a redstone pulse when it empties and when it fills, then an SR latch is all that's needed. Connect the "AESU Full" line to the R side of the latch (so the output is off if the AESU has filled up recently) and the "AESU depleted" signal to the S side, which will turn the reactors back on. I haven't really messed with AESUs though, so I'm not sure what methods there are to determine the current energy level for it other than CC.

~edit~ sniped by Omicron! It's okay, that's a better post anyways. :-D

~edit2~ Oh, and here's the relevant link for the methods added for the AESU by OpenP. http://www.openperipheral.info/open...gregtech-addon/adjustable-energy-storage-unit

The only language i know is English and even thats questionable at times xD. however i was actually unaware of this so its entirely possible that somone before me who knows what they are doing has already written something that i can plagiarise!!.


As i understand it, the GregTech panels are coming to my build next update and these will allow me to attatch a detector panel to the aesu for similar function to the red stone behaviours of the lower tier equipment, i could be just a waiting game but im so inpatient!

 

[Celestialphoenix]

As you have an AESU I'm assuming you're not hurting for resources.

You could use a MFE or MFSU feeding the AESU, then the signal from that to turn off the reactor when it has EU stored in it. (MFE wont charge until AESU is full)
A second one fed from the AESU to send a signal when its no longer fully charged (meaning AESU is empty)

If you need more than 512Eu/t then run MFSUs in parallel.

 

[Bertybetelgeuse]

As you have an AESU I'm assuming you're not hurting for resources.

You could use a MFE or MFSU feeding the AESU, then the signal from that to turn off the reactor when it has EU stored in it. (MFE wont charge until AESU is full)
A second one fed from the AESU to send a signal when its no longer fully charged (meaning AESU is empty)

If you need more than 512Eu/t then run MFSUs in parallel.

My 8 64x64 quarrys allow me a great deal of experimentation with even the most expensive of recipies lol


You know what, that is something i havent thought about. putting an MFE between the reactor and the AESU. the output of each ractor in its mk5 confoguration is way more than what an MFE can accept but that just means using safe setups or more MFEs to devide it up. ill give it a go.