Automated Steam Boiler (Solid Fuel)

[Swaffer]

Hello,

So i've set up a pretty nice tree farm which cooks the logs into charcoal and pipes the charcoal down to a 2x2 steam boiler which powers a number of steam dynamos which in turn keep the tree farm running. The only problem i'm finding is how to get the charcoal into the soild fuel firebox, without it filling up and stuff falling back out of the pipes. How I wish I could use redpower tubes but hey... I also know that a liquid fuelled boiler with a bio fuel plant may be simpler, but I kinda like the idea of being stubborn... plus i'm sure it's a simple fix. Is there a block that can add the charcoal as and when the boiler needs it?

Any help much appreciated

Swaffer


Playing Ftb Monster 1.1.1.

 

[Cptqrk]

You could always put a buffer chest between them. Have a pipe feeding a chest, and a pipe pulling charcoal out. If you are making more charcoal than you are using, this would help.
If your buffer chest is getting full, try a DSU, or a way to void the excess.

 

[TheMechEngineer]

Are you using Buildcraft pipes? If so, experiment around with diamond pipes. If I don't want overflow I sometimes use a diamond pipe so that items return back to the chest if whatever I'm trying to fill up is full. It's all about fiddling with the diamond pipe whitelist system where the item is initially directed into the steam boiler, but there is an open color so that the item can be routed back to where it came from.
I'm speaking from FTB Ultimate knowledge but I'm sure it's similar in the Monster modpack.

 

[PierceSG]

I am going to assume you are on 1.6.4 here.
If you have Mekanism, the Logistical Transporter (item pipes of Mekanism) works really well.
Otherwise, TE3's itemducts should serve you well with a servo installed.\
Ender IO also have item conduits.
ExtraUtilities with it's item transfer node and pipes.
There might be others but this is what I could come up with.

 

[motorhue]

Buildcraft gates? If space in inventory(boiler) , red pipe signal, and by the chest if red pipe signal energy pulser

 

[Omicron]

Buildcraft gates? If space in inventory(boiler) , red pipe signal, and by the chest if red pipe signal energy pulser

^This.

In fact, even better: Railcraft boilers have custom gate conditionals for fuel status. You can do something like "Fuel <25% --> Red Pipe Signal". And if you don't have an autarchic gate on the other end, you can simply power an adjacent redstone engine with a "Red Pipe Signal --> Redstone Signal" conditional on the gate on the wooden pipe.

This way, the boiler will try to keep one full stack of fuel in it at all times, leaving 3 empty slots to act as a buffer that prevents item spill. If you were going by "space in inventory", the buildcraft pipe might end up sending a handful of items when there's space for exactly 1, causing a spill. A better solution would be "inventory empty", causing refueling as soon as the last item is consumed by the boiler, but the best option is definitely the "fuel <25%" conditional.

 

[EPfencer]

I always put a railcraft steam oven next to the boiler. If you put in the wood logs, it will cook them into 9 charcoal every few seconds using the steam (you don't need pipes if they're next to eachother) and then auto-output them to keep one slot of your boiler fuel full of charcoal. You could also use an item translocator with a diamond nugget to keep x number of charcoal in the boiler.

 

[Swaffer]

This is solid gold guys

Thankyou...

I haven't used gates yet... though i've heard of the ol' autarchic chappy. Auuutaaaarrrrchiiiccc..

This will keep me busy for a while figuring it out. I thought Motorhue's suggestion was good but actually the steam oven sounds pretty neat. I'm new to Railcraft too so will have tinker around and see what's what.

Thank you again

 

[Swaffer]

Ok so I've got the steam oven up and running like a beaut. But I think i still need a buffer overflow system. I'm going to check out gates in a bit when i finish work.

 

[Banedon]

I'm not playing Monster, but I believe this setup should still work. Take wood harvested by whatever means and put it into a jabba barrel upgraded to whatever appropriate size, with a void upgrade to prevent overfilling. Your choices from there to have the wood from the barrel to go to the steam oven are pretty wide. I'm playing bevo's tech pack 1.7.10 so with itemducts unavailable, I've gone with Enderio item conduit.

 

[Swaffer]

Thanks for all your useful responses, gave me some ideas to play with. I did try out the gate system exactly as you said. Space in Inventory, Red Pipe Signal - Red Pipe Signal, Energy Pulser. Only when there was no longer space in inventory the red pipe signal wouldn't turn off. So back to square one with items spewing out of buildcraft pipes.

What I have now is a very simple buffer system, with TE Itemducts & servos. Works a treat

Thanks again and happy crafting

 

[Omicron]

That probably happened because the gate was adjacent to something else with an inventory. And then the conditional will only swap when all adjacent inventories no longer have space.

Example: Steam oven next to steam boiler. Steam boiler autopulls one stack from the steam oven, leaving 3 slots empty. Gate adjacent to both steam oven and steam boiler, set to "space in inventory". Since the boiler only autopulls one stack, it always has space in inventory, and thus the gate conditional is always true, even if the steam oven itself fills up.