Assembly Table AE Automation

[namiasdf]

So I am thinking out of ways to automated my assembly table.

I have two tables:

(1) This one will continuously produce chipsets/pulsating chipsets and OR gates. Since I use BC pipes, autarchic gates are used quite frequently in my base. These are the three main components.

(2) This one will be attached to an interface with recipes that say things like [iron chipset] + [pulsating chipset] + [iron OR gate] = [autarchic iron OR gate]

Anyone have much experience with these?

There are many ways to automate these things, none of them are really a concrete way considering the build times for each gate. I want to make it fairly streamline in terms of time. I also don't want to burn through my redstone/iron supply.

It wouldn't work with a level detector because of how long they take to make. Say, if I wanted to ensure that I always had 10 gates and went below that, the level detector would remain on, even though the replacements may already be in process of being completed.

Sighs. >_>.

 

[Airship]

If you're familiar with MFR's Rednet, you can hack a solution using a timer or something; Use a level emitter connected to the lasers via Rednet, then have the redstone shut down after a certain amount of time ... I have no idea if this will work, but worth a shot, maybe?

 

[namiasdf]

Hmmm, another set of redstone to dive into. Though if my goal is pure automation...

Well if it's timing I could use a CC timer, but that only works for continuous production. It's no different than maxing out the inventory inside of the assembly table and calling it a day, it'll achieve the same thing. What I need is a solution similar to an interface with a recipe that says [x] = [chipset], system is missing 10, so get send 10x to get 10 chipsets.

I guess my best solution is to have a bagillion lasers and request things that way. It would mean that I would have to always tell the AE system to "build 64 chipsets", "build 64 gates".

The other solution is to have the chipsets built really, really slowly, but continuously. One table for chipsets, one for gates. Then whenever I need an autarchic gate, request it from a third table.

The volume of gates I go through is enormous. One "lava producing engine" uses something like 60 gates. I have four of them and plan to add two more. That's 360 gates heh.

edit: add the autarchic gates and that's 80 per, so 480. oi.

 

[Airship]

yeahh... I'd probably just go for the solution where I have one table for each ingredient, culminating in one table assembling the autarchic gates. Giant laser room, whee. I'd set a level emitter on each of the tables though, making sure I'm not overproducing any of the components.

 

[namiasdf]

Well the problem with a level emitter solution, once again, is the time.

Though the over-production may not be significant, I don't want to risk having no iron or redstone. That'd be sucky. I wanted to see if I could find a more precise solution, but it seems like an on-demand system is the only way to automated these things. I'll just have to plan ahead and be aware of my inventory is all.

 

[Norren]

Well the problem with a level emitter solution, once again, is the time.

Though the over-production may not be significant, I don't want to risk having no iron or redstone. That'd be sucky. I wanted to see if I could find a more precise solution, but it seems like an on-demand system is the only way to automated these things. I'll just have to plan ahead and be aware of my inventory is all.

I'd been hesitating to mention it since it's sort of hackish and obscenely power intensive, but you could always build multiple laser chambers and route to and from them using machine filtered routers. Depending on how end game your power system is, you could probably crank the full 9x9x4 laser wave per table for maximum speed, and have 2~4 concurrent on-demand operations.

 

[namiasdf]

Lol oh god. Well diamonds aren't really an issue and I have around 10 million units of biofuel.

I guess doing it excessively is the only way to get an "on demand" system. That's a lot of RECs though. RECs in 1.4.7 do NOT work well with conductive piping ffs. Why does conductive piping have to HOLD energy. Why can't they act like wires, qq.

 

[Norren]

If you're using energy cells, you might be able to save some energy bleed with gates and cobble pipes on the lasers. I recall seeing someone demonstrate a "charge energy cells when they're not full" logic gate setup on youtube, you could modify it to something like "has work: send redstone signal" on the laser and "has redstone signal: switch on" at the RS cell end. One might have been an aut and gate, not sure.

 

[namiasdf]

Well the problem is that regardless of whether the cell is being deactivated with a redstone signal, it will always output energy into a wooden pipe, even if nothing can receive that energy. It'll blow out all conductive piping. >_>.

 

[Norren]

Well the problem is that regardless of whether the cell is being deactivated with a redstone signal, it will always output energy into a wooden pipe, even if nothing can receive that energy. It'll blow out all conductive piping. >_>.

So don't use a wooden pipe for the gate. Slap a cobble/gravel pipe on it to attach the gate to, but otherwise use your TE RS conduit.

 

[namiasdf]

Yeah, trying to avoid using conduits, but it might be the only way. The only way to output energy from a REC using BC pipes is a wooden pipe, unfortunately.

 

[namiasdf]

He's one final question, for those of you whom might have experience using AE automation systems and assembly tables.

Let's say I was to have multiple assembly tables, each with their own individual ME interfaces, but all containing the same patterns. If I was to request 64 iron OR gates, assuming that all the required materials have been made (chipset, pipe wire and iron ingot), would the load be spread evenly? i.e. Would each assembly table receive the materials to produce exactly 16 gates each?

I have decided on building "assembly rooms", each with some number of lasers, an assembly table and an ME interface. This way, if I was to ask for just one gate, with none of the materials prepared, one would create the pipe wire, one would create the chipset and finally when both finished, one would produce the gate. Even further, if I were to ask for an autarchic gate:

1. pulsating chipset, pipe wire, 2x iron chip set [4 tables]
2. iron OR gate [1 table]
3. autarchic iron OR gate [1 table]

 

[SmokeLuvr1971]

Just to add my experiences with automating this beast...

Small[ish] setup...only 27 lasers. However, to achieve the coveted "on-demand" automation, I was forced to split up the components amongst 5 tables. It can be done with 4 [I think?] and in hindsight I could go back and reset each table, but I've invested too much time in this endeavor to start this over again. All tables have an ME Interface beneath them.

Table recipe splits:
Pipe wires and regular OR gates
Redstone Chip, Gate, and Autarchic Gate
Iron, Gold, Diamond, Pulsating Chips and regular AND gates
Autarchic OR gates
Autarchic AND gates

One very important thing to remember, the tables CANNOT be next to each other. I was having issues where the middle table [in an adjacent line of three] was collecting products from the other 2 and not releasing them to the network. Tables on diagonals are OK.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Just have it set to keep a supply of x material in the table (they cycle through all the recipes anyway), and once you've got a decent stockpile throttle back the power. Unless you're doing something massive, 2-5 lasers should keep your supply topped up.