Applied Energistics - ME Storage detect how much i have?

[behedwin]

Hi

I have a problem with the ME storage system.

I have setup a network so that all oak wood that is imported to the network will be sent to a furnace (induction furnace) and converted into charcoal to then be used in generators to produce EU.

But i do not want ALL my oak wood to be transported to the furnace. I want to find a setting that allows me to set a limit on how much charcoal can be stored in the network or how much oak wood is needed before it can export?

Is this possible?

 

[Kaies]

Emitters and interfaces.

 

[casilleroatr]

Specifically, level emitters. They have a ghost slot where you can select any item and then you use the buttons to determine what threshold you want of that item in your storage and then what redstone state is emitted when you go over or under that threshold. For example you could set it up so that it emits a redstone signal disabling an export bus when the number of oak logs in your network is below 500.

 

[behedwin]

can i disable a export bus?

i used a dark cable and a level emitter to turn of the cable to the machine when i reach a level of storage of the logs i want.

 

[casilleroatr]

You don't even need dark cable - it is best to use that to cut off large parts of a network that are especially power hungry. You can go into the export bus' gui and change the redstone settings between

ignore redstone
activate on redstone on
activate on redstone off
activate once per pulse

The wording might be different but the meaning is the same.

 

[Silent_007]

Two things to add:
1) To use casilleroatr's approach I believe you will need at least a precision export bus. Basic export buses no longer have redstone functionality.
2) To save some resources, and maybe make things look nicer depending on your layout, you can use the level emitter to shut off a TE powered furnace when you have enough charcoal. I use this method in my current base, running rednet from the level emitter to the numerous powered furnaces that are necessary to keep up with charcoal demand at full power draw.

I control many other things, such as shutting off my MFR tree farm when I have too much wood, the same way. Level emitters are my (and your) friends.

 

[PhilHibbs]

Set the Precision Export Bus to "Active without Redstone signal". Point a Level Emitter at it set to emit when Charcoal is greater than 500. Point another Level Emitter at it set to emit when Oak Wood is less than 500. Either of these conditions - enough charcoal, not enough wood - will turn off the emitter. There will be some latency, as it will still be cooking the wood when the signal turns off, so you will end up with 564 charcoal or something like that.

I'm planning on doing the same with craftable items. Precision Export pointed at an ME Interface, set to craft Sticks until there are more than 64 of them or fewer than 64 Planks, etc.

I still think the ME system needs to have variables like the PRC that can be used in export buses, so that stock levels can be kept in proportion to other stock levels.

 

[Runo]

I still think the ME system needs to have variables like the PRC that can be used in export buses, so that stock levels can be kept in proportion to other stock levels.

Doing so in a way that wouldnt be too complex for basic users would be quite difficult, or a different set of buses would have to be added. Its a lot of functionality for fringe uses.

You can, however, do this via RedNet and level emitters. Use one level emitter per item and hook it up to rednet for the logic and output. I think, given the control required, the setup and resources required for this type of thing is reasonable.

 

[PhilHibbs]

Doing so in a way that wouldnt be too complex for basic users would be quite difficult,

"Basic" users can carry on using the current functionality, adding new features doesn't take anything away from anyone.

 

[Runo]

"Basic" users can carry on using the current functionality, adding new features doesn't take anything away from anyone.

An overly complicated UI for a basic tool is kind of rediculous, which is the kind of change needed to make that kind of functionality usable. Plus, its a shitload of work for the mod author to satisfy 1% niche functionality that is already covered by another mod. I think there are far more important low hanging fruit to address.

 

[PhilHibbs]

An overly complicated UI for a basic tool is kind of rediculous, which is the kind of change needed to make that kind of functionality usable. Plus, its a shitload of work for the mod author to satisfy 1% niche functionality that is already covered by another mod. I think there are far more important low hanging fruit to address.

I disagree that it needs to be overly complicated. And of course it's up to the modders what they work on, I'm not denmanding anything. In general a modder will do what they want, regardless of whether that falls into the 1% (which I also dispute) or not. Like, Eloraam's CPUs, way way way below 1%, more like 0.001% of players have ever used one. But they're completely awesome and I miss them a load in my new world.

Oh, and what other mod allows processing of materials in proportion to the amount of materials that you have? Like, converting iron to refined iron whenever you have less than 10% of one compared to the other?

 

[netmc]

The level emitters are quite useful. You don't have to check the level of the item you are creating, you can check the level of any item and run based off that.

I use level emitters to control my biomass to ethanol production. I store my ethanol in tanks, and I use the GT distillation tower to convert the biomass into ethanol. If my ethanol tank gets filled, I won't have anywhere to empty the ethanol cells to and will use up all my empty cells needlessly. So, I place a level emitter on my biomass production, and if I end up with more than a few ethanol cells in my AE system, it shuts down the liquid transposer creating biomass cells for the distillation tower.

I also have two harvesters connected to my MFR tree farm. I have one to harvest trees normally, and another to harvest the leaf blocks. I use a level emitter to switch the harvester being used when my sapling count falls too low.

 

[Trunks9809]

Oh, and what other mod allows processing of materials in proportion to the amount of materials that you have? Like, converting iron to refined iron whenever you have less than 10% of one compared to the other?

ComputerCraft + MiscPeripherals\OpenPeripherals can access your ME network, check stock levels and then turn on\off a redstone signal to do this (Or whatever other method of processing you choose to do).

 

[PhilHibbs]

ComputerCraft + MiscPeripherals\OpenPeripherals can access your ME network, check stock levels and then turn on\off a redstone signal to do this (Or whatever other method of processing you choose to do).

Oh boy. That sounds cool. And if CC to MFR RedNet integration comes... even better.

 

[Trunks9809]

Oh boy. That sounds cool. And if CC to MFR RedNet integration comes... even better.

From what I remember, MiscPeripherals AE Bridge lets CC access the storage network, request items etc, while OpenPeripherals lets you access data about your network - I recall one of the guys on my server having a monitor that gave figures of total storage available\used in his network.

 

[Runo]

I disagree that it needs to be overly complicated. And of course it's up to the modders what they work on, I'm not denmanding anything. In general a modder will do what they want, regardless of whether that falls into the 1% (which I also dispute) or not. Like, Eloraam's CPUs, way way way below 1%, more like 0.001% of players have ever used one. But they're completely awesome and I miss them a load in my new world.

True about the modder, but so far the AE modder is publically resistant to functionality that's already possible through more complex means. I was just trying to stand in his shoes and look at the request from that perspective. As-is, you can point to level emitters towards an and/or to get the result you're looking for. Emit signal coal less than 500 emit signal oak logs greater than 500 into an and gate, for example. Big, bulky, expensive, but it works.

I do think something like an advanced level emitter would be nice with and/or functionality, but implementing all of rednet's functions into it would be quite difficult.

 

[PhilHibbs]

As-is, you can point to level emitters towards an and/or to get the result you're looking for. Emit signal coal less than 500 emit signal oak logs greater than 500 into an and gate, for example. Big, bulky, expensive, but it works.

That's exactly what I have got - if charcoal falls below 500, it starts pumping oak, birch, and spruce logs into my furnaces until any of them drop below 500. But those numbers have to be hard-coded into the emitters. I'd like to set the levels centrally in the ME Controller.

 

[casilleroatr]

Oh boy. That sounds cool. And if CC to MFR RedNet integration comes... even better.

CC and rednet already work together. You just use the bundled redstone functions from the redstone API.

You can do very simple AND/OR logic with the level emitter. The OR "gate" is really simple. Just have 2 emitters pointing at an export bus that is set to work when redstone is enabled and make the conditions inside the emitter cause a high redstone signal.
For the and gate make it so the export bus only works when redstone signal is off. Then make the two level output a high rs signal only when your desired condition is not being met.

I don't know if that is what you were getting at Runo. It sounded like you were talking about the level emitters acting on a real gate like the ones from Redpower.

 

[Runo]

I don't know if that is what you were getting at Runo. It sounded like you were talking about the level emitters acting on a real gate like the ones from Redpower.

Yeah, sorta. I was trying to say you can hook up a red net connection to any number of level emitters and run it through red net functions, with the output redstone emission being pointed at the export bus. It allows you to set up any number of conditionals, but requires a level emitter for each ME level input.

There are probably more finesse ways to go about it via logipipes/cc but its at least not too complicated.

 

[PhilHibbs]

CC and rednet already work together. You just use the bundled redstone functions from the redstone API.

Ah, I think I was getting confused between RedNet and either Immibis' or Project Red bundled cables or some other RP2 replacement.

You can do very simple AND/OR logic with the level emitter... For the and gate make it so the export bus only works when redstone signal is off.

Yes, as I already said, that's exactly what I am doing for my charcoal. But the levels have to be hard-coded and cannot be changed without hunting through the pipework for the right emitters. And I can't use a "master control board" of level emitters routed via MFR, as I have more than 16 of them. About 25 I think.